Music Education at Penn State
The Center for the Study of Music Learning and Teaching
Early Childhood Program - Musicians All!
Overview of Program:
Musicians All! is a program designed to nurture the natural musical development of young children. It is based on the philosophy that all children are musical and have musical potential but that they need to be provided with appropriately nurturing environments in order for their music development to progress normally. The program is offered as a partnership between the Penn State School of Music and the Music Academy.
What to Expect during the Sessions:
Each Musicians All! session is divided into two components: free play with a variety of instruments and structured, but in-formal, immersion in a variety of music activities. The first 15 minutes is devoted to free instrument play. This activity serves several purposes. It give the children an opportunity to experiment with a variety of instrumental sounds or to observe other children or adults experimenting with instrumental sounds; it provides an chance for the children to interact with each other as well as other adults in a comfortable social situation; it seems a good way to begin since getting your child dressed, fed, etc., and to a class right on time is sometimes a challenge! Offering this activity first means you have some flexibility with arrival time. However, it is best if you arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before class begins and if you arrive no later than 10 minutes after class starts. That way your child will not get too tired for the session and your child will have at least 5 minutes of free play time.
The second part of the session will always begin with the same song - this serves as a prompt for the instruments to be put away and the other music activities to begin. A variety of singing, moving, and chanting activities will be included in every session. Please ask if you have any questions about why we are including an activity. You will also notice a lot of repetition in these activities and songs but that is intentional. Think of the number of times you read the same book to your child! Repetition is very important to their learning.
What to Expect from your Child:
Basically, expect anything at any time! Some children will sit on your lap the entire session; some will walk around the room; some will look out the window; others will stare at one of the music leaders; still others will attempt to engage in the activities. All behaviors are fine! Except, of course, those which may result in a child getting hurt and which distract the other children for an extended period of time. Some children will fuss occasionally. Do what you normally do to relax or calm him/her down (get up and walk around the room, rock in your lap, etc.) However, if your child cries or screams for a few minutes, it is best to carry him/her out of the room until s/he is calmer.
What You Should Do:
Please join in all the activities with us! Once you learn some of the songs, please sing along. Watch the music leaders for appropriate ways to move and interact with your child. It is not appropriate to force your child to participate or to forcibly move him/her to the music. It is appropriate to model musical involvement and to use facial expressions to invite your child to participate. However, many children will just watch for the entire session - that is just fine! They learn a lot by watching. You’ll be surprised how much your child is actually absorbing. Parents often tell us that their child sings, moves, and chants in the car, at play, etc. even though s/he does not participate at all during the music sessions. While this may be frustrating to you it is perfectly normal!
Registration:
To register your child for Musician's All! call the Music Academy
at 814-238-3451 or contact the
Music Academy website.
Further Information:
If you have any questions about Musicians All! , or if you desire more specific information please feel free to contact the Founder and Coordinator.
Dr. Joanne Rutkowski
Professor, Music Education
Founder and Coordinator, Musicians All!
Coordinator, Music Education Programs
The Pennsylvania State University
School of Music
University Park, PA 16802-1901
814-863-0419
rvi@psu.edu