Answers and Successful Activities for Early Childhood Music

Christina M. Hornbach (Hope College), Holland, Michigan

Peninsula Children's Center, Portland, Oregon

Saturday, October 24, 2009

The participants of this workshop were early childhood teachers, with limited musical background, from the Peninsula Children's Center. The Peninsula Children’s Center is an early childhood care and education program that serves children, ages 6 weeks through 5, from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

The goal of this activity-based early childhood music workshop was to provide classroom teachers with specific activities for developing the musical skills of young children. It sought to stimulate and encourage teachers to incorporate more music into their lesson plans. Through movement, singing, chanting, and play, the classroom teachers learned methods for introducing students to an extensive musical vocabulary. The workshop was well received, and the participants were enthusiastic in their participation.