A LIFE EXPERIENCE for CHILDREN, PARENTS & TEACHERS
General description of services offered
Muriel Vergnaud offers workshops for children and training programs representing the different aspects of the LYS™ process to all young children learning French and music as an additional language, all parents who wish to support their child’s learning, all French language and music educators.
Not only children but adults can also benefit from LYS™. A training program is offered for teachers and parents who wish to incorporate the principles and tools of Frenchsinging creativity into their own teaching practices, and their own lives. The training includes experiential exploration through the arts, philosophy and theory of the practice, and basic maps and methods of the work. Students learn to facilitate the application of Muriel’s process in such fields as creative arts, dramatic, educational, and play activities. This direct approach enables each adult to plunge into the play world of LYS™, spontaneously reconnect with their own inner child and then reintegrate the experience in their own personal and professional life.
Fees
Speaking fees are agreed upon after discussing your organization's needs, expectations, and budget. All speaking fees are in addition to travel, accommodations, meals, copy expenses, and incidentals related to the presentation. If your organization requires materials beyond the usual handouts, preparation time will be charged at a negotiable rate per hour. Muriel Vergnaud retains all copyright to materials she produces.
Description of classes
Children's classes
For each song, there are corresponding games, play, creative, and educational activities. All games and activities are age-appropriate. Mime, visual aids, humorous props and audio support are systematically used.
Babies & tots playgroups
6 months-3 years
45mn
Adults share the experience with the child.Children in this class build more than language and music skills. They explore mobility and acquire new motor skills. They make friends, interact with other children, and develop social skills. LYS™ offers a wide variety of creative arts and dramatic activities, specifically chosen to capture the attention of your child and fire their imagination. All activities are process-oriented.
School age children
3-6 years
1 hour
Children are ready to attend classes on their own. Parents are welcome to watch if the child needs it.Children in this class are fully verbal. We can hear them sing more than in tots’ playgroups. They start using words and sentences. Then, as their age and level progresses, they memorize much longer songs and develop musical, listening and physical coordination skills. LYS™ original games, play and educational activities encourage social interactions and increase memorization. LYS™ creative arts and dramatic activities enable children to express their own personalities and develop as speakers, readers, musicians and actors.
Adult classes
Adults in this class are encouraged to experience the living activity of singing Muriel’s French songs. For each song, there are corresponding games, play, creative and educational activities. Mime, visual aids, tactile materials and audio support are systematically used. There is an ongoing exchange between experiencing and discussing. The differences of the needs of babies, tots and school age children are explored and compared.
MURIEL'S TOOLS
THE VOICE: the direct way to express the playful and the emotional aspects of a song. Through our voice, we can express and communicate an infinite range of feelings. Through our intonation, we can bring the children to any level of energy, and naturally lead the flow of the activities without any verbal authority.
THE BODY: the physical, the emotional, the mental levels of the body are interconnected. We live a song in and through our bodies. Through our body, we can express and communicate the feeling of a song, suggest the meaning of the text, reach the children and catch their attention.
HUMOROUS PROPS: feathers, hand made puppets, bubbles, balloons, parachutes... and colorful illustrations to help children associate French words with the action of each song, its meaning and style.
MOVEMENT: the body’s primary language. Movement channels and evokes feelings. Through our body, we can express and communicate the feeling of a song, and suggest the meaning of the text.
TESTIMONIALS
The kids just love the CD. They want to hear it all the time, they sing along with it and it's infectious. I think it's great for grownups too. So we don't play it as if to support the teaching, we rather play it because we like it!
- Maitland
Father of Adda, Io and Ray
It is exactly because of opportunities like this that we live in Brooklyn... I have been taking my 23-month-old daughter to a music and movement class in French in Boerum Hill. After two classes, I was blown away by the quality!
The teacher, Muriel, with her enchanting singing voice, expressive gestures, puppets, balloons, bubbles, parachute and rattles, connects with children's natural love of movement and music. The songs are her original works, unusual, simple and memorable; layer after layer gently teaching counting, colors, vocabulary, etc... in French. I feel that I ought to describe this class in very poetic terms... it is awe-inspiring and perfectly orchestrated, not a moment is wasted, perfectly geared to captivate toddlers and preschoolers... not to mention all the adults in the room, who all have child-like smiles on their faces. After class, it feels like we've participated in a Cirque du Soleil performance!
For French-speaking toddlers, it would be an equally wonderful and enriching music and movement pre-school class.
- Yana
Mother of Madeleine
My 3 children are now seven, four and one. My seven years old daughter, was in Muriel’s class when she was three years old and my second one was just born. We spent only about 8 months in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, NYC, but the children know the songs from Muriel’s tape by heart and still enjoy listening to them. She has a very beautiful and soothing voice and sing so clearly that it is easy for them to learn. For a very long time, my second child had to listen to Muriel’s tape every night before he went bed he found her voice so soothing. For him it was like an elixir. Now, he seems to have a flair for the language and very good pronunciation.
- Kate
Mother of Anna and Oliver
To dream and to dream in song. This is what Muriel brings to our children.
- Colleen
Mother of Léa and Michael
We listen to the CD many mornings during breakfast and it sets the tone for the day! When we sit down at the table, the kids plead for the “Escargots” song. It makes us think of a spring wind bringing fresh scents and birdsong through the windows. Muriel's voice seems to be floating on clouds. What a relaxing way to start the day!
- Eliza
Mother of Milo
I just want to tell a short story. I bought Muriel’s first cd a couple years ago so my children could hear other languages. I was playing it and none of us speak French. My six year old started dancing and acting out a song. I asked her what it was about and she explained. I looked at the English translation and couldn't believe it was what Muriel was singing about.
- Shari
CDBaby customer
I want to go to miss Muriel's class everyday!
- Dax
4 year old
I have been acquainted with Muriel Vergnaud for several years. She has taught French Classes at our center since January 1997 for children ages two through five. Her class is taught through songs, music, movement and art. It has been a pleasure to watch how the class has grown in popularity over the years. Muriel puts a lot of preparation into each class and her dedication is evident in the happy faces that arrive for her class each week. Muriel is popular with both children and parents. Her class starts and ends with a parade of children singing a song about little train; the children march around and sing this song with gusto. Their voices can be heard throughout our center! Muriel’s enthusiasm and love of teaching French is so profound that parents who signed their children up for French when Muriel started here several years ago, are returning to enroll younger siblings of the students who worked with Muriel at our center in the past. Muriel’s approach to teaching French is loving and comprehensive. She has done an excellent job helping young minds absorb the French language. I recommend her work and I am pleased that she has shared her talent with the families at my center. If you have further questions, I will be happy to discuss Muriel’s work with you.
- Linda Blyer
Director of Families First Center in Brooklyn
My three and a half year old daughter had been studying French with Muriel for over a year. Muriel is a marvelous teacher. I've never before encountered a pre-school class that is as thoroughly figured out and consistently taught as her French class. It's a focused period for the children and the structure allows time for group songs and to each taketurns (talking about colors, numbers, and special topics) with Muriel's guidance. There's no english spoken (truly the way language should be taught at all levels) but nothing about this is disconcerting for the kids. Muriel's teaching is through song and movement. Her compositions are catchy and she includes many classic French children's songs too. The repetitive format means that children can join her class and quickly feel at ease with what's going on. When Muriel brings out the different props (hand puppets, a parachute, or even feathers) before each song, the students know their cue and are ready to participate. Well beyond being a fun activity, Muriel's teaching has promoted an enormous interest in language and the relationships of words. My daughter has retained an enormous amount and I often hear her at play singing one of Muriel's songs.
- Perla
Mother of Io, Ray and Adda
When listening to Muriel's songs, kids and parents start singing the lyrics and the melodies right away, as if those were belonging to them. Muriel's songs fit exactly to kids' music comprehension and understanding. The lyrics are connected with their dreams and imagination. Simple but pertinent. The melodies seem to be accessible even if they are sophisticate.
- Nafissa and François
Parents of Luc and Marc
My daughter, Chloe-Kate, has been participating in Muriel Vergnaud's French class at Families First since before she was two years old. She's now just turned four and continues to love and enjoy the class. It's a nurturing yet structured environment where the kids sing songs (Muriel's delightful original compositions), draw pictures, play with puppets. Most important, it is fun. Honestly, my original intention when signing up for the class was to have a place to go to during the winter when the kids can't play outside, and to expose my daughter to different sounds in hopes that it would make learning languages easier as she grows older. I never imagined all the wonderful benefits Muriel's teaching technique would provide such as easing the transition to nursery school. I've also found that by learning French vocabulary and to count in French my daughter's corresponding skills in English have been strengthened and she's excited about the different ways people communicate with each other. She says now she wants to learn Spanish and German too!
- Barbara
Mother of Chloe-Kate
Muriel Vergnaud has been teaching my children French since September 1996. From the beginning, the boys have been willing and cooperative students, because Muriel has always made their lessons fun. She is intuitively able to not only assess each child's level and needs but to tailor the lessons to their interests. As they grow and their interests change, she changes her approach to keep them interested. For example, when my oldest son was obsessed with hockey, she played with him, keeping him talking as they played. Each week, they made up new rules, which they wrote down and read. Although they always have a good time, they also work hard with Muriel and have made measurable progress. Recently, I began taking my two-years-old to Muriel's classes for very young children, and have been thrilled with both the class and my child's progress. He has learned to sing many French songs, can count to twenty, repeats words and phrases, and follows simple instructions. He loves the class, and asks to listen to cassettes of French songs at home. Muriel's approach with these tiny children is gentle, soothing, and inviting.
- Lisa Kleinman
Mother of Jacob, Roger and Elie
Muriel has been teaching our two daughters, Timoney and Markia, for the last two years. We are very pleased with her teaching method as it keeps our children wanting to learn more. Muriel’s approach to teaching is playful without forgetting the fundamentals. We only have one thing to say, keep up the good work!
- Jean et Linda
Parents of Markia and Timoney
Muriel Vergnaud has been teaching French to my children for two years now and I am quite familiar with and fond of her methods. She is able to captivate their interest, even at the end of a long school day, with her creative teaching techniques. She uses music, games and exercise as well as instructional reading and writing which all culminate in an exciting and effective learning atmosphere.
- Eliza Rossman
Mother of Jane and Harry
Des chansons de bulles de savon, de marionnettes, d’hippopotames… mon fils a adoré l’univers poétique et ludique de Muriel. Muriel allie la musique, la danse et le jeu, et les enfants en redemandent!
- Greta
Mother of Noah
Reviews
Avec Muriel, les enfants plongent dans un monde de rêve qui s'inspire des mille et une découvertes de la vie quotidienne: le soleil, les fleurs, les fruits, les flocons de neige, les animaux... tout est prétexte à chanter, à faire de la poésie...
-Journal La Classe, France
Ces chansons, nées pour les petits New Yorkais, commencent aujourd’hui à s’expatrier et à être utilisées comme méthode pédagogique. Les paroles content et racontent les animaux, le quotidien et les sourires de l’enfance. Des mots simples, sonores pour partir joyeusement à la découverte de la langue française.
- Brive Magazine, France
Muriel possède toujours une âme d’enfant et une voix d’enfant.
- Radio PAC, France
