You are an early childhood educator. You are attuned to your children’s growth and development in language, gross and fine motor skills, cognitive and social skills. You nurture the development of each child in so many different dimensions. You are sensitive to the slightest behavioral changes and celebrate each child’s display of new words, new confidence, new understanding, or new motor skills. You rejoice when a child or your group of children can do something they couldn’t have done a month ago. The wonder of growth and development in early childhood ranks among the greatest joys of teaching.
Your sensitivity and finely honed skills in nurturing each child’s growth will serve you well as you tune in to music development. You will find music learning to be another exciting avenue for each child’s growth, and you will find that the music activities provide another way to draw children out, another way for children to succeed, another way for non-English speaking children to engage, and another way for children with special needs to participate.
You are embarking on the exciting journey of music learning, one which will go way beyond traditional practices in music with little children. You will learn to view music as an aural art and teach through sound and movement. You will discover developmentally appropriate rhythms and melodies that speak the native language of the young child’s musical mind and take the musical imagination on one journey after another. You will encounter Art Songs for tender ages and witness the wonder of children’s artistry. You will find new ways to interact with your children, new ways to nurture growth and development, and new ways to uncover your children’s natural gifts.
You are about to enter a new arena of growth and development in early childhood, one that showcases the musical genius of your own children. Here, too, you will celebrate every little display of new learning as your children demonstrate the wonder of musical growth and development.
