Tracy Shick
Contributing Writer
(Tracy Shick/TCJ – Child educator Lachelle Plue brings music, engagement to children through her Little Ones program in Bellevue.)
For Lachelle Plue, bringing music to Bellevue’s youngest residents is about much more than singing songs. It is a chance for children to learn, move, socialize, and discover a love of music in the community where her own roots run deep.
Plue grew up in Bellevue and has strong family ties to the area. Her mother, Karen Haigh, taught preschool in Bellevue for 36 years, and Plue later spent two years working alongside her mother as an assistant teacher. “I have really close ties here,” Plue said.
A graduate of Western Michigan University with a degree in early childhood education, Plue has been teaching young children in some capacity since 1997. After stepping away from a traditional teaching career to raise her own children, she found a way to combine two things she loves: young children and music.
More recently, inspiration came from another generation of her family: her granddaughter, Daisy Mae. Plue said Daisy’s fascination with music, from music boxes to songs played at home, helped inspire her to bring Little Ones Music Time to Bellevue. She connected with Bellevue Christian Church after seeing a Facebook post about its Monday Playgroup and thought a Tuesday music program would complement it perfectly.
Little Ones Music Time is designed primarily for children age four and younger, accompanied by a parent, grandparent or other caregiver. Each session combines music, movement, stories, and hands-on activities. Children explore rhythm using instruments such as egg shakers, rhythm sticks and jingle bells, along with dancing scarves and larger instruments introduced during class.
Lessons teach concepts including fast and slow, loud and quiet, high and low, steady beat and vocal pitch. But the learning extends beyond music. Children practice listening, taking turns, sharing instruments, following directions, and interacting with others. Plue also selects a story for each class that connects with the day’s lesson. Repetition is especially important at this age, she explained, so songs and activities may continue for several weeks as children become familiar with them and build new skills.
The class provides an opportunity to meet other families and observe their children interacting with others and participate directly in the learning experience.
For Plue, the greatest reward remains simple: helping instill a love of music in children while they are young. “Music is so important,” she said
Little Ones Music Time is held Tuesdays from 10:45 to 11:30 a.m. at Bellevue Christian Church, 734 W. Capital Ave. For information, contact Lachelle Plue at 517-231-1024.
