Parent and child playing tambourine together in Alabanza Music class Trinidad

Neuromusical Education · Trinidad & Tobago

Your child’s brain is
being built right now.

The only programme in the Caribbean combining all three brain superpowers in every single class:

Music

Movement

Multilingualism

In the early years, the brain forms more connections than at any other point in life. This unique combination builds the foundation for everything that comes next.

Join July–Aug JAVA Classes →

25+

Years in music & language education

Caribbean Musikgarten® provider

Languages in every session

Birth–12+

Ages served, tailored curriculum

Music + Movement + Multilingualism — in every class, from birth• #1 Musikgarten® Provider in the Caribbean• Connection · Control · Confidence · Communication · Cognition• Languages from home & around the world — in every class• Join July–August JAVA Classes — Trinidad & Tobago• From Birth Through Teen Years• Music + Movement + Multilingualism — in every class, from birth• #1 Musikgarten® Provider in the Caribbean• Connection · Control · Confidence · Communication · Cognition• Languages from home & around the world — in every class• Join July–August JAVA Classes — Trinidad & Tobago• From Birth Through Teen Years•

Key areas of development
parents want to see in their children

🤝

Connection

Building meaningful relationships that create a foundation for learning

🎯

Control

Developing the ability to regulate the body, attention and emotions

⭐

Confidence

Growing the courage to participate, explore and express

🗣

Communication

Strengthening the skills needed to listen, understand and connect with others

🧠

Cognition

Building the thinking skills that support lifelong learning

Most programmes only touch on 10% of your child’s true capabilities. A truly integrated programme reaches all of them — and it starts in the early years.

You want more than a
busy schedule.

Because childhood is too important to spend simply staying busy.

You don’t want:

×Just another activity to fill the diary

×A robotic lesson with no connection

×More passive screen time

×Performance disguised as education

If you’re going to invest your child’s time during their most important years of development, it should build something that lasts.

Many programmes for young children simply scale down activities designed for older learners, often due to limited specialised early childhood expertise.

At Alabanza MusicVersity, we take a different approach. Grounded in how young children’s brains develop, we use developmentally appropriate practices that truly meet their needs — nurturing growth through meaningful, joyful play, from birth.

The three powerful foundations

Music

Movement

Multilingualism

Not three separate lessons — three forces working on your child’s brain simultaneously, in every single class, from birth. That’s not a music class. That’s an unparalleled advantage.

Join JAVA 2026 →

Registration opens June 4th · Spaces for new families are limited

🎵

Music

Structured Musikgarten® curriculum builds auditory processing, memory, pattern recognition and language readiness — the cognitive foundations every academic subject depends on.

🚶

Movement

Every concept is anchored in the body first. Rhythm felt through movement becomes rhythm understood in the mind — building coordination, spatial awareness and self-regulation.

🌎

Multilingualism

Languages from home and around the world woven through every session. The musical brain is uniquely primed for language acquisition — and multilingual exposure from birth builds neural flexibility that lasts a lifetime.

Three powerful foundations. One integrated curriculum. An unparalleled advantage for every child — from birth.

What Our Families Thought Coming In

We thought we knew.
Then we walked through the door.

Four things MusicVersity families assumed before coming in — and what they discovered surprised them.

👶

“My baby is too young — and anyway, wait until they’re more settled.”

Parents delay, thinking a child needs to be calmer, more verbal or simply older before music can mean anything.

What they found

The brain is most receptive from birth. Settling, focus and self-regulation are outcomes of the class — not prerequisites. Critical windows close at 6 months, 3 years and 9 years. Start early or lose the edge.

“I honestly wasn’t sure what impact it would have. But watching his eyes light up, the look on his face as he processed what he was hearing, his smiles — and his silence, which is uncommon with our little one — was impressive and magical to witness.”

Donnelle — mum of a 3-month-old

🎹

“You have to be playing an instrument to be doing anything meaningful.”

Many parents expect colour-coded keyboards, tenor pans and Instagram-ready performances like they see from local preschools posting with gusto.

What they found

Play looks different in the early years. Through purposeful play, children not only learn faster but enjoy developing rhythm, language, memory, coordination, self-regulation and creativity simultaneously. Play is the work of childhood.

“It was truly amazing to see how the musical concepts were being taught through fun and interactive methods that seem just like play for the kids. My daughter enjoys the sessions thoroughly and we both look forward to it each week.”

Amanda — started her little one at age 4, now 12 years old

📚

“My child is already learning songs by memorisation — so they’re not missing anything.”

Knowing songs feels like musical development. It isn’t.

What they found

Can they hear a song and write the music for it? Sight-sing without an instrument? Play by ear? Improvise? Compose? Perform music from many cultures? That is musicianship — and it starts here, from the very first session.

“When I joined these classes, I saw this extremely unique, so well-deconstructed approach to music — I was roped in right away.”

Ms Edwards — Music Teacher & MusicVersity parent ▶ Hear her perspective

🌎

“Introducing more than one language too early will confuse my child or delay their speech.”

One of the most persistent myths in child development — and it costs children dearly.

What they found

Multilingual exposure from birth builds larger, more flexible neural networks. Music is the ideal delivery vehicle. Critical windows close: 6 months for sound discrimination, 3 years for tonal acquisition, 9 years for language accent. Earlier is always better.

“As a parent of twins, I saw firsthand how music opened up their communication — in ways I never expected.”

Parent of twins — MusicVersity family ▶ Watch their story

Musikgarten — an approach endorsed worldwide

International Endorsement

The world’s gold standard in early childhood music — exclusively in the Caribbean through Alabanza.

Musikgarten® is an internationally recognised multi-year early childhood music programme implemented by certified specialists across the USA, Canada, Germany and Asia.

Alabanza Music is the exclusive Caribbean provider — enhanced further by weaving in languages from home and around the world, alongside Trinidad’s own TocoPanyol cultural content, into every session.

Our flagship classes are held at the Department of Creative & Festival Arts (DCFA), U.W.I. — an endorsement of the academic depth in every class.

🏆 Exemplary Award Winner

🌟 #1 Caribbean Provider

Find Your Child’s Stage

Every stage. Every age. One programme.

Each course builds intentionally on the last.

0 – 16 months

Bouncing Bambinos

Early sensory bonding & musical awareness

Lays the earliest neural pathways for language, rhythm and bonding — before a single word is spoken.

Tacarigua · Online

15 months – 3 years

Playful Piccolos

Language expansion & movement

Structured musical play building focus, coordination and early speech through singing, dancing and exploring.

St. Augustine · Online

3½ – 5 years

Active Allegros

Pattern recognition & independence

High-energy music and movement building phonemic awareness, focus and school-readiness skills.

St. Augustine · Online

3 months – 7 years

Todos Together

Mixed-age immersion

Bring the family! Perfect for mixed ages. Older children model, younger ones absorb. Great for siblings.

Coming in JAVA 2026

5 – 7 years

Prep Piano & Voice I

Foundational musicianship & literacy

Children begin reading notation, playing instruments and performing — building discipline alongside creativity.

St. Augustine

5 – 7 years

Prep Piano & Voice II

Multilingual musicianship & global advantage

Multilingual and multicultural experiences developing musicianship, language, focus, memory and confidence.

Coming in JAVA 2026

8 years+

Versatile Musicians

At Piano, Voice & Pan

Composing, improvising, playing by ear — musicians who don’t just play notes, they own the stage.

St. Augustine · Tacarigua · Online

See all programmes → · Submit Application →

Where We Are

Classes near you —
or from home.

In-person sessions across Trinidad, plus fully live online access for local and international families.

St. Augustine

Flagship U.W.I. · Weekends

Tacarigua

Weekday afternoons

Port of Spain

Select periods

San Fernando

Select periods

Live Online

Live Hybrid or On-Demand

How to Get Started

Three ways in.
One transformative result.

Every family begins with an introductory experience. No long-term commitment until you’ve seen the difference for yourself.

🌍 Online Dip

Oye — Live Online

Your live real-time preview — join from anywhere

~~US$16~~ FREE!

Limited Time — no cost right now

✓ Interactive introductory experience — join from anywhere
✓ No placement required — start in the next available session
✓ Perfect for local and international families
✓ One complimentary session — no commitment required

🚀 Ready to upgrade?
Full Online MusicAtion Programme — live weekly classes, materials & hybrid access.
US$128 / TT$800

Start Free Oye →

Ramajay — in-person family music session

🏠 In-Person Dip

Come and Ramajay!

Your in-person introductory experience — two guided sessions

TT$400

Introductory experience in person — not a full programme enrolment

✓ 2 guided in-person sessions with placement support
✓ Placement support via Zoom before your first class
✓ St. Augustine · Port of Spain · Tacarigua · San Fernando
✓ Upgrade to the full programme after your first or second session

✨ Confidence Guarantee — If it’s not the right fit after the first session, a TT$200 refund will be issued.

🌟 Bonus Session — Leave us a review and receive a bonus family session, on us.

ⓘ Ramajay does not include official Musikgarten® materials or certification.

Apply for Ramajay →

🎉 JAVA MusicAtion

JAVA 2026

Weekly sessions · Music, Movement & Multilingualism

TT$1,300

All-inclusive · Musikgarten® materials included 🌎 A live online option is also available

✓ July 4 – August 22 · 8 sequenced sessions
✓ Bouncing Bambinos, Playful Piccolos, Active Allegros, Todos Together & Prep Piano
✓ Hybrid access — missed a class? Join live or on-demand
✓ Parent participation — you are your child’s most important teacher
✓ Participate alongside our Member families
✓ Spanish, French, Patwa, German, Hindi, Mandarin and more — woven naturally in
✓ Musikgarten® Materials Packet included — value TT$300+
✓ Access to early registration for Parrandero Semester in September from July 21st

🏆 Official Musikgarten® Certificate of Participation
Awarded on completion of the full programme

✨ Confidence Guarantee — The first session is complimentary. If it’s not the right fit, enrolment may be discontinued and a refund of TT$900 will be issued.

🎉 Early Enrolment Bonus — Enrol before June 15th — receive a FREE ticket to our Fiesta & Celebration on June 16th!

Registration opens June 4th. Spaces for new families are intentionally limited.

Join July–Aug JAVA →

Serious families only — spaces are intentionally limited to maintain quality.

Your Musikgarten® Materials Packet

The learning continues at home too.

Every family receives a Musikgarten® materials packet — parent guide-songbooks, notation cards, rhythm sticks, jingles, scarves and exclusive TocoPanyol content weaving Caribbean culture through every kit.

The learning doesn’t stop when class ends. That’s the Alabanza difference.

See JAVA 2026 Details →

What Parents Are Saying

Real families. Real results.

★★★★★

“Musikgarten has been a great experience for both my daughter and I. It was truly amazing to see how the musical concepts were being taught through fun and interactive methods that seem just like play for the kids. My daughter enjoys the sessions thoroughly and we both look forward to it each week.”

Amanda — started her little one at age 4, now 12 years old

★★★★★

“It’s through a lot of activity and play and they’re much more receptive to it… It’s a really excellent curriculum and I haven’t seen anything like it.”

Keston — MusicVersity parent

▶ Watch Keston’s story

★★★★

“As a first-time parent, I wanted to be intentional about what I exposed my daughter to. She was very receptive to the class and, most importantly, had fun while learning about music and rhythm.”

Kayla Noel — parent with newborn

A Message from Our Founder

“When I speak about a child who doesn’t quite fit the mould, I’m speaking from personal experience — that child was me, and it’s also my son.

As a child, I struggled with confidence and finding my place in the world. Music and languages changed everything — they gave me a voice and shaped who I became.

Later, as a teacher, I saw too many children moving through systems focused on outcomes rather than development. I knew there had to be a better way — one that starts earlier, goes deeper, and stays closer to families.

For over two decades, I’ve dedicated my life to supporting children through music, movement and multilingual learning across schools and communities.

As a mother of a child born with a special medical condition, this mission is deeply personal. I understand the hopes, concerns and challenges parents carry, shaped by my lived experience raising my son in a bicultural household.

That’s why Alabanza exists: to help every child build the connection, confidence, communication and thinking skills they need to flourish in life.”

Lisa D de Quiñones — Founder, Alabanza Music
B.A. Musical Arts & Spanish, U.W.I.
ECMMA-Board Certified Specialist · Licensed Musikgarten® Provider

Start your child’s journey →

Before You Get Started

Common questions

What is the difference between Oye, Ramajay and JAVA?

Oye is a free live online intro — join from home in real time. Ramajay is TT$395 for two in-person guided sessions, fully credited toward your semester. JAVA is the full 6-week summer programme running July–August, open to all ages. All three lead to the same transformative experience — choose whatever fits your family first.

How is this different from a regular music class?

A typical class teaches songs and simple skills. What makes Alabanza MusicVersity different is the unique combination — Music + Movement + Multilingualism — in a single developmentally sequenced Musikgarten® curriculum. The outcomes are cognitive, linguistic and emotional. It’s the only programme of its kind in the Caribbean.

Do I need to be musical to participate?

No. Parent participation is one of the most powerful elements of the programme and is accessible regardless of your musical background. You are your child’s most important teacher. We give you the tools and confidence to carry the learning home each week.

Are spaces genuinely limited?

Yes — intentionally managed and age-appropriate class sizes are central to the method. Individual attention is only possible when numbers are kept deliberately low. Some classes fill before the semester officially opens. We strongly recommend not waiting.

Your child’s brain is
being built right now.

The neuroscience of music — from birth, in our classes

Key areas of development
parents want to see in their children

You want more than a
busy schedule.