A Day in the Life
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Jacqui Stammers. Music Bugs franchisee for North Wiltshire. Former teacher and mum to 5 year old Charlie and 3 year old Amelia. Jacqui and her team of Class Leaders currently run 13 weekly classes plus additional sessions for Sure Start as well as regular Birthday Party bookings. Jacqui was recently voted Music Bugs 2010 Franchisee of the Year (Southern Region).
Like most working mums, my day starts early, as I need to ensure that the children are up, dressed and ready for school in plenty of time. I also need to make sure that I am fully prepared for my scheduled classes so I always do a quick check through my session plans to make sure I have everything I need. There would be nothing worse than arriving at one of our classes or nursery sessions without one of our great props, or even worse, without my iPod!
After dropping the children off at school, I make my way straight to my first venue. I always like to get there in plenty of time to ensure that the venue is clear and set up before my families arrive. If we have a new family coming along for a trial session, I like to welcome them and introduce myself and take time to explain the activities for the forthcoming session. Our regular children always seem to arrive full of chat and exciting news about their week and so this is always a lovely time to catch up with them and their parents.
I take 2 or 3 sessions most mornings, so it’s always busy! No two sessions are the same however, as every child reacts in their own unique way (one of the things that I love about the classes). In a baby class, it’s lovely to see the mums and dad’s making friends and getting involved with their children. There is often a lovely ‘family feel’ to the classes and everyone makes the effort to greet newcomers and make them feel at home. In the older age group classes, the children are becoming increasingly more confident and independent from their parents and I really enjoy the interaction that I get from this age group.
Watching a 2 year old wiggle and dance and completely immerse themselves in a song, is just wonderful and of course no-one minds if I get up and join in with the dancing too! One minute, we might be galloping around the room with our Hobby Horses and the next we might be practicing our counting using our song mitts or jumping up and down like a Jack-in-the-Box.
In the afternoon we may have some Nursery sessions or Sure Start sessions scheduled, so after a quick bite to eat, I try to get there in plenty of time as I like to catch up with the staff and go through the scheduled sessions before the children arrive. If we don’t have anything scheduled then I might catch up with my Class Leaders or head back home for a much needed break.
There’s admin work to do as well of course. I might be adding a new child to the class registers or getting enrolment fees ready to bank. Emails and phone calls from parents enquiring about the sessions come in at all times of the day (and night!) and these need to be dealt with promptly. I like to catch up on the Music Bugs Forum with my fellow franchisees at least once or twice a week and also need to keep up to date with Head Office.
I have a Twitter Page and a Facebook Page that need updating from time to time and also need to ensure that my Music Bugs website is kept up to date with the latest news and new classes. Finally I need to check my playlists to ensure I have all the songs and props that I need for the following week and that my Class Leaders are fully prepared too.
I try to get as much admin work done as possible, before I collect the children. If not, I might be able to catch up on a few bits in the evening after they have gone to bed.
The weekends can often be quite busy with Birthday Party bookings, but I am careful not to take on too many as I like to ensure that I have a much needed break spending time with family.
