I. The purpose and developmental goals of music enrichment classes with the preschool age child are:
A. To encourage and nourish an enjoyment of many styles and types of musical activities in the young child by his active participation in them.
B. To lay the foundation for the child's growth in musicianship.
II. This will be accomplished through the following (and additional) activities:
A. Musical fingerplays to develop small muscle/fine motor coordination. The child will experience humor, fantasy, problem solving, vocal expression through rhythmic language.
B. Active musical games will help to develop confidence, body control. Fosters listening skills, and following directions. The child will experience social give and take.
C. Chants help with learning to coordinate words and movements. They help to develop coordination with other children, and to experience rhythmic development.
D. Use of rhythmic instruments with music helps to develop a sense of rhythm and beat, a feeling for different timbres, and effects of various instruments, and a sensitivity to dynamics. The child will enjoy participating in an ensemble and will learn to follow verbal/nonverbal directions.
E. Presentation of classical music also helps children to move to the rhythmic pulse, to enjoy various instrumental timbres, to fantasize with descriptive music, and to enjoy the beauty of classical music.
F. Movement to all types of music also facilitates the above skills.
G. Singing simple songs allows children to enjoy the word concepts of songs, to appreciate rhyming lyrics, and to develop pitch differentiation and ability to match pitch with voice. The child will enjoy singing with a group, will increase memorization skills and sequential understanding. The child will experience growth of listening skills and ability to follow directions.
H. Singing songs with Christian concepts help the child to learn to express themselves and to enjoy participation in a group activity which proclaims Christian values.
