Welcome to the Music and Movement Area. Do you
have some favorite songs, fingerplays, movement activities, or music that you use with
your preschool children and would like to share them with others? You have come to
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Classical music...as a music major in college I have always thought classical music was
very important and it has always been a focal part of my center (open since 1991). We have
always incorporated classical music into our curriculum and now recent brain research is
showing the enormous benefits of the use of classical music in early childhood education.
Don't just think of classical music as "soothing and non-aggressive" because it
isn't all like that. Most of it has a strong beat and I defy people NOT to tap their feet
to most of Beethoven's symphonies!! Besides playing it as background music, we introduce
it during music class. We listen to different styles. Discuss the instruments. The tempo.
Whether it is happy or sad or angry or what other emotion it conveys to us. A lot of times
you can use different music for certain themes. Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the
Animals" could be used for a circus or animal theme. THe children could act out the
animals while listening or draw the animals they hear. (And listen to the Aquarium
section...for those of us into Disney's Beauty and the Beast it is strangely similar) FOr
Halloween you might listen to Mussorgsky's "A Night On Bald Mountain" or
Saint-Saens' "Danse Macabre." Be creative and have a great time with it! What
children learn to appreciate now will stay with them their entire lives! I love
introducing children to all my old friends: Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Handel, DuParc,
Faure, Saint-Saens, etcetera!
Some ideas for incorporating music and rhythm into your day
1. Find books which reinforce musical concepts such as the PiggyBack
Song series. You can find the PiggyBack series at any educational supply store. The
songs in these books are simple and the melodies are familiar. In each book, the songs are
categorized by different themes.
2. Use music activity cassette tapes. Some of my favorites are:
Bev Bos, Charlotte Diamond, Greg and Steve, and of course our old favorite Hap
Palmer!
3. If you use music for rest or nap time, dig up some classical
music. Let the children know who the composer is and what the piece is called. Talk about
how the music makes the children feel.
4. Play classical music during center time. I have found
that this helps to cut down on aggressiveness and build the children's appreciation for
classical music.
