The Musical Play program is designed to assist children ages 2 to 5 and their parents. The program creators sought to help families build a repertoire of songs and activities for everyday living and to encourage musical play at home. The program includes developmentally appropriate songs, materials, and activities and incorporates a wide variety…

Most music educators are unaware that one of the earliest known electronic music keyboards for children dates back to 1952. It was unsophisticated in appearance, but much like the inventions of today, the mid-century electronic musical toy piqued the interest of children, and they begged their parents to buy it for them. The invention was named…

Using data from a parent survey, the author examined factors that influenced parents to enroll their children in a 5-day summer music camp. Survey questions included (a) What were the determining factors for enrolling your child in the class? (b) What activities did your child enjoy/value the most? (c) What musical activities do you and your child…

For most children, musical instruction may not begin until 3 or 5 years of age or even older. However, musical experiences can offer numerous and significant benefits during the first weeks and months of a child's life. Infants can successfully learn "about" music and "through" musical experiences. The most meaningful and appropriate musical…

The article presents activities that tap into elementary and middle school children's multiple ways of knowing by having them visually express impressions and thoughts about music, and conversely, express their impressions of visual art by creating music. Because most children learn through both visual and auditory senses, they may foster deeper…

The article focuses on enriching music and language arts experiences of students. Music can enrich literature and language arts, poetry, theater arts, transitions, science, and math, as well as help meet special learner needs. A well-understood example of enrichment is the alphabet song. A music or classroom teacher using the alphabet song helps…

The article analyzes a constructivist view of music education. A constructivist music classroom exemplifies deep learning when students formulate questions, acquire new knowledge by developing and implementing plans for investigating these questions, and reflect on the results. A context for deep learning requires that teachers and students work…

The article presents information on several songs that can be taught to school children and can be used in various learning activities inside the classroom. These include the songs I Wonder Where the Monkey's Gone, The Squirrel and the Corn Farm, Old Joe Clark and His Telephone, and We Go Walking. (Contains 2 footnotes.)

The article presents information on how to conduct a music recorder study inside the classroom. It is preferred to conduct a recorder study beginning at the end of third grade or during fourth grade and continuing through elementary school. At that point, the students have a strong sense of pitch, pulse, and rhythm and a large music vocabulary.…

The article discusses the use of Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication method to teach children who have emotional and behavioral challenges inside the music classroom. The method consists of using direct and nonjudgmental language, expressing feelings and needs, and finally making a request as opposed to a demand.

This article explains the difference between concepts and skills in music education. Concepts about music cannot be taught; they are acquired through meaningful experiences. These experiences are typically called musical skills and include singing, chanting, playing, moving, creating, improvising, and writing. Suggestions for organizing the school…

This article discusses the implications of inclusion in education for the study and teaching of music. Regardless of interpretation, inclusion is labor-intensive and must receive administrative support and schoolwide cooperation in order to work, that is, ensuring learning success for all students as well as meeting individual needs.

This article describes the author's experience of adopting a child-centered approach to his pedagogy. The approach has created many teachable moments for his students and has improved the quality of their musical interactions. The article also presents ideas and strategies about child-centered, problem-based learning applied to the elementary…

This article focuses on the PlayParty family event held by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. Through PlayParties, families immersed themselves in singing and playing what became traditional singing games. PlayParty songs that are frequently use include Skip to My Lou, Paw Paw Patch and Punchinella.

This article provides teaching tips and materials related to recorder lesson. Teaching Recorder in the Music Classroom, by Fred Kersten, compiles more current recorder information than any other resource. In planning instruction, the major determining factor seems to be Rote or Note. This allows instructors to take familiar repertoire that…