In Estonia, Laulau provides training in collaboration with Meero Muusik, with Minna Lappalainen serving as the lead trainer. The training sessions are delivered in English (or Finnish if requested), while all the songs are sung in Estonian. Whenever needed, we provide translation from English to Estonian. Minna is the founder of Laulau and the creator of the Laulau Songdrawing Method. She is an award-winning music educator and songwriter of children’s music, training actively both in Finland and internationally. Alongside her creative work, she also works as a university teacher in music education and music didactics at the University of Helsinki. At the heart of Minna’s work is a desire to share the joy of music and to encourage every educator to find their own voice, using singing as a way to create joy, connection, and interaction with children.
Estonia
In 2017, Varje Lepp, the founder and director of the private music school Meero Muusik in Tallinn, took part in Laulau’s Songdrawing training together with one of her teachers. The following year, they also joined the advanced training, where they introduced the idea of future cooperation and of translating the songs into Estonian. This marked the beginning of a long, inspiring, and warm-hearted collaboration.
In October 2019, the first Songdrawing Level 1 training was organised in Tallinn. At the same time, a concert based on Laulau’s drawing songs was also held, featuring the wonderful singing and music play school students of Meero Muusik.
Over the years, this collaboration has led to the creation of a wide range of song materials in Estonian. Together, we have also translated the Songdrawing handbook into Estonian. The cooperation has further expanded into co-writing collaboration with piano pedagogue and composer Riine Pajusaar, resulting in beautiful instrumental music materials for Laulau Social-Emotional ArtPlay purposes.
It has been a great joy and honour for us to provide Songdrawing training over the years in a country where singing has such deep roots and where music plays an important role in early childhood education and pedagogy.
Are you based in Estonia and interested in Laulau’s music- and arts-based methods and ways of working? Please do not hesitate to get in touch. Let us explore together how Laulau’s inspiring content could also become part of your own educational community.
