Barcelona Mum

Melissa Cokely - Baby Rock English

What does Baby Rock English offer?
Baby Rock English offers music and movement workshops in English for
children from 1 - 5 together with their parents (or grandparents, uncles,
aunts, etc.). We run sessions open to the public, private sessions for
groups of 4-8 families, and after-school groups for daycare centers and
schools.

Who is aimed at?
It's aimed at both Spanish and international families with small children
who are looking for a fun family activity with the added bonus of some fantastic
early exposure and practice in the English language.

What do you hope children will gain from attending Baby Rock English
sessions?
So many things! Firstly, kids from 1 - 5 are at a very crucial stage of
language development so being exposed to English at that point does them a
world of good from a linguistic point of view.  Children who don't have
native English speakers at home have the opportunity to learn tons of
language and absorb English pronunciation at a time when their brains are
best prepared to absorb it. Also, kids who speak English at home get to see
the language in action in a broader context and learn lots of new words. But
really, the best part is that families have a great time together singing,
dancing and having fun. Both parents and kids usually leave covered in
stickers and with big smiles on their faces.

Why and when did you decide to set it up?
I decided to set it up when my son Colby was about one, so, wow, almost
three years ago! He and I did a music class in Catalan just for fun...really
it was the only organized activity I could find in Barcelona for us to do
together since there wasn't a lot available at that time. He loved it, which
was no surprise since he adores music. What DID shock me was that after a
few weeks he was singing some of the songs in Catalan! I speak English to
him and my husband speaks to him in Spanish, so really these music classes
were the only exposure he had to Catalan at the time.  I've been teaching
English as a foreign language for many years and I had been reading up on
bilingual kids ever since I got pregnant, but to see it in action and to see
how effortless language acquisition is for small children is what really
prompted me to set up Baby Rock English.

What is your background?
I was born and grew up just outside of Boston. I've been living in Barcelona
and teaching English as a foreign language to children and adults since 1998
- with a two year break in the middle back in Boston when my husband was in
graduate school. I studied literature at Boston University and did a Master's degree at Universitat de Barcelona in Immigration and Intercultural Education.

Where do the children who go to the Baby Rock English sessions generally
come from? 
I would say most of the kids are from Barcelona but it's a pretty diverse
crowd. We have lots of families where one parent is from an English speaking
country and we've also had families from Japan, Argentina, Mexico, and
Italy.

Is what Baby Rock English offers unique in Barcelona, as far as you know?
It definitely was when I first started, but I think that's slowly changing,
and I hope it continues to change! I have seen that some language schools
are offering methods and English classes for smaller children, and while
it's a bit less focussed on parent participation and music than we are at
Baby Rock English I think it's a step in the right direction. There's been
such a huge baby boom that there are lots more services and activities for
parents and babies than there were only three years ago (like mumabroad.com,
for example:-) ).

How does Barcelona compare to the States with regards to the availability &
quality of children´s activities?
I think on the one hand there is more on offer in the US than there is here
at the moment in terms of a wider range of activities like music, yoga,
languages, art, etc., but on the other hand it seems like the focus in the
states tends more towards making children competitive and well-prepared for
school, so there's a certain amount of pressure there on parents of small
children and the children themselves that isn't so present here.

What are your goals for the next year?
I'd like to make Baby Rock English accessible to as many families as possible.  Recently we've started doing private groups and that's going well, too. I am going very slowly and cautiously, however, since my background is very much in teaching and not business, so I'm learning as I go along!