Musikgarten Blog: What Makes a Good Early Childhood Music Program?
The very title of this topic may seem provocative, as many childhood music educators and researchers have varying opinions on what makes a truly great children’s music instruction. There are various established and differing music teaching methods such as The Suzuki Method and The Orff Approach, or The Kodaly and Dalcroze methods. While some of these methods are more focused on the learning of an instrument, they all tend to share a core set of teaching principles. This is not a competitive comparison of any program versus another, but an analysis of the shared beliefs upon which most all music teachers and educators agree.
Core Principles of Children’s Music Education
Here are several basic, yet important tenants to teaching early childhood music education that can be found in nearly all successful children’s music programs: