EDU 361 Arts in ECE Laura

1. EDU 361 Arts in ECELaura “Developing a Curriculum for Music” “Music for Infants, Toddlers, Preschool Children & Kindergarten” Session #8

2. Developing a Curriculum for Music… • (McDonald text) • Teachers should watch for spontaneous moments to imitate rhythms produced by children and then add a chant, an instrument, or perhaps hand clapping. • T/F? True According to our text, music educators should initiate significant music education experiences and training as early as possible with every child. To help develop the child’s musical skills

3. Growth, experience, and training affects young children’s responses to music. • T/F? True According to our text, children can respond to music and are capable at a very early age of doing more musically than educators have previously admitted. Even young children can learn to play an instrument.

4. T/F? True During the early years patterns of response are formulated that will influence all future growth and development of music. • T/F? True According to our text, if a child has technical needs which are not satisfied, his creativity is apt to dry up because of his inability to function at his proper level. • T/F? True Certain musical facts and techniques must be taught. When and How depends upon the teacher’s sensitiveness, the child’s need for the knowledge and readiness to learn

5. What happens when technical training is too advanced for a child?The child will not be able to keep up and get frustrated. • T/F? True Singing, movement, and speech are closely related for the very young child and their combination often results in a chant. • A guideline for teaching young children to sing is to start with songs that utilize children’s comfortable range (D to A) then add more tones.

6. T/F? True For very young children, rhythm is an individual experience and teachers should not require children’s movements to synchronize with a beat. • An important guideline for teaching rhythm to young children is to plan for many opportunities through the day to move spontaneously to music and speech rhythms. • An important guideline for using instruments with young children is to allow for much free, exploratory use of instruments to develop awareness of different pitches.

7. An important guideline for teachers to encourage young children to listen to music is to encourage them to listen to all kinds of music. • The Dalcroze Method of teaching young children music emphasizes body movement, ear training, and improvisation by the teacher at the piano to awaken children’s awareness of musical elements. • The Kodaly Method of teaching young children music is centered around a vocal approach to music education. Where reading and writing musical notation or primary goals.

8. The Carl Orff approach to teaching young children music is based on the idea that music, speech, and movement should be combined when teaching music. p.43 • The Early Childhood Music Curriculum, Manhattanville Music Curriculum Program (MMCP) is based on the belief that personal involvement in the process of making music is the way young children learn about music.p.43 • The Shinichi Suzuki method of teaching young children how to plan the violin directly involves the parents in learning and auditing the lessons themselves. p.43

9. Music for Infants, Toddlers, & Preschool Children… • (J. Beatty text , Chapter 9) • The elements of music that young children are involved with include tone, rhythm, and melody. • Dynamics: loudness, softness of tone • Duration: shortness or length of tone • Pitch: highness or lowness of tone • Timbre: quality of tone

10. Melody involves the particular flow of tones in a certain rhythm. • The rhythm of music involves: • Tempo: fastness or slowness of rhythm • Beat: the pulse of rhythm • Pattern: long/short or light/heavy accents of rhythm

11. Children develop in their ability to recognize and to reproduce tone, rhythm, and melody through maturity of physical, cognitive, and language abilities, as well as being exposed to the elements of music and having a chance to try them out. • The natural development of music follows a sequence somewhat similar to that of a child’s acquisition of language skills. How? Through maturity of physical, cognitive, and language abilities, as well as being exposed to these elements of music and having a chance to try them out in a secure setting.

12. (Cooing, babbling, speaking, singing? Scribbling, drawing, writing?) • Birth to Six Months: • Infants are aware of music from the beginning, as shown by their different responses to different kinds of music • Lullabies tend to calm them down, whereas lively music makes them more active. • Infants vocalize with crying that varies in pitch, loudness, and rhythmic patterns.

13. Six Months to Two Years: • Infants and toddlers may move their bodies in response to music (rocking/swaying), clap their hands, and may turn toward musical sounds and listen intently. • Many infants prefer vocal to instrumental music at this age. • Toddlers often seek out the sounds that please them most (ex. TV commercials). • Toddlers also like to use pots and pans or cups and bowls for sound-making activities.

14. Two to Three Years: • Toddlers may attempt to dance to music by bending knees, swaying, and swinging arms. • Toddlers respond well to pattern repetition and can learn simple finger plays. • Two-year-olds may experiment with their voices by singing or humming during play. • Toddlers are increasingly interested in listening to musical instruments and cassette tapes. (toy xylophones, drums)

15. Three to Four Years: • The increased cognitive and language development gives three-year-olds better voice control, rhythmic response, and mastery of song lyrics. • They are beginning to understand the basic musical concepts of loud-soft, fast-slow. • They may also love to dramatize songs or try out different ways to interpret songs rhythmically. • Music enables children to express and communicate ideas that are beyond their language abilities.

16. Four to Five Years: • Children at this age are active listeners of music. • Their attention span is longer and if encouraged, they will increase their desire to become involved in music activities. • They can sing complete songs from memory with greater pitch control. • They can play many kinds of rhythm instruments often to accompany songs, and may even create tunes of their own.

17. Music Center in a Preschool Classroom… • Children will continue their natural development, if their preschool classroom is filled with music and happy sounds, and if the Music Center itself encourages them to participate in exciting musical activities. • T/F? True Music in the self-directed learning environment takes place not only in a designated activity center, but also in the entire classroom.

18. T/F? True The Music Center contains materials and activities for individuals and small groups to investigate sound, rhythm, and melody on their own. • T/F? True There should also be a large space in the classroom to be used for group singing games and creative movement.

19. T/F? True The Block, Dramatic Play, art, and Book Centers may also be infiltrated with music and sound by the children. • T/F? True Making music personal should be the theme of music activities for young children. • T/F? True Teachers should also share their personal records and tapes they enjoy with the children. (As long as they are appropriate)

20. T/F? True Soft music is appropriate at naptime. • T/F? True Rock music is appropriate at times when children are actively engaged in the learning centers. • When should a teacher play classical music…Any time.

21. T/F? True The Music Center itself should contain a cassette recorder for the children to use. • Should children record their own productions? Yes. • Should a clipboard be provided for children to sign-up to use the recorder? Yes. • Should headsets be made available for tapes that are for personal use rather than group usage? Yes.

22. A music center should be set up to promote listening, sound exploration, rhythm, and music making. • T/F? True A music center can also contain picture books with musical themes, costumes, scarves, and materials for children to make their own music. • T/F? False All rhythm instruments should be displayed at all the time. Display drumming sounding instruments together.

23. Music for Preschoolers & Young School-age Children… • (See Explorations with Young Children –Bank Street handout) • Cultural Diversity: Music has been termed “the universal language”. Explain? • T/F? True Music is also a medium through which children can extend their social awareness and sensitivity? • T/F? True When children play and touch musical instruments, they may be engaging in a concrete cultural experience. • T/F? True It is recommended for teachers to foster the sharing of diverse musical expressions. If so, why?

24. T/F? False Music should be played only for the sake of keeping background noise. • T/F? True Transition time music can provide a productive listening environment. • T/F? True Children should be encouraged to bring favorite music selections from home. If so, why? If not, why not? • T/F? True Does a self-made classroom audiotape help children develop a sense of community? If so, how? • List some musical equipment and other items that are appropriate for a Kindergarten Music Center.