If you are a parent living in Ottawa there is a very good chance you have heard of Monkey Rock Music. Monkey Rock is an incredibly popular music program for young children. The Monkey Rock musicians do a great job getting out in the community and performing at different family events, so I was familiar with their talent, but I had actually never attended a class before. That’s why I was excited when owner John King invited me to attend a fall session with my daughter Rowan.

What Is Monkey Rock?

Monkey Rock Music is a fun, entertaining and creative participatory music program for young children and their parents, grandparents, and caregivers. There are four sessions offered per year and classes are held in different locations all over the city. So it is easy to find a day, time and location that best works for you and your child.

There are three different age groups for classes:  0-1 yr, 1-2 yrs and 2-4 yrs old. My daughter is currently attending the 2-4 yr old class. It’s a very fun mix of ages as parents are allowed to register multiple children in the same class. Siblings are asked to enroll in the class of the eldest child (Ex: if a 2 year old and an 8 month old from the same family enroll with Monkey Rock Music, both children would come to the 2-4 year old class.) So that means that parents can bring along a toddler and a baby, and I can attest – both age groups have so much fun enjoying the music class!

What to Expect

It’s funny how sometimes we end up doing different kinds of activities with each of our children. With my first child, Lucas, I did a lot of mom and baby music classes. But when Rowan came along she often got dragged along to watch Luke’s swim lessons, sportball classes etc and I definitely missed out on doing some of those parent and child music classes with her. It’s been really great to get the chance to do Monkey Rock music with her.

Every class we sing songs (some familiar, some new), we always get to try a new and interesting instrument each week, and there is plenty of getting up and dancing around. A big bag of instruments is brought out each class where kids get to choose one to play and participate with.

Every week has a different theme and the themes are reflected in the song choices and activities such as ‘Colours’, ‘Animals’ and ‘Transportation’. Towards the end of each session Rowan’s instructor Taylor likes to bring out the ever-so-popular parachute for a few fun songs.

How to Enrol

The winter session enrolment is just kicking off this weekend, so if you are interested you should check it out! To find a location and register for a class visit the classes page here.

You can also register for a class at any time, even mid-session. Mid-session registration charges will be pro-rated based on the remaining number of classes. And when you enrol one child, each additional sibling gets a 25% discount. Siblings under 6 months of age on the first day of the session can come along for free.

If you just want to try a class first and see if your child likes it don’t hesitate – Monkey Rock music offers the first trial class free!