Questions?

• How much is each session for babies and under fives?
• Are the refreshments included in the price?
• Is Piccolo a franchise?
• Do I have to sing?
• I'm a new mother and am worried about feeding. Can I bring a friend to help me?
• What if I don't know the songs or I don't speak much English?
• Can I leave my child?
• What if my child has a tantrum?
• What if my child won't join in?
• Can I bring a toddler and a baby to the same session?
• Will I manage with twins?
• At what age do I have to pay for a baby brother or sister?
• Can my mum/childminder/friend bring my child?
• Do I have to pre-book and pay in advance?
• How long is each session?
• Do you have an afternoon session?
• Do you have a session catering just for babies?
• Do you do a session just for playgroup-aged children?
• Do you sell any recordings of your songs?
• Do you offer training for adults?
• Do you do school holidays?
• Do you do weekends?
• Do you do children's parties?

How much is each session for babies and under fives?

Morning sessions are £4.00 per child, £2.50 per sibling from the same family, over 4 months.(Under four months the sibling is free) Twins are £6.00 whichever session they attend. Adults (including visiting relatives/friends) are FREE! None of the sessions need to be booked - just turn up and pay when you arrive.

Are the refreshments included in the price?

Yes, there is Fair Trade tea and coffee, juice and biscuits, all included at all sessions. You are welcome to bring lunch to eat after the baby sessions in Whitley Bay and Heaton, which end about midday. There is a cafe at Linskill Centre (Mondays) if you are looking for somewhere to have lunch.

Is Piccolo a franchise?

No. there is only one Piccolo! However we can offer help, advice and training if you are considering setting up a children's music group in your area. If you would like more information, have a look at our Song Licensing Scheme or e-mail us with details of your proposed group, or ring us for an informal chat. We can tailor make a package to suit you.

Do I have to sing?

No, but your baby or child likes the sound of your voice best, so if you can join in, even if it is just a little, they will enjoy the session more and will be more likely to join in themselves. We feel the sessions are as much for parents/carers to learn new songs and socialise as they are for the children. It's important that you don't chat with other adults during the session as this distracts the children and makes it harder for Abi and Anna to remember the words!!

I'm a new mother and am worried about feeding. Can I bring a friend to help me?

Have a look at our page for new parents.

Don't worry. There will be a mixture of traditional nursery rhymes and other songs, and we run the same session for four weeks in a row, so that you and your child pick up the new songs easily. If English is not your first language then please don't worry. What we do is very visual and you will be able to pick up lots of the words by watching (and you can sing a long at home if you have one of our CDs - these all have word booklets which might help too). It's a great way to practise your English!

No. Piccolo is a parent and toddler/child group and children remain the responsibility of parents/carers throughout the session.

The sessions are very relaxed and your child is welcome to wander around and look at the props we use but if your child is really disturbing the session, then we ask that you remove them to the adjacent room until they have calmed down. This is important for the enjoyment of others attending, but please do come back in when things are calmer!

Most children are quite shy to begin with and many take several weeks before they feel confident enough to join in. But all children who come to Piccolo regularly seem to gain in confidence and enthusiasm for the music and dance. If you feel they are 'wasting the session' don't worry, children are often absorbing a lot of what goes on and you're likely to find that they start performing as soon as you get home!

Yes. The first two morning sessions for 0-4 year olds, are aimed mainly at children over 15 months who are up and about, but we show you actions for smaller children too, so these are good where you have more than one child. The baby sessions are for babies under roughly 1½ years, and we prefer to keep older, confident walkers to the mixed sessions. We'd say try different sessions and stick with the one that suits you and your children, or e-mail us and we may be able to advise more specifically which session would suit you best. For example if you have twins, a smaller session where we can give you more help with one of the children would be easier for you.

Will I manage with twins?

Please do come and give it a go! If they are still small babies you will probably find it easier than when they start crawling and walking, but even then, many parents of twins have come to Piccolo and found it good fun. Abi and Anna, Pauline and Allison will help as far as possible anyone with more than one child with them, if the children are willing! Please feel free to bring a friend or relative to help you if you can find someone, there is no extra charge for them. By the way Pauline, who works at Piccolo on Wednesdays and Mondays, came to Piccolo with twin babies and later on with the twins and her new baby, so we know it's possible!!

At what age do I have to pay for a baby brother or sister?

If you are bringing an older child (cost £4) and a brother or sister, the charge for the second child is £2.50 once they reach 4 months. Siblings under 4 months are free.

Yes. If a childminder brings a number of children from different families the cost is £4 per child, with no discount.

No. Most people have said, when we have carried out surveys, that they prefer Piccolo to run on a drop-in basis, so that they can come when it suits them, and not worry if their child is ill or if they are on holiday.

How long is each session?

The sessions for babies last an hour, with singing for 30 minutes, and refreshments/chat for 30 minutes, or a little longer, while we are packing up. Those aimed at older children last an hour, with 40 minutes of singing and refreshments for about 20 minutes.

No.

Yes, the sessions at 10.20 on Monday, 11.20am on Wednesday and 11.30am session on Thursday are aimed specifically at babies with more hand and finger rhymes and lap songs. If you have an older child as well, it's best to come to the mixed sessions earlier on.

Do you do a session just for playgroup-aged children?

Not at the moment.

Do you sell any recordings of your songs?

Yes. Please see our Piccolo Shop.

Do you offer training for adults?

Yes, we run training workshops for those people who work with children and would like to use more singing and music in their work. All sorts of people come to the training, including health professionals, social workers, teachers, speech therapists and crèche/playgroup/nursery workers. We cover singing with pre-schoolers, baby sessions, playground games, storytelling through song, and planning your music sessions. Please see Piccolo Training for more information, or contact us for details of the next workshop. Several events organised by other agencies, but with training provided by Piccolo, are open to the public (See Piccolo Calendar for details.)

Do you do school holidays?

Not very often. Summer 2009 we are running three 'babies only' sessions, see latest news for detials. When we do offer holiday session details will be on our calendar. If you would be interested in sessions in the holidays, please contact us to be added to our mailing list.

No, apart from occasional events which we advertise beforehand. See Piccolo Calendar for details or please contact us to be added to our mailing list.

Do you do children's parties?

Yes we can now offer 'Abigail's Parties' from Piccolo, and our web page about this will be live very soon. In the mean time please e-mail us if you are interested in a party. We also offer tailor-made CDs for birthday party bags.