Every couple of weeks, the tiny tots from Oasis Preschool Māpua get to sing The Wheels on the Bus and other favourites with the backing of a roomful of ukulele and guitar players.
It’s part of the preschool’s ‘out and about’ focus to take its tamariki out to meet people in the community, and for the past year that has included the Coastal Stringers group.
Oasis’ centre lead, kaiako Hillary Gregory, says that it has been an opportunity to share and learn waiata and familiar fun songs, while also enriching the tamariki’s communication and social development.
“I am always advocating for the arts. All students should be offered regular quality experiences that allow them to express themselves in diverse ways, no matter their age!”
For the ukulele and guitar group, it’s been a youthful addition to their weekly sessions where they have now been strumming together for a decade. It began when Sheila Wilson purchased a ukulele while caravanning around New Zealand for a year and then had to do something with it when she came home.
The Coastal Stringers group was born with just six fellow players until it outgrew get togethers in homes and finally settled in the Māpua Bowling Club for their weekly sessions.
Now, every fortnight, they get to strum for some of the youngest in the community and sing the songs that everybody knows.
