What about including folk songs, holiday songs, music of the masters, instruments of the orchestra, or world music in lesson plans?  Music learning must be the driving force in early childhood music. Any of these other options can provide an interesting experience in music literature, history, timbre, or culture, and can broaden one’s music experience, but they do not meet the musical needs of young children. Just as Shakespeare might enchant a toddler, but not engage the child in learning to speak, so can quality music literature, history, and culture enrich and broaden a child’s music experience, though not engage the child in learning to speak the language of rhythm and tonal. Parents are the prime force in nurturing children’s language development. Music teachers are the prime force in nurturing children’s music development, so we have to make choices about what content will most serve music learning.

Folk songs, holiday songs, or any other songs whose words are the driving force, can be used as Play Songs, with your carefully selecting folk songs or other song choices that meet energy needs at any point in the class. Additionally, lesson plan templates designed with music learning as the highest priority can always include a slot for another dimension of music that you might want to include.

A three minute listening experience of music of the masters, world music, or a particular instrument might be one activity within a 50 minute class for advanced students. Developed three to five year old children can handle listening to the three minute segment and then immediately hearing it a second time and engaging in movement, becoming the music in movement. Music of the masters, various instruments, and world music can always be recommended for listening outside of class as well.  

Beginners are best served by immersion of meters and tonalities, with Play Songs and the occasional Art Song, all moving toward interactivity. Third and fourth year students, (who are still not yet in kindergarten,) are fully into interactivity with Rhythm Dialogue, Resting Tone Activities, Macro/Micro Beat Activities, and Tonal Dialogue, Art Songs and Gem Songs, while being immersed in more difficult musical content. They can be ready for still more, but they are not yet ready for choral singing. A three minute listening activity that is immediately repeated can serve as an anchor, broadening them in different ways. Perhaps year three might include one experience each week with music of the masters, and year four presents world music in that slot. 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^thyear students can also broaden with a folk song anchor each week, ultimately experiencing many folk songs, and/or an experience each week with a different instrument.

If you choose to explore music of the masters or world music with your youngsters, keep in mind the need for energy management, and how talking interrupts that energy. Any “explanation about” music, composers, cultures, or instruments, changes the energy and musicality of the class dramatically.