The Research of Early Childhood Education

• Research shows that music is not only the best learning tool for children of all ages, but also that the earlier you expose your child to the magical world of music, the better!
• The most critical time in a child’s development is from birth through age five.

• All children are born musical. If a child's natural musical ability is not nurtured during the early stages of development, musical competency will become more difficult to learn later in life. (The "use it or lose it" theory!)

• Music is shown to improve a child’s reasoning and critical thinking skills, provide a strong foundation for future learning in mathematics and language, and open a child’s mind to a universal experience that bonds people together from all corners of the world.

• Other benefits include increased confidence, self-esteem, coordination, gross and fine motor skills and social skills.

Music Development by Age

A baby’s brain is still forming - more so than at any other time in its life. As babies are learning the sounds of language, they are adding the rhythms and tones of music. Just as children learn to speak by hearing their parents speak - learning many of the sounds necessary for communication before they ever utter their first word - children go through the same process of listening, decoding and then experimenting on their own with musical skills. Even if your child is too young to actively participate in class, rest assured that he or she is learning. Early exposure to music will payoff significantly later in life. It’s never too early to start playing music and singing to your baby!

Toddlers learn through play; so class needs to be fun. They are watching and experimenting on their own, discovering what they like. They will enjoy playing instruments, singing and dancing. Though their efforts are not very accurate, they will begin to show improved musical skills as they grow older.

These children have become more accurate in reproducing music, both tonally and rhythmically. They begin to interact less with their parents and more with their teacher and the other children. They are still busy observing and imitating. At this age they become more creative and develop their own ways of singing songs and doing activities. This should be supported and encouraged!

Some at four will have already achieved basic music competence, but still benefit from being in a creative and musically stimulating environment. While some children at this age may feel too old to be in class with babies, most do not care as long as they are having fun. Parents should refrain from pointing out age differences to their child, but should talk with their child to see if they are enjoying class. If so, parents should relax and enjoy it, too.

Some children want to march and run; others want to spend the class no more than a foot away from the teacher; some will sit in laps; while others want to observe from a cozy corner in the room. At The Music Class we recognize that there are many different learning styles, and we encourage parents to let the children be where they are comfortable. A typical class may have all of these different types of children, but all children have one thing in common: they are all watching, listening, and learning from us. So have fun and make music!

Repetition is Good!

Why do young children like to listen to the same song, watch the same movie, or simply do the same thing over and over again? Michael Tipper, a memory expert, has a very interesting explanation on why repetition is so very important.

When you create a memory, a pathway is created between your brain cells. It is like clearing a path through a dense forest. The first time that you do it, you have to fight your way through the undergrowth. If you don't travel that path again, very quickly it will become overgrown and you may not even realize that you have been down that path. If however, you travel along that path before it begins to grow over, you will find it easier than your first journey along that way.

Successive journeys down that same path mean that eventually your track will turn into a footpath, which will turn into a lane, which will turn into a road and into a highway, and so on. It is the same with your memory: the more times that you repeat patterns of thought, for example when learning new information, the more likely you will be able to recall that information. In short, repetition is a key part of learning.

So when your little one wants to hear that track on the CD, or watch that movie, or play that game of peek-a-boo over and over and over again, remember that he/she is traveling on that super highway of learning!

Music Appreciation

Children are natural musicians, and exposure to music during the early years enhances the learning process by promoting language development, creativity, coordination, and social interaction. Caregivers can play an important role in incorporating music and movement into a child's life.

It isn't necessary to play an instrument well or sing in tune to help young children appreciate musical sounds, and they should not be encumbered with the need to meet performance goals. In fact, music play (whether recorded or live) can be an enjoyable, developmentally appropriate activity regardless of musical aptitude.

• Music for Infants and Toddlers
  • Music can contribute to a soothing environment for infants and toddlers and they soon begin to sort out musical sounds from other sounds. Caregivers can nurture a disposition for music in very young children and toddlers by chanting to them; imitating the sounds they make; rocking, patting, and moving along to the beat. Respectful planning is sensitive to children's interests and balances active and quiet music and movement times.
• Music and Movement
  • Older preschool children can understand movement as a form of nonverbal communication as they begin to tell stories and express their feelings through body movements. They learn to imitate patterns of sound and rhythm and become aware of music in nature, for example whistling wind, chirping birds and crickets.
  • Once children start to use their voices to sing, it becomes important for them to listen carefully. At this stage, children enjoy songs that ask them to move and swing around, jump, twist, and clap their hands. Playing "follow-the-leader" allows them to mimic and learn the different ways their bodies can keep time with a song, and use of simple props will help children integrate music with movement -- toys and teddy bears can "dance" too!
  • Children respond favorably to music that is familiar. Playing a recorded song several times as background music can boost familiarity and build vocabulary as the lyrics are learned. Inventing new verses for familiar songs and spontaneous singing as they play can help children understand that music is a form of creative expression.
• Making Music
  • Musical instruments fascinate young children. Infants should be encouraged to make their own music by experimenting with rattles and bells. Drums, xylophones, and shakers can be enjoyed as children grow older and develop better motor skills. Instruments can also be created by using blocks, spoons, pots and pans, empty margarine tubs, and coffee cans.
  • It's important to expose children to diverse types and styles of music. Expanding children's horizons by offering a variety of music from other lands and ethnic groups is one useful way of accomplishing the goals of a multicultural education.
  • If given the opportunity, young children quickly realize that music communicates a variety of things, including feelings and ideas. They should feel free to explore and enjoy a wide variety of musical sounds and the body movements that music evokes. Whether singing and dancing to an old Beatles record, or playing a makeshift drum set, early exposure to music plays a fundamental role in a child's development.

  * Copyright © 1997 by National Association for the Education of Young Children. Reproduction of this material is freely granted, provided credit is given to the National Association for the Education of Young Children.