I share this quick email I sent to a colleague who asked about the "importance of jazz as a component of early music education"
Hi,
Glad to meet you.
Glad to meet you.
I'll do a short spiel here to try to answer your question. It's really not rocket science. It doesn't need to be science at all when it comes to how children learn. [I have a very science-based understanding of how children learn though. When I boil it down, it becomes common sense, and most of the common sense I've come to is that we don't know how best to teach children. Still, some major tenets get revealed in good research and my observational work of over 20 years with children ages birth to 8+.]
My quip: "Children know better how to learn than we'll ever know how to teach them. Ever."
Here's my try:
Simply put, if as a child—especially birth (or prior) to 3 years old—you were not acculturated in, or at least exposed to, a style of music, you will not develop a "listening vocabulary" for that style and henceforth will be less able or unable to do so later in life. The more enriched an early childhood music environment is, the more potential there will be for obtaining (listening and performing) with appropriate musical vocabularies later in life. Without listening to your mother speak in utero, or hearing her and others speak your native tongue, you will be hampered in developing language skills. That is to say, if you don't hear that language, it would be near impossible to speak that language, read or write, create or improvise in that language. You would not be able to even think in that language. It'd be like me listening to Mandarin. I hear the sounds just fine. Don't understand anything.
Same for music. If you're not exposed, then you won't develop a listening vocabulary from which you can develop a performing (including movement) vocabulary.
I think that's as simple as I can make it.
Jazz, generally being the most complex on a number of levels, is a critical component of what I expose the children in my early childhood classes. The parents need it too, though!
I play Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bichet, Roy Eldridge, Dave Brubeck (Blue Rondo and Take 5), Paul Desmond (Take 10), Mills Brothers (Tiger Rag), Nina Simone (Here Comes the Sun), Lionel Hampton (Rag Mop), Fletcher Henderson, Django Reinhardt, regularly and repeatedly for children birth to age 8, but that's only because I don't teach older children.
I, of course, play classical, gospel, blues, big band, some kids music, Harry Bellafonte, but not much rock, and one gospel song that has a rap section (Take 6 - "Harmony" off of Join the Band). I'm still looking for more repertoire from all genres that is appropriate for young ears.
Criteria for such:
Length - 2 to 3:45 minutes long (I don't like to fade out. I want children to experience the WHOLE many times.)
Groove - a must
Timbral changes at least 5-6 times if not 20 during the cut.
Strong dynamic changes, if not enough of the former. Gabrieli works here.
My quip: "Children know better how to learn than we'll ever know how to teach them. Ever."
Here's my try:
Simply put, if as a child—especially birth (or prior) to 3 years old—you were not acculturated in, or at least exposed to, a style of music, you will not develop a "listening vocabulary" for that style and henceforth will be less able or unable to do so later in life. The more enriched an early childhood music environment is, the more potential there will be for obtaining (listening and performing) with appropriate musical vocabularies later in life. Without listening to your mother speak in utero, or hearing her and others speak your native tongue, you will be hampered in developing language skills. That is to say, if you don't hear that language, it would be near impossible to speak that language, read or write, create or improvise in that language. You would not be able to even think in that language. It'd be like me listening to Mandarin. I hear the sounds just fine. Don't understand anything.
Same for music. If you're not exposed, then you won't develop a listening vocabulary from which you can develop a performing (including movement) vocabulary.
I think that's as simple as I can make it.
Jazz, generally being the most complex on a number of levels, is a critical component of what I expose the children in my early childhood classes. The parents need it too, though!
I play Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bichet, Roy Eldridge, Dave Brubeck (Blue Rondo and Take 5), Paul Desmond (Take 10), Mills Brothers (Tiger Rag), Nina Simone (Here Comes the Sun), Lionel Hampton (Rag Mop), Fletcher Henderson, Django Reinhardt, regularly and repeatedly for children birth to age 8, but that's only because I don't teach older children.
I, of course, play classical, gospel, blues, big band, some kids music, Harry Bellafonte, but not much rock, and one gospel song that has a rap section (Take 6 - "Harmony" off of Join the Band). I'm still looking for more repertoire from all genres that is appropriate for young ears.
Criteria for such:
Length - 2 to 3:45 minutes long (I don't like to fade out. I want children to experience the WHOLE many times.)
Groove - a must
Timbral changes at least 5-6 times if not 20 during the cut.
Strong dynamic changes, if not enough of the former. Gabrieli works here.
[Please contribute your favorite repetoire for children below. Thanks!]
Feel free to ask questions. Or shoot me an email back. [email protected].
Feel free to ask questions. Or shoot me an email back. [email protected].
Also, we've recently launched a campaign for a revolutionary music learning app. Check it out at http://igg.me/at/teachmusictokids
Thank you!
Best,
Eric
Comments