ABOUT THE TWINKLE FOUNDATION
The Twinkle Foundation is a collective of Suzuki Music teachers in Aotearoa, New Zealand who teach an educational music programme for 0-5 year olds and their whānau.
The Twinkle Foundation follows the philosophy of Dr Suzuki and the concepts of DEIAB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging). Our programme creates an environment for young children and their parents free from pressure in which they can gain skills in music, movement, English, and te reo Māori, while developing other skills, like listening, patience, sharing and empathy throughout class.
Our teaching is responsive to DEIAB which can be defined as:
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Diversity encompasses differences among people. These include , but are not limited to, characteristics such as national origin, language, race, colour, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status.
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Equity is the consistent and systemic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals.
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Inclusion is cultivating a culture which promotes collaboration, flexibility and fairness within the community.
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Accessibility is providing equitable access to all individuals.
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Belonging is creating an environment for all individuals to experience the feeling of being accepted, respected and valued.
Suzuki Early Childhood Education a worldwide music programme for young children which runs in many countries. In New Zealand, the Suzuki Early Childhood Education curriculum uses waiata (songs) and pao (rhymes) in English and te reo Māori, while exploring some New Zealand Sign Language.
“All children are born with immense potential. Quality early learning helps our children begin to realise that potential and build a strong foundation for later learning and for life. Unique in its bicultural framing, Te Whāriki expresses our vision that all children grow up in New Zealand as competent and confident learners, strong in their identity, language and culture. It emphasises our bicultural foundation, our multicultural present and the shared future we are creating. It encourages all children to learn in their own ways, supported by adults who know them well and have their best interests at heart.” (Te Whāriki, 2017). This quote, from Te Whāriki (the Early Childhood Curriculum in Aotearoa, New Zealand), emphasises the importance of our multicultural present and shared future within early childhood contexts. Our programme reflects this through the Suzuki philosophy, use of inclusive rhymes and waiata, the importance placed on continued consultation with relevant peoples and professional development of our teachers.
The foundation is a charitable trust and offers membership to families regularly coming to classes. Families do not have to become members to participate in classes. Membership provides additional support for its whānau and teacher members alike. The foundation offers events for participating children such as wānanga and atatū concerts, classes across the country, continued professional development for its teachers, readily available resources, and parent support. We aim to support our members through subsidies to events to further musical learning in the early years.
Teacher Collective
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