Music Box Babies

“Wouldn’t it be great if every family in Edmonton had the opportunity to come and make music together?”- Ryan, Music Box Babies Parent

For Ryan and his daughter Maxine, Saturday mornings are all about music. Each week, they travel together to the Winspear Centre to engage in an hour of musical play and discovery. “Maxine is happy and it’s so good to see the kids having fun and interacting,” Ryan says. “Music Box Babies sets the tone for the whole weekend.”

Before his mother-in-law enrolled the duo in Music Box Babies as a gift, Ryan and his wife, Michael-Anne, had been looking for something similar for Maxine. “We were really looking for three things: to try music, to have a chance to let Maxine play with other kids her age, and to have a great family bonding opportunity over music.” The family bonding doesn’t end at the Winspear Centre either: after their first class, Ryan and Michael-Anne bought Maxine some of the same instruments they used during class so that she could use them at home as well. “It’s starting to sound a lot more like music now,” Ryan laughs.

Being able to give Maxine the chance to engage in a new social setting with children her age is really important for Ryan and Michael-Anne, and Music Box Babies gives Maxine that very opportunity. Ryan really enjoys the class structure, and the chance it gives the kids to play and get to know eac other. “I think Maxine’s favorite part is having the opportunity to express herself through music. My favorite part is that we’re all in it together, focused on the same thing, and just enjoying the music.”

Ryan wasn’t exposed to music in this way at a young age so he wanted to give his daughter the opportunity he never had. “I really regret not getting into music earlier, and having this class is a great way to expose Maxine to music and get her involved in it.” He’s also thankful for the existence of a place like the Winspear, that’s fully dedicated to music and musical opportunity for people of all ages.

Music Box Babies currently shares the magic of music with 63 young children and their families through more than ten classes per week. Due to the space needed for each program offered by the Tommy Banks Centre for Music, there is a limit to the number of Music Box Babies classes the Winspear Centre can offer. This means that there are some families that miss out on this incredible opportunity to bond over music. The Winspear Project will offer additional programming space – opening up more spaces in a variety of programs, including Music Box Babies, effectively doubling enrollment capacity, and offering the opportunity to share music with more families across the Edmonton area.

To learn more about the Winspear Project, click here.