My name is Kristin Browne and I am passionate about teaching music to children. Little Minstrels creates the opportunity for me to combine my love of music and songwriting, children and words.

My Background

I was brought up in a musical family and studied piano, voice and guitar from childhood. I have passed various musical exams in Piano, Guitar and Theory of Music. I have always loved children and have enjoyed bringing up my 5 children.

Studies and Experience

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English with a Music minor which includes papers in Child and Language Development. I also hold a Diploma in Early Childhood Music with the Institute of Registered Music Teachers of NZ.

I have training in Orff and Kodály which are both well established pedagogies in teaching music.

The Orff Approach is a developmental approach used in music education. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to child’s world of play. The course was a joy and wonder to me and I now incorporate these principles into my teaching and musical composition.

Kodály believed that musical instruction should reflect the way that children learn naturally. This approach is child centred and utilises singing games, fun and play.

I have taught preschool music since 2005 and it is my life and my passion. My training in the 2 pedagogies has resulted in my classes being developmentally appropriate, empowering every child to sing, participate and have fun!

In 2023 I received funding through MENZA (Music Education Aotearoa) to develop a preschool resource around the traditional Maori story Te Ika a Māui. This work is designed to be an immersive and exploratory experience that can be developed over several or multiple lessons for children aged 2-7 years. This resource is available at no cost on the MENZA website and includes recorded songs in both te reo Māori and English as well as suggestions on how to teach and share with tamariki.