Jenn Lawson of Rodgers Forge is the creator and president of Drool of Rock, a childcare center that opens in Cockeysville next month. It will be located on Cranbook Road in the same shopping center as Kid to Kid. It sounds pretty cool, and it also has music programs on the weekends for kids of all ages.
From the Drool of Rock website: “During the week, we are a learning center for 2 to 5 year old children, with a curriculum that stresses the power of music in education. On the weekends, we welcome children of all ages and their parents to experience our incredible music center through live performances by musicians from all over the Baltimore and surrounding areas.
It has been shown repeatedly in studies that children who are exposed to music at a young age produce higher SAT scores, possess higher reasoning and motor skills, benefited cognitively and achieved higher in mathematics and language. At Drool of Rock, not only do we value the importance of providing a pre-school curriculum that prepares each child for kindergarten, but we believe that it is necessary to infuse it with daily music education to provide them with all of the best tools for their future… and one rockin’ experience along the way.”
I asked Jenn for some background info and this is what she said:
“I am an artist, lover of music and mother of 4. When Alicia Redifer (our director) and myself discussed opening a daycare center, I knew right away that it had to be something creative and cool and incredibly different than anything else available, in order for me to pour my heart and soul into it, and be proud of what we were creating at the end of every day.
It just made sense to build a center, powered by the two things I love most, music and art — they are two things that nearly every child responds to with incredible enthusiasm and positive energy. There was a teacher at Stoneleigh Elementary School years and years ago named Pat Hundley. He taught kindergarten and played the guitar and piano for his students. He wrote and covered children’s songs, and made learning SO fun. There wasn’t a single parent who had a child at that school that didn’t hope, hope, hope they scored Pat Hundley. To this day, there is not a student or parent who has forgotten him either. He teaches kindergarten still to this day, performing for his students and on weekends at local libraries. Alicia and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we created a center where every child and every parent scored that ‘Pat Hundley experience’, learning though song and being exposed daily to music?” So we started putting it together … and here we are. And the man himself, Mr. Pat Hundley, will be hosting our first few concerts on Saturdays, as well as working with our students throughout the years.”
