Choosing a Children's Music Class
Music Classes for Toddlers, Preschoolers Provide Joy and Learning
Dec 15, 2008
Music classes for toddlers and preschoolers provide valuable enrichment, but how do parents evaluate music programs available for young children?
Music Aids Child Development
Look for a music program developed by both musicians and child development experts, not just a musical play group. Music affects all areas of learning - cognitive, language, emotional, social, physical, and musical - and a program that centers music around your child’s developmental stages will offer much more than one which simply has fun songs.
Music Teachers and Lesson Plans
A good early childhood music program should have the emphasis on participation, not performance. This lets a child can learn at his or her own pace, enjoying the music without the pressure of “doing it right” for performances.
Classes should be taught by teachers who not only have excellent singing voices for the children to model, but who have a good rapport with children. No child or parent will enjoy music classes with a teacher who is stiff and unfriendly.
Songs Written for Children’s Voices
Look for songs written specifically for young children. There are music intervals (do-mi, do-fa, for example) that are easiest for children to match, and at least some of the songs should stress these in the melodies. Songs for children should also be higher pitched so they can learn to match them more easily.
Variety of Musical Styles for Preschoolers
A variety of music is important. Look for folk songs, major and minor keys, and international music, such as Asian, African, Indian, or Latin. Children understand opposites at a young age, so look for contrast within a song: high and low, legato and staccato, loud and soft. Also look for songs with different tempos (fast/slow) and meters (3-beat, 4-beat, etc.) for children to move and dance to.
Variety of Musical Instruments
A good music program should use a variety of instruments. This will depend on the age of the class, but will usually be rhythm instruments, with pitched instruments introduced as the children get older. A good selection of rhythm instruments will include strikers and shakers, metal and wood, and different tones and timbres. There should also be some instruments with multiple ways of playing – for instance, a guiro can be struck or scraped for different sounds.
Instruments should be high quality to withstand the rigors of children’s play, and of course should be non-toxic and child-safe for the age.
Musical Activities for Home
Look for good quality home materials. Weekly music classes are a fun activity for parents and children, but one of the underlying purposes is to give parents the tools to carry music through the week at home. As the Kindermusik program stresses, a parent is a child’s most important teacher.
Home materials should include, at a minimum, a good quality CD and an activity booklet. They may also include props to go with the musical activities, such as puppets, dancing streamers, or books.
 |
