Music education and creative expression in early childhood development

¶ … inappropriate given the risks posed by old, small radio parts to small children who might put these unsanitary substances in their mouths or injure themselves on sharp parts. Instead, children can be provided with large, age-appropriate blocks to construct robots. Scenario 2 reflects positive forethought and planning in the teacher's explanation regarding traffic flow; however sand can still be extremely messy, even outdoors. Children must have a place to clean themselves before re-entering the classroom. Using modeling clay or other materials might be more feasible given the cleanup needs of a classroom. Scenario 3 is a good idea in that it uses arts and crafts to reflect the lessons learned on a field trip but some food cartons can be sharp or unsanitary; they must be selected carefully. In Scenario 4, rather than defaulting to the modern obsession with technology like iPads, the teacher should take measures to make the hands-on clay modeling station more attractive.

UNIT 5 DISCUSSION

My earliest musical experiences involved singing in the classroom; my early childhood educators were strong singers but unfortunately I am not. My own musical limitations are my greatest concern but I hope to make use of group sing-a-longs and physical movement during music classes to address these concerns. If a parent objected I would explain that children's musical training is not simply learning notes and formal music but also involves creative musical expression.

For children ages 3-5, the "Hokey Pokey" is a wonderful way to channel this age group's abundant energy into song as they wave various body parts in and outside of the circle of fellow singers. It is also participatory, as every student can suggest a different body part to wave in and out. It also teaches about various parts of the child's body.

For children ages 5-8, more sophisticated song lyrics like "On Top of Spaghetti" helps reinforce concepts such as creative imagery, humor, and inventive use of language which will help them in their language arts classes as well as in music. Students can receive copies of the song lyrics and be asked to illustrate them as well as sing them. They can also use the format of the song (which is a rewriting of a more traditional tune) to generate other simple songs of their own making with silly lyrics.

UNIT 7 DISCUSSION

The challenge of this day will be to involve the entire school in holiday-appropriate tasks without being ethnocentric. Making winter the focus of the school celebration, versus a specific holiday is an excellent way to do this. All of the classes can contribute decorations for various sections of the school: for example, one class can make paper snowflakes, the other snowmen, and etcetera. A special visitor can come to the school to lecture the students during the week about different animals and how the prepare for winter, to add a scientific knowledge component to the celebration. Each classroom can be asked to handle a different refreshment for the final, school-wide party: focusing on winter for each dish (for example, comfort food for the main dish; some kind of ice cream dish for dessert, and winter-themed snacks and drinks) is another fun, creative way to link students to the activity. The music for the party can be taken from Disney's Frozen rather than traditional holiday music, and various games can be planned, using different characters from the film (such as 'Pin the Carrot on the Olaf' and 'Anna, Anna, Elsa' rather than 'Duck, Duck, Goose). These methods will encourage students to engage in celebration together and emphasize common themes such as a fascination with winter and pop cultural references vs. potentially divisive references to holidays not all the children share.