Music Time for Bright Horizons DUMBO - Brooklyn, NY

Singing and music play an important role in the culture of all Bright Horizons Early Education Centres, and so when new Bright Horizons Day-care Centre in Brooklyn New York opened its doors earlier this year, it was no surprise that three colourful Percussion Play instruments were there ready and waiting for music time to begin!

Bright Horizons operates approximately 1,100 childcare centers worldwide, including more than 700 in the United States and Canada, more than 300 in the UK and Netherlands, and two in India. The centers abide by Reggio Emilia and Montessori philosophies and aim to consider what children need in a space and how they will use it. They offer full- and part-time, year-round programs for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years.

Bright Horizons, opened in its Brooklyn location in February to meet the needs of working families in DUMBO (short for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass). The center offers inviting classrooms and state-of-the-art facilities that include indoor play spaces guaranteed to keep children active no matter the weather. The children can experiment with music and sounds by playing the Rainbow Trio Instruments installed indoors at just the right height along the wall - perfect for toddlers and younger children to discover music and express themselves with rhythm, melody, and tone. The Rainbow Bongos are percussive, and both the Rainbow Metallophone and Rainbow Chimes are tuned to the pentatonic scale to create a safe musical haven for exploring new sounds. Suitable for both indoors or outdoors, the sizing of this group of instruments is absolutely right for little ones.

Exposing young children to musical instruments can help develop hand-eye coordination, improve listening skills, increase gross and fine motor skills while developing muscle tone in the hands and arms. Young children have an instinct to create their own melodies and explore their imaginations by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing it later, in the same way, that they learn their own language.

“At Bright Horizons we believe that environment is the key to creating a joyful place for childhood,” said Meg Robustelli, marketing manager at Bright Horizons. “We put a great deal of thought and care into creating those joyful places. We know our centers will form an integral part of a child’s earliest learning; and with that in mind, we carefully curate high-quality materials for every center to create beautiful environments with rich, open-ended experiences that nurture development and inspire learning.”