My name is Jacqui Tomlin.
It’s hard to believe that “Jacqu’in the Box” was 10 year July 2009!!
I started the fun drop-in musical sessions up when my own children were 4 years old, 2 years old and 5 months old!
George is now a whopping 15 year old who towers above me with size 9 feet, Robert is 12 and just starting secondary school and Henry, my little guinea pig for the classes back in 1999, is now 10!
I was first introduced to music classes for children when George was 18 months old and decided to put his name down for a group whereby the fees were paid for the whole term in advance and the classes ended for the school holidays. I found it quite hard to find the money in a big lump sum to pay for these classes, having given up my full time job as an Air-hostess with Britannia Airways. Also George was still not in a set routine. On some days he would sleep mid morning and some days mid afternoon. I certainly did not feel like interrupting any of his sleep periods as these afforded me the luxury of time to sit back and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, or a chance to tidy up the mayhem in my house!
George attended these classes for one term only. Even though I could tell that he loved the music and the chance to play instruments, he was far too young to grasp the concept of sitting still and listening to the teacher and consequently I would sit and get agitated and embarrassed if George wanted to get up and wander about. I was quite an over protective mother at that time, as when George was just 17 months old I went in to labour at 36 weeks with his brother, but by some cruel act of nature the placenta detached whilst Harry was still inside and after he had been delivered by emergency caesarean he only survived for 48 minutes.Somehow this made George even more special than I already knew that he was and I was determined that any groups that I took him to would first and fore-mostly be a tremendous amount of fun. This is what “Jacqu'in theBox music” sessions are all about.
