There is a common misconception that music class for young children simply consists of singing and dancing. While it may seem this way at first glance, there is much more to early childhood music education. In fact, music teachers use a process that is similar to the way in which classroom teachers guide children to understand language.

 
The process has four steps - listening, speaking, reading and writing. Let us think for a second about how children learn language. As newborns, babies hear language being spoken all around them. They are absorbing what they hear, which eventually moves to vocalizing (even if it doesn't make much sense) and then imitating (or babbling). After this process, children are ready to speak real words - then phrases and sentences. Only later do they learn to read and write.

 
In comparison, toddlers might sit and observe, going through the stage of musical development called absorption. These students aren't ready to sing yet, but they are watching and listening to what's happening around them. Students who have progressed to the next stage of musical development are producing babbling sounds. They experiment with various pitches and rhythms by clapping their hands or stomping their feet at random times. Some give responses that are more purposeful and reflect the key or meter of the song or chant they hear.  This prepares students to eventually sing songs, imitate rhythms, and to think and create in music. If this exposure and informal guidance does not happen early in life, children might not be prepared for formal instruction. 

 
So, how does movement factor into this process? Researcher and teachers who have been studying early childhood music education have noticed that movement is a natural, sometimes even spontaneous, response to any kind of music.  Music theorist and researcher Edwin Gordon believes that movement may be the key to a young child's musical development, as it assists students in refining their own coordination. Children gradually start to learn a sense of beat and pitch when they integrate coordination between their breath, body and singing. We develop this coordination through exploring sounds and movements through musical characteristics that contrast such as fast/slow, high/low, loud/soft and choppy/smooth. Movements as simple as swaying to the music help even the youngest students develop their coordination. 

 At WMS, students are exposed to a creative musical environment at as early as 12 months of age. They participate in 20 minutes of music class each week, in addition to the many songs and chants they sing with their classroom teachers.  At home, you can also help your child's musical development by singing and playing with him or her on a regular basis. Listening to a variety of music at home or in the car will expose your child to sounds that expand his tonal and rhythmic vocabulary, helping prepare him for formal musical instruction down the road.