Music Makers Spotlight!

Our amazing Music Makers Lead, Ms. Erin, shares with us more about this special program and how she became involved! Thank you, Erin, for sharing and for giving of your time, energy and expertise to all of our school agers here at GiGi’s Playhouse Cleveland!

Outside of GiGi’s, I am a full time elementary music teacher for the Maple Heights City Schools, and a part time PhD student in music education at Case Western Reserve University. I started volunteering at GiGi’s Playhouse about four years ago when I was looking to explore how music could benefit kids outside of school settings. I intended to just observe and assist with the LMNOP program, but before I knew it, Lizz and I were planning GiGi’s Playhouse Cleveland’s first-ever program focused completely on music! Ever since, the second Saturday of the month has become my favorite day of the month, and GiGi’s has become a second home and family for me. I hope to see you all at Music Makers!

(picture taken 2019)

Music Makers is a purposeful program that focuses on having fun while building social, physical, and thinking skills through music. Kids aged 5-10 get the opportunity to play instruments, dance, sing, learn songs, and create their own songs! As we practice musical skills, we are also building skills that can transfer to other areas of life and learning. Plus, making and sharing music with others is a fun way to socialize! One of my favorite moments from Music Makers is whenever a participant helps me play an instrument by strumming the ukulele, pressing a key on the flute, or sliding the trombone’s slide. It makes me so happy to see how engaged, excited, and proud the kids are when they hear the sound they helped create! I also love hearing stories about how the participant will find ways to make or create music at home with their family!

CHECK US OUT IN ACTION HERE! – here we are focusing on repetition and engaging the whole body, thus working both sides of our brains and offer an opportunity to be creative and work on rhythm!

To RSVP for our next Music Makers program, email us at cleveland@gigisplayhouse.org.