Music, Movement and Yoga
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Music Curriculum
This unique program teaches the fundamentals of music through vocal, instrumental, movement, and listening skills. The curriculum consists of signing, instrument playing, musical concepts, music listening, creative movement, music history, and multi-cultural music experiences. |
Music skills taught
singing, vocal development Expansion of vocal range Developing good musical memory through songs Encouraging solo singing Instrument playing Playing/exploring percussion, simple barred instruments Musical concepts Learning to identify instruments Music listening Hearing music from around the world Identifying characteristics of music in other cultures Exploring unique folk instruments from different countries |
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Movement
Our Movement program is a fun and effective balanced exercise plan designed especially for children. It develops and refines individual agility, balance and coordination skills as well as focusing on gross motor skills and spatial awareness. Throughout the class, all the children are moving and are involved equally. A variety of equipment is used throughout the sessions including hoops, beanbags, juggling scarves, and rhythm sticks, which allows each child to practice concentration, balance, and listening skills. Overall the class aims to encourage all children to enjoy and replicate fun non-competitive games and help them discover a more active and healthy lifestyle. |
Movement skills taught
Balance Coordination Gross motor skills Expressive, creative movement to music Exploring new ways of moving and dancing to music Creating flowing movements with scarves and ribbons Exploring patterned movements with partners or a group |
Dr. Montessori argued that healthy children are naturally drawn to a sense of the spiritual: reflectiveness, good will, a love of work, and so on. This is the root of the "normalized child" -the positive model of health and intelligence that all Montessori teachers are called to facilitate.
Practicing Yoga
Yoga
Introducing yoga to the Montessori classroom is one way we promote the normalized child.
Yoga is part of our normal work day and fully integrated into the environment.
Small children are naturally oriented toward process rather than performance. It's possible to train small children for performance. But it forces them into directions that are usually difficult and often counterproductive. As Piaget pointed out, small children are naturally egocentric; they have difficulty imagining the points of view of others.
One of the key insights in Montessori is to stimulate human development to provide children with opportunities for positive encounters with satisfying, engaging work. The type of work which attracts children through "points of interest" rooted in critical developmental issues. These are issues (such as the seven Piagetian conservation problems) that the child can't quite understand but that intrigue, puzzle and draw the child in.
Introducing yoga to the Montessori classroom is one way we promote the normalized child.
Yoga is part of our normal work day and fully integrated into the environment.
Small children are naturally oriented toward process rather than performance. It's possible to train small children for performance. But it forces them into directions that are usually difficult and often counterproductive. As Piaget pointed out, small children are naturally egocentric; they have difficulty imagining the points of view of others.
One of the key insights in Montessori is to stimulate human development to provide children with opportunities for positive encounters with satisfying, engaging work. The type of work which attracts children through "points of interest" rooted in critical developmental issues. These are issues (such as the seven Piagetian conservation problems) that the child can't quite understand but that intrigue, puzzle and draw the child in.
