These are pre instrumental musicianship classes which are organised into small groups for our youngest YMC members between the ages of 2-6 years. These classes run every half hour through the Saturday morning arranged by age. The aim of the classes is to explore the basic concepts of music ie. rhythm and pitch, while inviting different forms of expression (through music, speech, drawing, etc), developing the singing voice and offering the chance to play with various small musical instruments. The class combines the Kodaly method – a system of corresponding syllable names and hand-signs to represent the intervalic relationship between the notes of any key, and rhythm syllables to express the duration of the note values – and the Orff method – a ‘child-centred’ approach which combines music, movement, drama and speech incorporating the use of small musical instruments and inviting improvisation. Special attention is given to inner hearing, memorising, co-ordination and expressivity. Photo: A Hurwitz/ALH Photography About Youth Music Centre The Youth Music Centre was established in Bigwood House, Hampstead Garden Suburb in 1967 and since that time has become one of the foremost Saturday morning music schools in London. The essential aim of YMC is to welcome all children from the age of two to eighteen years into our community and to help them achieve their highest musical potential within a creative and happy environment, where they can come together to enjoy making music. YMC provides classes in musicianship skills for the very youngest children before they embark on instrumental lessons at the age of five or six. After a year of group lessons on the violin, viola, cello, double bass or recorder children are ready to have their first orchestral experience. We also provide theory classes up to grade 8 and voice/aural classes. We are proud to say that we have many children who stay with us for their entire music education.