The Early Childhood Music Program

Our Philosophy:

Music is believed to be a positive, vital instrument that can contribute meaningfully to the learning process of young children. In an early childhood music classroom, babies, infants and toddlers are brought to an exciting, new environment. Besides being musically enriched, positive interactions with parents and other children, help these young people learn social skills. These emotional and intellectual interactions are critical for later development.

According to Montagu (1989), author of Growing Young, feeling loved is crucial to the emotional health and self-respect of a child. To feel loved, the child must experience acceptance from those he or she can trust. To feel worthwhile, he or she must experience success for his or her efforts. Thus, nurturing a child in a positive atmosphere will build self-esteem.

In the early childhood music classroom, when children are sharing, hugging, and playing, they are feeling loved and worthwhile because they experience acceptance from those they trust. In addition, they are experiencing success for their efforts, as they play instruments, tap on their laps, chant, sing, and do expressive movement.

Sensitivity can also be stimulated, encouraged and practiced with different musical activities. In a music classroom, the proper musical expression – singing and chanting – from adults, and kinesthetic expression – playing singing games, expressive body movement – will help children become musically sensitive. The children who know how to chant or sing will try to imitate the beautiful adult voice. Even if they cannot sing, the musical environment itself develops feeling and emotion.

early childhood music program Since all individuals react in different ways, parents and educators should help children find their own ways of expressing themselves. Children should be able to express what they feel and not what we feel. Picasso, the famous artist, said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Picasso goes on to point out that the younger the child is, the color he or she picks is more daring. He or she can paint a blue horse, a green cloud, a purple apple. If the adults restrict what young people do, and do not appreciate their effort, children will eventually lose their self-esteem and creativity.

As parents and educators, we adults always try to push the progress of growth in our children. We want them to know about reality; thus, we are critical of children’s artistic production. The “yes” and “no” words signal the killing of the imagination in children. In the music classroom, the children are given the opportunity to make sounds from different objects (nonmusical or musical instruments), they are given the chance to explore different expressive movements. This will help each individual child feel comfortable with his or her own efforts, and understand and appreciate each other’s feelings – the basic elements of building self-esteem and creativity.

The major emphasis in music classes for young children should be placed on the satisfaction and enjoyment it brings to them. The positive interaction and nurturing among young children, their parents and friends, eventually will encourage children to be self-motivated and happier individuals. Consequently, music can contribute meaningfully to the learning process, which is interdependent with emotional stability, the acquisition of social skills, as well as the physical and cognitive development of the children.