What Are We Going to Plant in the Musical Garden of the Early Years?

Abstract

Informal observations have suggested to the authors that very young children respond to and are challenged by exposure to complex music in an educational setting where the teacher serves as an intermediary between the child and the musical stimulation. 
In order to gain some insights as to how toddlers process complex music mediated by the teacher’s activity, we analyzed the actions of several children and then describe in detail the responses of two toddlers who participate in a music program developed and taught by one of the authors, Dr. Michal Hefer. The complex music elicited concentration and rich movement reaction to the music. The movements of the toddlers suggest an unexpected level of sensitivity to underlying structure and subtle rhythmic changes, as well as a sense of preparation and arrival to climax.