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Loose parts are all the rage in preschools today. Random and common items can be used by children to create something from anything- the possibilities are as open and creative as a child’s imagination.
But are there loose parts in music? But of course. This blog will explore how musical materials (parts) might be used in open-ended play settings?
Careful observation of children’s musical development has shown that it is never too early for musical learning. Musical aptitude may actually begin in the womb. According to music psychologist Donald Hodges there may be specific genetic instructions in the brain that make the mind and body predisposed to be musical. “Just as we are born with the means to be linguistic, to learn the language of our culture, so we are born with the means to be responsive to the music of our culture.” Neuroscientists even have claimed evidence that “babies are wired for music from birth.” This “wiring” forms as the fetus responds to outside voices, music, and sounds from deep within the womb. These neurological mechanisms may also have an embedded relationship with language. However, contrary to the popular “Mozart effect,” there are no indications that furthering a fetus’s hearing abilities provides extra musical or cognitive benefits after birth.
The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the idea that every child has at least, ‘‘one hundred languages’’ available for expressing perspectives of the world, and one of those languages is music. While all of the arts (visual, music, dance, drama) are considered equally important in Reggio schools, the visual arts have been particularly central in the development of the approach. I think it is important to explore how a Reggio-inspired atelier (art studio) can be expanded to include music. Commonalities between visual art and music are discussed, as well as the use of music learning techniques, materials, and documentation for the music atelier.
This blog is a first person account of my experiences of working in authentic Reggio Emilia, Italy ateliers with the atelieristas who originally created them during the 2013 international study group, Atelier, Creativity, and Citizenship: The Culture of the Atelier between Thinking and Acting sponsored by the Reggio Children organization. Under the watchful and encouraging eyes of the atelieristas I was able to acquire a more in-depth understanding of the Reggio approach to working intensively with art in the studio. My observations of these ateliers have influenced my understanding of the Reggio approach, and in particular, has inspired my ideas for music studio provocations with children.
Milan is the New York City of Italy. Italy’s main stock exchange, the Borsa Italiano, and largest national banks are located in the heart of the city. Milan is the design and fashion capital of Europe, and is an international center for culture and commerce. In the hub of this sprawling and vibrant city is the Unicredit Tower building. At a height of 231 meters, it is the tallest building in Italy and the audition site for Italy’s popular TV talent show, the X Factor.
Waldorf, Montessori, and Reggio Emilia are well known as popular preschool approaches, but what is not well known, is that each of these approaches has a defined music pedagogy.