The Value of Music

This unit's resources support the value of music in young children's lives along with presenting implementation strategies for early childhood music programs. Respond to each statement or question below and support your responses with content from the unit's material or other sources.

• Think about your own music experiences as a young child. How alike or different are they from the ones described in this unit? Identify and describe what you consider to be the greatest differences between your experience and your classroom plans. What are your concerns about planning music experiences and how do you plan to overcome them?

• Imagine that during your initial parent orientation meeting, the parent of one of the children in your group (who is an accomplished pianist) asks you who will teach her child music. She assumes it will not be you as there is no piano in your room. How will you answer her? Include in your answer how you would conduct a singing activity without a piano. Explain the value and benefits of developmentally appropriate music experiences that will support her daughter's musical growth.

• Visit the website, Sing Along Kids, sponsored by the National Institute of Health and the Department of Health & Human Services, and view the index of songs and lyrics. Go through the categories and choose one song for children 3 through 5 years old and one for 5 through 8 years old. Share how you will use each song and the song introduction methods you plan to use from those presented in your text.

Source: Songs, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved from http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/games/songs.