Establishing decorum in the early childhood music classroom is a creative challenge. We’ve all seen failed attempts at settling babies and toddlers in the doctor’s waiting room, grocery store, or local park.  How can a teacher of early childhood music be expected to bring a whole group of little children together in some orderly fashion, and get them all to cooperate for the entire length of the class?

The challenge of classroom management is not one of managing behavior, but rather, the challenge of managing children’s energy. The musical content you choose, the activities you design, the ordering of activities, the non-verbal flow, all contribute to managing children’s energy, such that a group of 25 little tikes can be fully cooperative for 45 minutes and wanting for more.

One might assume that a parent with each tot might assure cooperative behavior, but well-meaning parents can sometimes be more disruptive than children, and surely a parent with each child doesn’t always settle the children in the doctor’s waiting room, grocery store, or park. The teacher of early childhood music manages the energy of children, capturing the musical mind and taking it on an exciting adventure. OTEC coursework will teach you how, through your developing understanding of the process of music learning, your developing command of curriculum materials, and your developing awareness of effective teaching techniques. You will find that thinking in terms of managing children’s energy rather than disciplining children will serve you as a teacher of children of any age.