What can little children do in music? I hope Lyonya wears ear protection! Is Lyonya unique, we might wonder, or are all three year olds capable of such physical co-ordination, rhythmic precision and musical awareness? As a music student, I was sure that most children would be able to play a drum in time with a song. As a newly qualified music teacher, I found out that most children could not yet play a drum in time with a song. Many children could not walk in time to music either, or clap a steady pulse or sing in tune but they could learn to do all these things if I:.
Basic musical awareness is innate in humans; children instinctively respond physically to music and enjoy improving their practical skills through being offered effective strategies. Children learn music naturally by listening to and emulating others and they develop their aural awareness by receiving feedback. The music curriculum may be thought of as a spiral in which learning is begun, consolidated and then furthered by experiencing similar musical concepts in a variety of contexts.
The process is a bit like learning to listen, speak, converse and, eventually, to read language, all supported by the help of someone who already has those skills.
Children learn to discuss music intelligently by hearing the right words for the elements of music, such as tempo and pitch, used in musical contexts.
Years of classroom and private teaching over the complete academic age-range, along with tutoring student teachers, have convinced me that many children are under-achieving in music. Working intensively with three to seven year olds over the past two years has confirmed my belief that little children can do much more in music than is generally expected of them, and that practical teaching and learning experiences should begin in the early years.
