Our Story
It was a combination of experiences – carrying out my research degree on the power of music education on young minds – and afterwards, while teaching music in primary and high schools that opened my eyes to the shortfall in arts education for young children in our schools, and inspired my dream to give every child the gift of music and ignite their passion for the creative arts.
I’m Vanessa, Founder & Director of Hive
Vanessa has a B.Ed (hons) – Bachelor of Education with a major in Music and has spent several years teaching classroom music in high schools and primary schools in London. Vanessa is an accomplished pianist and flute player and has achieved an ATCL level in performance.
While studying an honours degree in Music Education, with a focus on neural research on children’s intellect and cognitive function, she discovered that music is especially powerful in shaping a child’s interests and abilities in the preschool years.
In 2011 I started my first term of “Bounce and Grow Music” in my lounge room at home. It was a small space, but my little class loved every minute spent there and it was so inviting, friendly and relaxed – and that same sense of support and friendliness is carried in our classes today.
From that point on our classes and programs naturally flourished! Children and parents who came to the centre fell in love with the environment and experience. It was always a scramble to open more classes and buy more instruments. I still remember how proud I was to buy the first drum for the classroom. It felt like we were providing something special for our little bees. Today, that is the smallest drum in our collection but is still well loved.
Later on, the new dedicated Hive Centre in Frederick St was a huge milestone for us – and today we have vibrant bright spaces where children, teens and even adults can make themselves at home…we’ve certainly come a long way from my lounge room! I am so honoured to say that we still have some of the original students attending classes today who started their creative journey when we first opened.
I am honoured to work beside inspiring and skilled teachers who share the same passion for giving our little bees every opportunity to grow and thrive through the creative arts. Together we have tested and refined our programs to provide the most benefits to your child.
The Hive today continues to nourish little minds, to bring out their hidden talents, to ignite their confidence and give them their creative wings. It is a place of friendship, discovery, sharing, laughing, creating and learning.
“I am honoured to work beside inspiring and skilled teachers who share the same passion for giving our little bees every opportunity to grow and thrive through the creative arts. Together we have tested and refined our programs to provide the most benefits to your child.”
Want to Join the Hive Team?
Do you share our passion for childrens creative education? We love to hear from our local community and meet like-minded people that may even be able to contribute to our every expanding creative establishment. Contact Vanessa to express your interest in professional creative teaching, if you are a complimentary business that would like to connect or just love what we do and would like to find out more about future possibilties to integrate with the Hive.