About Éiníní Early Years Music
Éiníní (pronounced Ay-nee-nee) means ‘little birdies’ in Irish and is also the name of a beautiful traditional children’s song that we sing in our sessions. The term "early years music" refers to music education and engagement activities designed for young children, typically from birth to age eight. It emphasizes the importance of music in supporting various aspects of child development, including cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth. Early Years Music pedagogists such as Kodály, Orff and Dalcroze inform our approach at Éiníní Music, putting the child and their family front and center of the music making from as early as possible.
Antje Guest - Founder and Lead Music Teacher
Antje's name comes from her German mother (and is pronounced Ant-ya) her accent is from her English father, and her home in West Cork was a compromise with the Kerry man she married. (It's near enough to Kerry, right?)
Antje has been teaching music for over thirty years — tin whistle, traditional flute and classical flute in schools, community groups and one to one. A mother of three fairly grown-up boys, she has always been fascinated by the connection between music and early childhood, which led her to train as an Early Years Music teacher with the British Kodály Association, completing Certificates in Early Years Music at Levels 1, 2 and 3. She remains an enthusiastic Kodály nerd, doing courses whenever she can.
She holds a Diploma in Community and Group Music Teaching from the Royal Irish Academy of Music and a TTCT teaching diploma from Comhaltas Ceoltóirí Éireann. In 2021 she founded Éiníní Early Years Music, bringing together everything she loves — music, learning, and a genuine belief in what active music-making brings to children's wellbeing and development.
Antje believes music is for everyone. If you'd like to try a class, or just want to talk music, she's always happy to chat.
Laura Vicars - Sign and Sing Specialist & Éiníní Music Leader
Laura has been part of the Éiníní family since the very first session — she was one of the parents at the original Lullaby Workshops, attending with her youngest, Harriet. Even as a tiny baby, Harriet could let her mum know it was time for milk; as a toddler she'd run into class excitedly making the sign for music. That's baby signing in action — babies communicating long before they can talk.
Laura's background is in counselling and therapy, working in schools and with families, so understanding communication between parents and small children is at the heart of her professional expertise. This drew her naturally to baby signing, which she first discovered attending groups with her older children in the UK. Her family has now been signing together for ten years.
Laura holds a Lámh qualification and has drawn on her training and experience to develop the Éiníní Musical Sign and Sing programme — weaving together elements of Lámh, Makaton and ISL into an approach specially adapted for babies, always used alongside speech, never instead of it. Trained by Antje in the Éiníní approach to early years music-making, with a foundation in Kodály early years education, Laura roots her signing sessions in music — signs woven naturally into songs, stories and play.
Laura also brings her warmth and enthusiasm to leading Baby Boppers groups.
Our mission is to foster a love of musical learning in your little ones, through creative session plans that spark curiosity, and informed activities that encourage imaginative music-making.
“With music, one’s whole future life is brightened. This is such a treasure in life that it helps us over many troubles and difficulties. Music multiplies all that is beautiful and of value in life.” – Zoltan Kodaly
