Supporting the Development of Children’s Approaches to Learning with Music and Movement Activities

Presented by Ellen Acuna and Alex Farkas, Music Together In-School Services Mentors
Sponsored by Music Together

WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING

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As an educator, you know that young children learn in different ways; they have different learning styles, classroom habits, and attitudes toward learning. These learning behaviors fall under the developmental domain “Approaches to Learning,” which encompasses not what children learn, but how they learn – how they engage in learning and classroom activities to acquire new information. Having a positive “approach” toward learning lays the groundwork for development in other domains essential to school and life success.

In this webinar, Ellen Acuna and Alex Farkas, Music Together In-School Services Mentors, explored the many ways music-making very naturally and deeply supports a child’s positive approach toward learning. They also explored how music can serve as a lens through which you can learn about a child’s learning style and disposition toward learning, which can be particularly useful in the beginning of the school year. This webinar will benefit educators working with toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners.

 Ellen Acuna has eighteen years of experience as an early childhood music and movement specialist working with children birth through age five and their parents and caregivers. She has a B.A. from West Chester State College (now West Chester University), where she studied Speech Communications. In addition to being a Music Together In-School teaching mentor for other music and movement specialists, she presents professional development workshops for music specialists and classroom teachers, and has presented at national conferences.

 Alexandra Farkas, M.A.T., has many years of experience as an early childhood music and movement specialist, and holds a New Jersey State Teacher certification for K-12 Music. Alex has served as the general music teacher at a K-8 school and as a private voice teacher. She is currently a Music Together In School teaching mentor, as well as a teacher of Music Together in both school settings and family classes. Alex received her Bachelor of Music in Music Education and her Master of Arts in Teaching from Westminster Choir College of Rider University. She is also an active performer and musician, and has performed at Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall.

WATCH THE WEBINAR RECORDING
 

 At Music Together, we understand the importance of music in early childhood—from birth, in fact. Because the truth is, most people are born with enough music aptitude to play in a symphony orchestra when they are adults, if they choose. But first we must learn how to “speak music”—to take the musical instrument we all have, ourselves, developing that musical capacity from a very young age. The sounds we make, our movements, our rhythms—these are the building blocks of music and of early childhood learning. And that’s what Music Together is all about.