The Music Garden

My little girl Giselle attended Musikgarten class at You & Me Kindergarten since last year somewhere in October 2012. She love the class very much and really enjoying the 30 minutes session with Teacher Grace, who is also the school principle. I think she is a great teacher who has passionate in music as well in children right brain development.If you are looking for a good nursery or kinder garden, please do not hesitate to visit her centre in Penang Island somewhere near Kwong Hwa Primary School. 

Here are the some information I got from the below website.Hope you will understand more how inportant the early music class for your little one.

Why Music and Movement are Vital for Children:

Peanut butter and jelly, socks and shoes, bats and balls, hide and seek, music and children - are all elements of childhood. Children are naturally interested in music, and music is naturally good for children. Why is music so attractive to children and why is music so well suited to children?

	Music is a language, and children are oriented toward learning language.
	Music evokes movement, and children delight in and require movement for their development and growth.
	Music engages the brain while stimulating neural pathways associated with such higher forms of intelligence as abstract thinking, empathy, and mathematics.
	Music's melodic and rhythmic patterns provide exercise for the brain and help develop memory. Who among us learned the ABC's without the ABC song?
	Music is an aural art and young children are aural learners. Since ears are fully mature before birth, infants begin learning from the sounds of their environment before birth.
	Music is perfectly designed for training children's listening skills. Good listening skills and school achievement go hand in hand.
	Developmentally appropriate music activities involve the whole child-the child's desire for language, the body's urge to move, the brain's attention to patterns, the ear's lead in initiating communication, the voice's response to sounds, as well as the eye-hand coordination associated with playing musical instruments.
	Music is a creative experience which involves expression of feelings. Children often do not have the words to express themselves and need positive ways to release their emotions.
	Music transmits culture and is an avenue by which beloved songs, rhymes, and dances can be passed down from one generation to another.
	Music is a social activity which involves family and community participation. Children love to sing and dance at home, school, and at church.

Should Parents attend and participate in the classes?

Parents are an integral part of class in the younger years. As students get older they participate by themselves, but parents take part in the classes towards the end of each lesson. For all classes, parents are asked to include active music making in their child’s life. Sing along with the CD. Play echo games, making up patterns, as we do in class. Put the picture cards or notation games on your refrigerator and play identification games with them as you get ready for dinner. More structured practice is required when the children get to Music Makers: At the Keyboard.

Why do the students get Home Materials? Are we supposed to practice at home?

Children and parents can have so much fun at home and in the car with Musikgarten songs and dances. In class you learn the songs, but at home is where you really have fun with the songs and dances. It's a great family bonding time. Try it and you won't have to ask this question ever again! 

Does Musikgarten today better prepare students for piano lessons?

Yes. Musikgarten classes develop students aural senses more than other pre-piano methods. The Music Makers: At the Keyboard classes are taught in a group session, so that children learn from each other and grow in their comfort of playing with and in front of one another.

Sources from :-

http://www.themusicgarden.org