Kayla Burkhart welcomed five children into her early childhood music class April 19, 2018. The children range in age from 15 months to four years old. This class was held in a large choral rehearsal room at Butler University in Indianapolis as part of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir Early Childhood Program. Through an observation summary, we will analyze and discuss great aspects of and room for growth regarding the pedagogical approach to this class. More specifically, we will use Gordon’s Music Learning Theory and a variety of other early childhood music education research to support the analysis. Students were welcomed with a cheerful smile and hugs from their teacher, who told each child, “I’ve missed you.” Through more talking, the
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“Doggie Doggie” was introduced by pulling out a laminated dog bone shape. Immediately, the children began debating who got to hide the bone first. Eventually, Kayla was able to begin singing. The children were so engaged in figuring out who had the bone that they sang naturally. Again, most students displayed inconsistent limited range singing, but they were singing more than in the first activity where they all seemed to be in the pre-singer stage. Presumably, the students’ brains probably experienced a shift when they began hearing music and singing, eventually coming into a more advanced singing display as class progressed. Singing games continued with “Five Little Ducks”, where students used duck manipulatives to sing and count the ducks as they went out for adventure and came back after their mother ducks quacked. The students mostly chanted as they were behaviorally occupied with not being selected to help collect the ducks as they returned in the lyrics. The teacher used a boombox to play accompaniments, but it could have been more effectively used by keeping each students engaged with finger play during interludes. This could have kept the focus on music and movement and possibly could have limited behavioral interruptions. Regardless, Kayla did a great job reverting focus back to the song while not restricting students’ movements too much. Reynolds (2008) wrote about movement in the music curriculum, citing …show more content…
(n.d.). Unit 4 Lecture 1. Retrieved from Boston University Introduction to Early Childhood Music Education Blackboard site.
Gordon, E. (2013). Music learning theory for newborn and young children. Chicago, IL: GIA.
Reynolds, A. (2008). Movement, For Music’s Sake! Perspectives: Journal of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association, 3(1), 9-13.
Rutkowski, J. (2010). The Singing Voice Development Measure: Assessing children’s use of singing voice in the elementary general music classroom. In T. Brophy (Ed.), The Practice of Assessment in Music Education: Frameworks, Models, and Designs. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc.Trainor, L. J., Marie, C., Gerry, D., Whiskin, E., & Unrau, A. (2012). Becoming musically enculturated: Effects of music classes for infants on brain and behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1252(1),
“Doggie Doggie” was introduced by pulling out a laminated dog bone shape. Immediately, the children began debating who got to hide the bone first. Eventually, Kayla was able to begin singing. The children were so engaged in figuring out who had the bone that they sang naturally. Again, most students displayed inconsistent limited range singing, but they were singing more than in the first activity where they all seemed to be in the pre-singer stage. Presumably, the students’ brains probably experienced a shift when they began hearing music and singing, eventually coming into a more advanced singing display as class progressed. Singing games continued with “Five Little Ducks”, where students used duck manipulatives to sing and count the ducks as they went out for adventure and came back after their mother ducks quacked. The students mostly chanted as they were behaviorally occupied with not being selected to help collect the ducks as they returned in the lyrics. The teacher used a boombox to play accompaniments, but it could have been more effectively used by keeping each students engaged with finger play during interludes. This could have kept the focus on music and movement and possibly could have limited behavioral interruptions. Regardless, Kayla did a great job reverting focus back to the song while not restricting students’ movements too much. Reynolds (2008) wrote about movement in the music curriculum, citing …show more content…
(n.d.). Unit 4 Lecture 1. Retrieved from Boston University Introduction to Early Childhood Music Education Blackboard site.
Gordon, E. (2013). Music learning theory for newborn and young children. Chicago, IL: GIA.
Reynolds, A. (2008). Movement, For Music’s Sake! Perspectives: Journal of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association, 3(1), 9-13.
Rutkowski, J. (2010). The Singing Voice Development Measure: Assessing children’s use of singing voice in the elementary general music classroom. In T. Brophy (Ed.), The Practice of Assessment in Music Education: Frameworks, Models, and Designs. Chicago: GIA Publications, Inc.Trainor, L. J., Marie, C., Gerry, D., Whiskin, E., & Unrau, A. (2012). Becoming musically enculturated: Effects of music classes for infants on brain and behavior. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1252(1),