Building Musical Bridges: Early Childhood Learning and Musical Play

Abstract

In their early years, children’s understanding of the world is often developed through a combination of social and construction play experiences, where children learn not only from assembling objects and taking them apart, but also from creating and recreating through interactions with peers and adults within their home and school environments. Musical experiences for children can be designed with a similar play perspective, where an emphasis on “how music works” encourages children to apply thinking and reasoning skills about musical sounds and musical patterns they sing, hear, and play on instruments. Identifying solutions to simple “musical problems” can occur individually, in small groups, and in large-group settings, as children play with each other and with familiar (teachers) and unfamiliar (guest artists) adults in their classrooms.