Overview

Preschool Programs Overview

Several of Musicopia’s ensembles specialize in assembly and residency programs geared to preschoolers and other young children.  All programs for very young children involve lots of engaging interaction with both musicians and with the music.  Songs and rhythms are repeated so that children can grasp and master them.  The musicians use visual materials and concrete objects to help children relate to the music.  Student activities emphasize movement and drumming.

Over the past few years, in partnership with Elwyn, Inc., The Academy of Community Music and KenCrest Services, our ensembles have honed their skills to meet the developmental needs of both typically developing preschoolers and those with delays and disabilities.   From these experiences, several ensembles - Doc Gibbs Ensemble, Marlon Simon Latin Jazz Ensemble and the Barnett String Quartet - have expanded their assembly programs into residencies where children have more hand-on intensive experience.  Click on Latin Jazz for Little Ones, African Dance and Drumming for Little Ones and Strings Around the World for Little Ones to learn more about these extended music education experiences.  Writing about these programs, Bryn Mawr graduate student in Social Work, Mandy Fullmer, made the following observations:

“The things this program is trying to achieve are remarkable and it really took my breath away to see the children experiencing music in such a way.  I expect that I will be able to open my mind to different aspects of the experience the next time that I visit a workshop, but this was truly an amazing experience.  The one thing that I was quite surprised about was the ability of the children to recall things they had been taught at previous workshops...  For example, they were able to recite where two of the dances/songs they are learning originated, knew how many sounds a conga drum is able to make and what they are called, and where the conga drum is from.  This was very impressive.  I’m very proud to be involved.” - December 2005.

All preschool programs support language development, both fine and gross motor skills and social development.  In addition, these programs bring age appropriate awareness of cultural diversity to children in the youngest years.  All three residencies can also be presented as single assembly programs that serve the purposes of introducing students to these different musical traditions.