In the next several blogs, we will continue to explore the four essential principles every parent of a baby, toddler or preschooler in Champaign Urbana should know in order to create a musically rich enviroment and nurture their child's innate musical intelligence. In the previous blog we explored the Second Essential Principle: All Children can acquire basic Music Skills and enjoy making music! In today's article, we will explore #3 - Participation and Modeling of Parents and Primary Caregivers is Essential! Here's a recap of the Top 4 Prinicples.
- All Children are Musical
- All Children can acquire basic Music Skills and enjoy making music!
- Participation and modeling of Parents and Primary Caregivers is essential!
- A playful, musically rich and non-performance-oriented learning environment is best!
Participation and Modeling by Parents and Primary Caregivers is Essential!
Often parents are worried that their "lack" of musical ability may damage their child's musical future and therefore, are reticent to actively sing or dance in front of their child. This, sadly, is a huge misconception. Enthusiastic musical interation with a parent or caregiver is what develops child's music making skills and interest in making music.
Its generally understood that the best way to help your child become a good reader is to model reading yourself and to read to them. The same is true for singing and dancing. Being an enthusiastic music maker is the best thing you can do to develop your child's musical intelligence and love for music at home and/or in an age appropriate music class. "But wait!", you may say in a panic. "If I enroll in a music class, do I have to make music in front of other parents?"
Do not worry! A good music class will create a completely safe, no "mistake" environment for parents to enthusiastically model music making for their children as well as enable them, the parents, to explore their inner rock star or ballarina. In such a class, many parents discover a new sense of musicality and rediscover their love of music. They often find themselves joining a choir or picking up that old instrument they haven't touched since high school.
Through your enthusiastic example, children learn that music making is fun, their natural curiousity is heightened and they become absorbed in making music themselves. This is further aided by a music class curriculum that creates a recipe for musical growth by combining: natural music intelligence, a rich mix of tonalities, meters, and musical styles and lots of enthusiastic grown up participation. The final ingredient is the 4th essential point: a child's musical growth is best achieved in a playful, musically, rich and non-performance-oriented learning environment.
Find additional information on the philosophy & method of our brand new Early Childhood classes at: www.MusicTogether.com
