Many young children think that music comes from CD players and radios. I wrote this article (which originally appeared in TEMPO, the magazine of the NJ Music Educators Association, in October 2009) to help teachers help young children to develop an understanding of the elements of music. Where Does Music Come From?: Teaching the Elements […]
Tag Archives: early childhood music
I decided to do a version of “Fun Fun Friday” today because my students were so interesting and entertaining today, I just couldn’t wait. So: Wacky Wednesday! First, a boy raised his hand to say, “Did you know that squirrels sound just like birds?” (Just FYI, nothing we’d been doing today had anything to do […]
“Listen to the Water” by Bob Schneider performed by Peter and Ellen Allard from “Sing It! Say It! Swing It! Sway It! Vol. 2” available on iTunes Perfect for summer, this happy and interactive song describes many creatures one might see by the water. There’s a fish swimming, a frog jumping, a snake slithering, a […]
“Pattern Fish” by Trudy Harris As you may have guessed, this story is all about patterns. Each fish, or other sea creature, has a distinct visual pattern or two or three colors. And each also has a sound pattern. This is repeated a few times, leaving the last sound of the pattern for the next […]
This article of mine originally appeared on the site Creativity Portal: How to Help Children Stay Creative By Abby Connors Picasso famously stated, “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” Anyone who lives or works with young children knows they truly are artists, buzzing with creativity, […]
To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. – Joseph Chilton Pearce I’m continually amazed at the creativity of the young children I teach, but I shouldn’t be. Children have one of the prime prerequisites for creativity – they’re not […]
“Matilda the Gorilla” recorded by Lynn Kleiner from the CD /book “Jungle Beat” Young children love to pretend to be all kinds of animals, but something about monkeys and gorillas is particularly appealing to them. Maybe it’s the wild jumpy noisiness! “Matilda the Gorilla” is a delightful song with a lilting rhythm that’s irrestistible for […]
Are you ready for a rip-roarin’ good time? Because stories don’t come much more rip-roarin’ than this. Based on the beloved folk song, but with many more (and much sillier) verses, this picture book will delight your students and get them singing and moving. The little gal in this story doesn’t just come round the […]
This week I read a story with an elephant on the cover. As I usually do, I showed the class the cover of the book first and we talked about it. “Who knows what this animal on the cover is?” I asked. Quick as a wink, a girl shouted out, “An elevator!” Later in that […]
This article of mine appears in the new (August 2014) issue of New Jersey Family. Play Dates What’s the right age to begin music lessons? BY ABIGAIL CONNORS One of my most vivid childhood memories is running home after my weekly piano lesson so I could try out my newest piece on my home […]
Music (and Science) For Young Children 