LAST Friday we had a day trip to Swindon. Chrissie is our Swindon franchisee and as she has now been running Musical Minis classes for a couple of terms we decided it would be great to see her in action. Rob, my husband, came with me and after a very early start dropping Emily at school and collecting Charlotte (Alex's girlfriend who was joining us to see Alex late) we were on our way.
After getting a bit lost as our sat nav couldn't deal with the new road layout, we were there. Chrissie runs 3 sessions on Fridays and we saw the 2 morning ones. I really enjoy visiting our franchisees as it's lovely to see how they're getting on and how enthusiastic they are. I know when they hear we're visiting some do get nervous but I reassure them we're not trying to catch them out just to see if we can offer them any advice to make their work easier and pick up any tips to pass onto the other franchisees. I'm very keen not to just sell a franchise and then say "get on with it" as the success of each franchisee is important to me.
The 2 sessions we saw were fabulous. Chrissie runs them with the help of her Mum and her 2 year old daughter. The Mums (and a Dad) were keen to tell us how they love coming to the sessions especially as Chrissie makes them feel so welcome and offers individual support for every child making the class very personal.We offer advice to each franchisee about swine flu in accordance with Government guidelines but Chrissie was really on the ball. To be extra safe she has even had the swine flu jab! We had recommended that as a precaution puppets shouldn't be used, or if they were children should not touch them. I know from my days at Great Ormond Street Hospital that soft toys are a good way to pass on germs. Chrissie did use a puppet for the story but had taught the class brilliantly as not one child tried to touch the puppet and all seemed to acknowledge the fact that as soon as the swine flu risks are lower things will be back to normal and the puppet will be able to go around the circle saying hello to each child as before.
After every session, swine flu or no swine flu, we recommend that every instrument is cleaned with an antibacterial wipe. Hygiene is extremely important going back to my Great Ormond Street days. When my children were young I hated them playing with grubby looking toys at groups we used to attend and always insisted that at Musical Minis everything was clean. Chrissie's Mum wiped down every instrument thoroughly once they had been collected. The parents in the session saw her doing this and really appreciated that so much care was taken to prevent swine flu spreading at the class.
It was lovely to see that Chrissie had taken our advice about swine flu on board and really was playing it safe. Chrissie has built up a great rapport with the children and carers. Both sessions were excellent and it was really clear to understand why Chrissie has got off to such a great start and her classes are so full.
After the sessions and following a quick chat with Chrissie about her plans for future development we set off again on the motorway to see Alex in a drama production in the evening. By the time we arrived home with Alex for the weekend we were shattered. It was strange spending a day with Charlotte: she was really keen to see a Musical Minis class in action but slightly concerned about spending a day with Rob and me without Alex. We found the day not nearly as awkward as it could have been and from what Charlotte told us,she did too.
It really is rewarding to see Musical Minis in various parts of the country, in areas I would never have been able to run myself, with such dedicated franchisees carrying on my aims to make learning fun.
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