Making Connections between Movement and Music for Young Children

Alicia K Mueller

Alicia K. Mueller is associate professor of music education at Towson University in Towson, Maryland. E-Mail: aamueller[commat]towson.edu.

Children love to move and dance from a very young age! During these early years they have no inhibitions and their creative juices seem to flow endlessly. All it takes is hearing almost any style of music, and they immediately begin to move and dance. If the child is still an infant, he might bob his head up and down, clap, or maybe even move his entire body rhythmically, indicating the aural sensation felt from the music. If the child is a toddler, age two or three, she might move her entire body immediately to the gradations of the music, stepping, hopping, jumping, and running back and forth, with her arms moving energetically to the music, possibly even singing along with the music. The preschool-age child might respond to music by demonstrating more defined and structured, yet still imaginative and improvised movements to the music--movements that might display a more sequential, yet dramatic presentation of ideas. Infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, with the exuberance of joy shining on their smiling faces, have the innate ability and the need to move to music. As the young child gets older, the movement gestures and responses will be more controlled, yet still very carefree. Basic psychomotor skills become more refined, but the developing child will still carry with him the creative and exciting aura that can only be observed in young children.

Teachers, caregivers, and parents are all responsible for nurturing these young children, providing them with stimulating environments filled with receptive, perceptive, and conceptual learning opportunities. Young children learn by doing, and this active participation inherently involves movement. Combined with music, movement can serve as a valuable means through which children can develop physically, cognitively, and emotionally.

The Role of Music in Brain Development

The role music plays in the education of young children is the focus of much discussion in education today. A child who grows up surrounded by music is influenced by this environment. Recent studies show that even very young children can learn music, especially if they are involved in active physical participation. The implications of the music and brain research, conducted by such...