The importance of music in the early childhood years Carolyn Harrod

Overview The Australian Curriculum – Phase 2 Connections with the rest of the curriculum The need for advocacy The contribution of music education Practical suggestions

The Australian Curriculum Phase 1 – English, Mathematics, Science & History (phased implementation by 2013) Phase 2 – The Arts, Geography, Languages

The Australian Curriculum cont. Development process & timeline Curriculum Shaping – established Reference Group; literature review; initial position paper – completed April 2010 Consultation – National Forum; draft Shape Paper; national consultation – completed January 2011 Expressions of interest & appointment of writing team and advisory panel (expertise in an arts area + an area of schooling)

The Australian Curriculum cont. Development process & timeline Curriculum development – final Shape of the Australian Curriculum: The Arts published (June ’11); Broad outline with scope and sequence (September ’11); Content descriptions (and elaborations) and achievement standards – completed by December 2011 Consultation – during 2012 Publication – Digital publication date TBA

The Australian Curriculum cont. The Arts Reference Group for the Shaping Paper for the Arts (Years F-12) convened in September 2009 includes academics and curriculum, classroom and Arts industry experts in the disciplines of dance, drama, music, media and visual arts Professor John O’Toole is the lead writer with four arts discipline contributors – Professor Margaret Barrett, Dr Michael Dezuanni, Professor Elizabeth Grierson and Mr Jeffrey Meiners.

The Australian Curriculum cont. Key points in the draft Shaping Paper for the Arts (Years F-12) The Arts make distinct and unique contributions to each young person’s ability to perceive, imagine, create, think, feel, symbolise, communicate, understand and become confident and creative individuals. Students will experience & study dance, drama, media arts, music and visual arts

The Australian Curriculum cont. Art making involves three processes to be used as the organising strands: –Generating: using the elements of the art form to imagine and design artwork from an expressive or imaginative impulse, an idea, intention or stimulus –Realizing: communicating artwork for audiences to experience (performing) –Responding; apprehend the artistic experience itself & comprehend the artwork critically Together these processes comprise aesthetic knowledge. The three strands or processes may occur simultaneously.

The Australian Curriculum cont. The Arts in F-8 Will be presented in bands (F-2, 3-4, 5-6,& 7-8) Assumes 160 hours per band for the total of the 5 art forms Provides content descriptions and achievement standards Does not prescribe the school organisation of the arts learning program All art forms will be taught in F-8, with ability to focus on one or more art form in greater depth In F-2, the Arts are taught through a purposeful play-centred approach, mainly integrated across the curriculum

The Australian Curriculum cont. Music in F-2Children: engage imaginatively in music-making draw on the resources of voice, body, musical instruments and sound sources create, experiment, explore, trial & organise musical ideas and material (pitch, duration, dynamics, tone-colour & timbre) understand that music can be recorded in symbol & use invented and simple conventional notation develop a repertoire of chants, songs, rhythms, rhymes & melodies

The Australian Curriculum cont. Music in F-2Children: engage confidently in singing & playing develop aural skills use music-specific language engage as audience members in music experiences respond to music and communicate personal and shared meanings using language, movement, music and visual presentations. Music learning is continuous as children revisit skills, knowledge and understandings.

Connections with the rest of the curriculum The Australian Curriculum has three cross- curriculum priorities Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

Connections with the rest of the curriculum continued The Australian Curriculum has seven general capabilities Literacy Numeracy Information and communication technology Critical and creative thinking Personal and social competence Ethical behaviour Intercultural understanding

The Australian Curriculum cont. Keep up-to-date with developments by visiting the ACARA website:

The need for advocacy Music learning needs to be: –Continuous throughout the year –Part of young children’s daily experiences Advocate for these organisational needs with school administrators Promote the importance of music learning to parents Provide practical help to early childhood teachers

The contribution of music education Supporting young children’s learning Children are hard- wired for musical experience (Trehub, 1997) from birth to 6yrs is critical for the development of audiation, vocal development, rhythm & movement (Levinowitz, 1998)

The contribution of music education Supporting young children’s learning – active engagement opportunities to learn independently and with others negotiation and opportunities to make choices sense of shared ownership interactions that provide feedback flexibility opportunities to use all senses sense of connectedness respect for all learners learning invites attention, exploration, manipulation, elaboration & imagination.

The contribution of music education Learning & development promoted by music education Facilitates learning of literacy skills (Adcock et al, 2008) Increases children’s vocabulary (Moyeda et al, 2006) Increases auditory language (Gan & Chong, 1998) Promotes spatial-temporal reasoning (Schellenberg, 2004) Assists learning mathematical concepts e.g. counting, direction, attributes, patterning, comparison (Humphrey, 1987)

The contribution of music education Learning & development promoted by music education Develops motor skills and focuses listening skills (de Vries, 2004) Increases socialisation amongst children (Henniger, 1999) Provides for release of energy (de Vries, 2004) Enhances emotional development and confidence through self-expression (de Vries, 2004)

The contribution of music education Learning & development promoted by music education Can lift the moods of children (Jenkins, 1994) Develops concentration and focus (de Vries, 2004) Can be the first point of real contact for children with special needs (Cass-Beggs, 1990 & Samuels, 2005)

The contribution of music education Quality musical experiences for young children Provide opportunities for children to improvise with known songs, create and experiment with music using voice & instruments (Miranda, 2004) Create a class/centre song-book and have it accessible for children (de Vries, 2004) In groups, accompany songs with musical instruments, taking turns to play verses or phrases; Sing songs, chants & rhymes with actions as part of routines and transitions (Melville-Clark, 2005)

The contribution of music education Quality musical experiences for young children Involve children in music and movement experiences, experimenting with movement, manipulating props, creating their own movement play to music; Make props (e.g. ribbons, scarves), musical instruments and recorded music accessible to children for their self- initiated play (Melville-Clark, 2005 Encourage, respond to and talk about children’s spontaneous musical play (Fox, 2000)

The contribution of music education Quality musical experiences for young children Regularly listen to a variety of music and discuss personal responses (de Vries, 2003) Provide diverse experiences, often linked to dance & story-telling (Niland, 2007)