Playcentre Song Launch

From top left singing the Playcentre song – Wilton Playcentre’s Rosa Christensen, Molly Elton, Rueben Christensen, Gareth Curtis playing the piano with daughter Holly in front. Photo credit: Jess O'brien of Graphic Solutions.

PLAYCENTRE SONG LAUNCH - NEWS RELEASE – 10 May 2010

“We like dressing up. We like messy play. We like digging in the sandpit. Every morning, rain or shine, we’re so glad to be here. We love Playcentre - our Playcentre. We love Playcentre ’cause all our friends are here…”
Listen at: http://www.myspace.com/playcentrenz

A Playcentre song written by 2010 NZ Radio Awards Best Jingle winner and former ‘Mockers’ songwriter Gareth Curtis will be launched at the 2010 National Playcentre Conference at the end of May – fittingly New Zealand music month. Held each year the conference brings together New Zealand’s 33 associations for a long weekend of planning, policy-work, professional development, their AGM and fun.

Mr Curtis initially wrote and recorded the song for Wellington’s Wilton Playcentre which his daughter Holly, now at school, and son Dylan attend. The toe-tapping song was so popular with the preschoolers and parents/whānau who attend that it was not long before it was suggested a version be recorded that could be enjoyed by the nearly 11,000 families and 16,000 children who attend almost 500 Playcentres nationwide.

"My wife Ceinwen wanted me to write a song as my contribution to Playcentre, as she does duty sessions with the kids," says Mr Curtis. “She got the kids to come up with ideas about why they like Playcentre during our Matariki evening in 2008. I eventually wrote the tune standing at a bus stop outside Playcentre on my way to work a year later! It took its time to pop into my head."

“Holly has learnt to play it on the piano and will often sing it at random times to whoever will listen! Several of the other children picked the tune up right from the start and sing along. Some parents have learned to play it on guitar and banjo. It's apparently requested at home by several kids, so that's nice."

Along with being played at Playcentres, Playcentre events, in cars and homes the song may be included on CDs published by the New Zealand Playcentre Federation. There are also plans to record it in Maori and Japanese –there are now eight Playcentres operating in Japan.

Playcentre is a New Zealand-initiated, over 60 year old early childhood education option for birth to six year olds. Playcentres receive government funding through the Ministry of Education. Free training allows parents/whānau to supervise sessions, understand child development and learning, and manage and run their centres. The training is NZQA approved. Playcentre, which began in Karori, Wellington in 1941, has a maximum ratio of one adult to five children.

For more information see www.Playcentre.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media