Little children enjoy music activities of most any kind. Spontaneous movement, happy children, and requests for more are sure signs of enjoyment. We tend to assume, however, that happy clappy children are indicative of successful music teaching and learning. All music activities with young children should be enjoyable, but engaging the sheer musicality of little children takes activities to a deeper level of joy—one where music learning takes place.
At that level, we see not only spontaneous movement, happy children, and requests for more, but also focused attention, serious faces, and deer-in-the-headlights stares. Children are compelled by meters, tonalities, and art songs for tender ages, and their highly musical response is often pensive, reflective enchantment. Let us not be fooled into thinking that children struck by the wonder of the art are not happily engaged in music activity.
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