1. Assistant Children’s Librarian Mt. Zion District Library
Music and Movement
Ashley Batchelder
Assistant Children’s Librarian
Mt. Zion District Library
Mt. Zion, IL

2. Mt. Zion is a village with a population of nearly 6,000 people
Our district serves 12,682 people
Our community is home to many young families
We are a suburb of Decatur, IL so there are several small libraries in the area all a part of the Illinois Heartland Library System
Patrons do not have to be from our district in order to come to our programs
In our area there is only one other free program for infants and caregivers and it is still a 30 minute drive from our Library
Demographics

3. A little bit of background…
The Library offers 3 story time sessions
Sleepytime Tales – Hour long family storytime in the evening. Perfect for parents who work and have children of varying ages.
Toddlertime – Half hour long storytime for toddlers ages 18 months-3 years old.
Storytime – Hour long traditional story time for preschool children ages 3-5.
January 2016 – Started at the Library and noticed there were no programs specifically geared to infants under 18 months old
It was an area that was lacking not only in the Library but also in the community
A little bit of background…

4. Graduated from Millikin University in 2013 with a BA in Music
Music and Movement at Millikin
During my time in the Music Department we had to shadow a Music and Movement class and this is from where the idea stemmed
Wanted to create a program involving music for infants to fill the need for the community
My Background

6. Meets Monday mornings from 9:30-10:00 am in 8 week sessions
Caregivers and infants sit in a circle around the story quilt and grab rhythm scarves
We start every class with the same “Hello Song” which uses sign language
We sing songs for the first 10 minutes – usually songs with rhythm scarves and other movements
The next 10 minutes is called “Instrument Time” where infants have the opportunity to experiment and play with instruments such as drums, egg shakers, xylophones, and tambourines
The last 10 minutes we come back as a group and sing more songs – during this time we sing our shaker song as well as use sign language
At the end, we sing our “Goodbye Song” which is the same as our “Hello Song”
Program Format

8. Benefits of Music and Movement for Infants
USC Study – Children’s brains develop faster with music training
Infants recognize melodies before they understand the words of songs
They will try to mimic sounds and move to the music
Utilizes multi-sensory learning
Helps infants develop large and small motor skills
Teaches them to express emotions
Helps improve their balance and coordination
Promotes group learning and social skills such as sharing
Using repetition (singing most of the same songs every week) helps to build vocabulary and memorization as they get older
Benefits of Music and Movement for Infants

9. Types of Movement Used in this Program
Bouncing
Lifting the baby in the air (a great arm workout for caregivers!)
“Open Shut Them”
Song involves spreading hands wide and then closing them followed by lines such as “lift them to the sky and touch them to your nose”
Helping identify body parts
Rocking
“The Animal Song”
Song goes through the way different animals walk i.e. bunnies, elephants, penguins, kangaroos
“Hands Are Clapping”
“Hands are clapping, toes are tapping, fingers are wiggling, eyes are hiding”
Types of Movement Used in this Program

10. Resources Jbrary – Youtube Channel
What’ll I Do with the Baby-O by Jane Cobb
Use children’s songs and rhymes you know already! Tweak them or add to them if needed.
You don’t have a music background? That’s okay! Most of the songs used are children’s songs that are easy to sing.
If you’re not comfortable singing and no one on staff is either…
Use a recording; it’s okay!
Reach out to a local school or university to see if you can collaborate on a program
Resources

11. Instruments Remo Kid’s Drums Maracas Egg Shakers Xylophone/chimes
Floor Tom Drum, Gathering Drum, Konga Drum
Maracas
Egg Shakers
Xylophone/chimes
Tambourines
Rhythm Scarves for songs
If you or another staff member can play, ukulele is great to accompany some songs
Instruments

12. Other Programs to get patrons active
Annual Garden Party
Garden Club of Decatur
First program to kick off Summer Reading Program
Several Stations
Planting
Seed Bombs
Recyclable pots to take home and plant
Bird Feeders
Other Programs to get patrons active