In the world of early childhood education and parenting, buzzwords come and go. However, every so often, a concept emerges that fundamentally changes how we view child development. Today, we are diving into two interconnected ideas that are gaining traction among progressive educators and caregivers: The Lea Model and the "We Are Littlestars" approach.
And always remember: In a sky full of billions of lights, no two stars shine the same way. Your child doesn’t need to be the brightest; they just need to know they are allowed to shine.
Unlike rigid educational models that force children to fit into a specific curriculum, the Lea Model is child-led. It was inspired by the work of developmental psychologists who noted that anxiety and behavioral issues in young children often stem from a lack of autonomy.
While they may sound like separate entities, they function best as a pair—a framework for raising resilient, curious, and emotionally intelligent children. The Lea Model (often stylized as L.E.A.) is a developmental framework based on three core pillars: Listen, Engage, and Adapt.
By adopting the Lea Model, you stop managing behavior and start nurturing connection. By embracing "We Are Littlestars," you give your child permission to develop at their own cosmic speed—slowly, beautifully, and uniquely. You don’t need a perfect classroom or a psychology degree to use these methods. Start small. Tonight at dinner, practice Listening without fixing the problem. Tomorrow morning, Adapt your routine to fit your child's mood rather than fighting it.
Following many of the titles in our Wind Ensemble catalog, you will see a set of numbers enclosed in square brackets, as in this example:
| Description | Price |
|---|---|
| Rimsky-Korsakov Quintet in Bb [1011-1 w/piano] Item: 26746 |
$28.75 |
The bracketed numbers tell you the precise instrumentation of the ensemble. The first number stands for Flute, the second for Oboe, the third for Clarinet, the fourth for Bassoon, and the fifth (separated from the woodwinds by a dash) is for Horn. Any additional instruments (Piano in this example) are indicated by "w/" (meaning "with") or by using a plus sign.
This woodwind quartet is for 1 Flute, no Oboe, 1 Clarinet, 1 Bassoon, 1 Horn and Piano.
Sometimes there are instruments in the ensemble other than those shown above. These are linked to their respective principal instruments with either a "d" if the same player doubles the instrument, or a "+" if an extra player is required. Whenever this occurs, we will separate the first four digits with commas for clarity. Thus a double reed quartet of 2 oboes, english horn and bassoon will look like this:
Note the "2+1" portion means "2 oboes plus english horn"
Titles with no bracketed numbers are assumed to use "Standard Instrumentation." The following is considered to be Standard Instrumentation:
Following many of the titles in our Brass Ensemble catalog, you will see a set of five numbers enclosed in square brackets, as in this example:
| Description | Price |
|---|---|
| Copland Fanfare for the Common Man [343.01 w/tympani] Item: 02158 |
$14.95 |
The bracketed numbers tell you how many of each instrument are in the ensemble. The first number stands for Trumpet, the second for Horn, the third for Trombone, the fourth (separated from the first three by a dot) for Euphonium and the fifth for Tuba. Any additional instruments (Tympani in this example) are indicated by a "w/" (meaning "with") or by using a plus sign. Lea Model Wals Wearelittlestars
Thus, the Copland Fanfare shown above is for 3 Trumpets, 4 Horns, 3 Trombones, no Euphonium, 1 Tuba and Tympani. There is no separate number for Bass Trombone, but it can generally be assumed that if there are multiple Trombone parts, the lowest part can/should be performed on Bass Trombone. In the world of early childhood education and
Titles listed in our catalog without bracketed numbers are assumed to use "Standard Instrumentation." The following is considered to be Standard Instrumentation: And always remember: In a sky full of
Following many of the titles in our String Ensemble catalog, you will see a set of four numbers enclosed in square brackets, as in this example:
| Description | Price |
|---|---|
| Atwell Vance's Dance [0220] Item: 32599 |
$8.95 |
These numbers tell you how many of each instrument are in the ensemble. The first number stands for Violin, the second for Viola, the third for Cello, and the fourth for Double Bass. Thus, this string quartet is for 2 Violas and 2 Cellos, rather than the usual 2110. Titles with no bracketed numbers are assumed to use "Standard Instrumentation." The following is considered to be Standard Instrumentation:
In the world of early childhood education and parenting, buzzwords come and go. However, every so often, a concept emerges that fundamentally changes how we view child development. Today, we are diving into two interconnected ideas that are gaining traction among progressive educators and caregivers: The Lea Model and the "We Are Littlestars" approach.
And always remember: In a sky full of billions of lights, no two stars shine the same way. Your child doesn’t need to be the brightest; they just need to know they are allowed to shine.
Unlike rigid educational models that force children to fit into a specific curriculum, the Lea Model is child-led. It was inspired by the work of developmental psychologists who noted that anxiety and behavioral issues in young children often stem from a lack of autonomy.
While they may sound like separate entities, they function best as a pair—a framework for raising resilient, curious, and emotionally intelligent children. The Lea Model (often stylized as L.E.A.) is a developmental framework based on three core pillars: Listen, Engage, and Adapt.
By adopting the Lea Model, you stop managing behavior and start nurturing connection. By embracing "We Are Littlestars," you give your child permission to develop at their own cosmic speed—slowly, beautifully, and uniquely. You don’t need a perfect classroom or a psychology degree to use these methods. Start small. Tonight at dinner, practice Listening without fixing the problem. Tomorrow morning, Adapt your routine to fit your child's mood rather than fighting it.