“There's so many things that are happening when a child engages in music; they're naturally wired for it,” says early childhood music specialist and educator, Ruth Thompson.

“Making sense of the sounds around them, including voices and music, is the first skill babies are developing. From the prosody of a Carers voice to the delightful hum of a lullaby, children and music are a winning combination.

“They can't walk and dance, they can't even move their bodies in a coordinated way to respond to what they're hearing, but they're definitely wired to absorb and learn from the rich environment around them!” she continues enthusiastically.

Spend any time talking with Ruth and you are quickly won over by her passion and the genuine love she has for music-making and singing. It’s easy to see why her Early Years Music School has been such a hit with parents — and more importantly kids — here in Orange, Millthorpe and surrounds.

It was ten years ago this month that Ruth founded the Early Years Music School, combining her experience as a classroom music specialist with her training as an early childhood teacher to provide fun, early music experiences specifically targeted for children aged 0-5.

“May 2013… I began in Milthorpe, in the CWA Hall. I used to pack my little car up with all my bits and pieces and set it all up in the hall and then pack it all the way and leave – so we began in a very small way,” recalls Ruth, who at the time had just relocated to the Central West from Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

“I just came back to my roots, I suppose, in one sense… I'm actually an early childhood trained teacher, I'm musically trained as well and was a classroom music specialist in Queensland for 20-odd years,” she continues.

“It was always in the back of my mind to marry the early years training with the music and it just gave me an opportunity to create work for myself — I didn't think it would survive as long to be honest!”

But from small beginnings, Ruth’s school has grown and thrived to the point where she can no longer take new enrollments, now accommodating people as best she can on a casual basis whenever a space opens up.

Ruth said the support from the community these past ten years has been simply overwhelming. From being offered a space to work at Orange Public School and then at her current location, the Church of Christ Hall on Burrendong Way, to the many parents, grandparents and children who’ve eagerly filled her classes week in, week out.

“Mums and young bubs, mums and grandparents have really taken my vision to heart and supported me,” says Ruth.

“It's really, really precious just to have grandmothers and grandfathers, carers, aunts, and all sorts of people coming in and engaging with me. I've had families with me from the time their babies are two months old through to when they start school and so I've been privileged to be part of their lives for a long period of time.

“I really want to say thank you to the community of Milthorpe and Orange because without them supporting my business, I wouldn't be here.”

More than just a business, Ruth says she has been welcomed into people’s lives where she has watched the impact of music on young children as they’ve grown.

“They all have a greater level of confidence and it feeds into all areas of learning…they have a much greater level of language and understanding, even their ability to self-regulate, to self-settle is increased,” says Ruth.

And while many of her students have gone on to pursue music, Ruth says creating musicians and singers has never been what her school is about.

“A lot of them have just been naturally drawn to music and that's fantastic, but that's not the primary goal,” says Ruth.

“The primary goal is to give children a beautiful experience that builds them into great human beings. Because without music, where are we? Music… it's in everything, we need it!”

The Early Years Music School has been a labour of love for Ruth, who genuinely loves what she does, but it is not something she can do forever.

“I'd love to find somebody that I could train up, to work with me and then eventually take over the school because I'm getting older and it would be a shame if the school stopped,” she says.

“So it'd be really nice to find somebody with early childhood training, somebody that had a bit of a crazy personality — and played the guitar would be good. If there’s somebody passionate, I'd love to meet them!”