Simply Lambchops

Let's eat at Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家)

Reviews Tuesday, January 27, 2015

I hardly blog about food, as I'm no food critic nor a food connoisseur. But I love a plate of good food anytime - food that doesn't have to be too expensive, and has a name that is easy enough for me to pronounce. So when I received the food tasting invite from Gu Ma Jia (translated as Aunty's Home), I went online to...

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Review and Giveaway: Lost My Name personalised book

Reviews Friday, January 09, 2015

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Published with Karen Wollman's permission It started with two courageous little ones who had to fight against all odds for their lives. Their mommies got connected through a Facebook group in March 2014 and they realised that they share similar experiences with their courageous little warriors. And that started the whole journey between little Renner and I - a journey of inspiration through...

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Messy Play! - MyMessyBox Sensory Play Review Part 1

all about K Monday, January 05, 2015

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When I was mom to Ch and L, I didn't know that playing with sand and water provide far more benefits than just fun and laughter. These hands-on learning experiences engage a child's senses, and develop his creativity and imagination. There are many other benefits of such sensory play and I highlighted some here. It took a third baby for me to know...

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Review and Promo - Our first family photoshoot by Cloud Productions Sg

Family time Tuesday, December 30, 2014

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This year has been an eventful one for us at Simply Lambchops. K was critically ill and hospitalised for a total of 76 days (read here and here), thus the family has to cope with a new home therapy routine. Hubby got his new posting, and L is going on to Primary 1 in a few days' time. Managing Ch has also been...

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We are the Nachos rock band! - The Eighth Note Music School Review and Giveaway

children activities Friday, December 26, 2014

The school holidays are almost over, and we had such a fruitful time so far!

One of the things Ch and L did was to join a holiday music program at The Eighth Note Music School situated at Lorong Kilat.

The Eighth Note Music School review by Simply Lambchops

This music school has a diverse music program from digital to traditional instruments. They also offer short holiday music courses on various musical instruments like the keyboard, ukelele, drums or guitar. This gives the student a chance to try out the instrument before committing to learn it on a longer term. One of their unique music courses allows the student to arrange, remix, compose and record their own music using ipads, computers and even on mobile phones.

Guess which holiday program I signed them up for?

Being a mom who learnt how to play the organ for about 10 years and enjoys pop music, I have a secret wish - that one day, my kids can jam together as a band, playing on the drums, the jazz guitar etc. How cool is that!

And so, I got my wish...

The Eighth Note offers a Band camp every year during the school holidays and is held over 4 sessions x 2 hours. Together with their 4-year-old cousin Aly, the children had a chance to tinker with different musical instruments such as the ukelele, drums, cajon and cabasa. Under the recommendations of the two teachers, each of them was assigned an instrument eventually, and there, a band was formed! In fact, they were the youngest group to attempt playing as a band in the school! (Usually, the Band camp participants range from 7yo to 23yo. The school creates the group based on age and/or level.)

Introducing.... our very focussed singer in the band!

Being the youngest band camp participants, it was definitely challenging for the teachers to get the whole group to learn the instruments and play as a band at a suitable tempo. Firstly, the timing that suited Ch and L coincided with Aly's nap time. Moreover, kids being kids, they didn't have the attention span to last a 2-hour session. Thirdly, L has to start from the basics of a ukelele, and Aly has no formal music background. I am glad the school gamely took up this challenge.

Despite these challenges, the two teachers impressed me with their positive attitudes and care for the children. When the children started getting restless, the observant teachers were able to engage the kids to bring their attention back to the lesson, without being mean or stern. They gave breaks at suitable intervals as well, and made the lessons interesting with their humour.

What I appreciated most was that the sessions were shortened to suit the children so that they were not too tired during each session. The school also offered to extend the number of sessions for them to complete the course.

The Nachos learnt two songs - Counting Stars by One Republic and Rude by Magic (with modified lyrics) - all in 8 hours! It was amazing to see how Aly persevered despite developing an aching arm with the shaker, and the older ones concentrating to avoid being distracted by the other instruments. Though they were still not perfectly in sync as a band group, I commend the children and the teachers for putting up a good performance. You can watch their band performance here.

The Nachos with their friendly Band camp teachers at The Eighth Note Music School

I am looking forward to the next school holiday as I hope to sign up for the music crash course if my schedule permits. Since The Nachos is short of a drummer, I'll volunteer to fill that role if the kids think I'm cool enough.

What you may not know about

The Eighth Note Music School

Established in 2004, The Eighth Note reaches out to over 25,000 students annually with its 2 music schools and music programmes in 35% of schools in Singapore. The school is also endorsed by the National Arts Council for a number of its music programs.

Flexible timings When their students have to miss lessons for valid reasons, the school allows makeup lessons as long as the teacher is available (but don't take this kindness for granted ya?)

Tailor-made lessons The lessons are tailor-made for one-to-one students, following The Eighth Note's own syllabus.

Talented teachers There are a total of 14 teachers specialised in one-to-one lessons. They are versatile to handle almost any genre related to their instruments, and I noticed that each teacher can play, not one, but a few musical instruments.

Most popular courses Guitar (pop, electric, fingerpicking) | Ukelele (beginner to advance) | bass guitar | classical and pop piano | classical and pop violin | vocals | drums.

The Eighth Note is located at:

Main branch (West)

19 Lorong Kilat #01-04

Singapore 598120

Tel: +65 6465 1418

Email: hi@theeighthnote.com.sg

Parkway Centre branch (East)

Parkway Centre #02-02

Singapore 449408

Tel: 63480628

Mobile: 9230 2778

Email: jac@theeighthnote.com.sg

Website at www.theeighthnote.com.sg

Follow them on Facebook for updates about their courses.

Giveaway!

Maybe you have been thinking about taking up music lessons, but am unsure of your commitment and interest level. Or you have stopped music lessons due to other commitments. Why not take the opportunity to rekindle that music passion in you? The Eighth Note Music School has kindly sponsored 2 trial lessons (1 hour each) to one Simply Lambchops reader! You can choose from guitar, ukelele, piano, violin, drums and bass guitar. Lessons will be at the main branch at Lorong Kilat.

In order to qualify for the giveaway, please complete the following steps:

1. Like The Eighth Note Music School on Facebook.

2. Like and comment on this Facebook post, telling me the music instrument you would like to learn.

This giveaway will end on 2nd Jan 2015 at 2359 hrs and the winner will be selected through a random draw. Results of the draw will be announced on The Eighth Note Music School Facebook page.

Terms and Conditions

This giveaway is open to Singapore residents only. Winner will be contacted through a private message on Facebook and has 48 hours to respond, failing which a new winner will be drawn. All incomplete entries will be disqualified. All entries will be verified before the winners are announced. To be fair to our sponsors, please note that all fake Facebook accounts (e.g. accounts set up purely to take part in contests with no or very few real friends) will also be ineligible to win.

Disclosure: We were invited for the Band camp lessons for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was given and all opinions are ours.

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Let's eat at Gu Ma Jia (姑妈家)

Review and Giveaway: Lost My Name personalised book

Messy Play! - MyMessyBox Sensory Play Review Part 1

Review and Promo - Our first family photoshoot by Cloud Productions Sg

We are the Nachos rock band! - The Eighth Note Music School Review and Giveaway

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