Musical Links

American Orff-Schulwerk Association
Orff Schulwerk, introduced by composer Carl Orff and his associate Gunild Keetman is a way to teach and learn music. It is based on things children like to do: sing, chant rhymes, clap, dance, and keep a beat on anything near at hand. These instincts are directed into learning music by hearing and making music first, then reading and writing it later. This is the same way we all learned our language.

Best Children's Music Web page
Online library of children's music that is updated regularly and meets the standards for excellence developed by the web page creator. The goal is to make great children's music easily accessible to parents and teachers.

Children's Music Network
The Children's Music Network recognize children's music as a powerful means of encouraging cooperation ... celebrating diversity ... building self-esteem ... promoting respect and responsibility for our environment ... and cultivating an understanding of nonviolence and social justice.

Children's Music Web
Children's Music Web is a group of like-minded websites. Our common goal is to bring the often overlooked and underemphasized genre of children's music into the public eye. We use the Internet to connect families and kids with all this great music that might otherwise go unnoticed!

Early Childhood Music and Movement Association
The Early Childhood Music & Movement Association is an organization of professional educators dedicated to the ideal that all children should be given the advantage of music and movement instruction in their formative years--from birth to age seven. The organization is for all teachers of young children, whether they teach in formal or informal, public or private settings.

Hap Palmer Web Site
Hap Palmer is an innovator in the use of music and movement to teach skills and encourage the use of imagination. This site provides a listing of his recordings, videos, reviews and awards, a song index with lyrics, and activity ideas and how to make teaching aids.

Idea Box
Early Childhood Education and Activity Resources. Activities, Games, Music, Songs, Recipes, Crafts and More!

The Importance of Music in Early Childhood
Article from General Music Today explores the work in music education that validates the inclusion of music in early childhood education for more than enhancing spatial reasoning, for instance as one of the multiple intelligences. It also discusses the critical window of opportunity for music development in  early childhood and that this development of musical aptitude is vulnerable to positive or negative influences through both instruction and environment.

Jan Brett’s Website
Jan Brett is one of the nation’s foremost authors and illustrators of children’s books, with over 28 million books in print.  This website is loaded with activities, coloring pages, stories and so much more.  You will find lots of fun things to do with your child on this site! 

Jazz Kids
Your child can create his own improvisational Jazz piece with members of an animal band. A real "cool" site!

KIDiddles
Here, your child can browse through the Musical Mouseum, search through the Truck o' Tales, play Fun 'n Games, and share his Kididdle stories with other kids!

Kidzone - New York Philharmonic
Your kids can become a part of the New York Philharmonic by sitting in the musician's lounge, checking out the instrument storage room, going backstage to the dressing rooms and so much more!

Mathematics, Music, and Movement: Exploring Concepts and Connections
Article from the Early Childhood Education Journal: "Music, which has been a very natural part of all children's lives before school, provides the context for exploring a variety of mathematical components. Selective exposure to and experiences with music feeds children's developing mathematical concepts and skills of classification, comparison, ordering, measuring and graphing."

 MENC - National Association for Music Education
The mission of MENC: The National Association for Music Education is to advance music education by encouraging the study and making of music by all.

The Mozart Effect
Research on Music and the Developing Brain

Music Education: Early Childhood
Compilation of research help for music educators through the University of Tennessee library system. Includes information for elementary, preschool and special needs groups, as well as reference materials, internet resources, topical guides, and bibliographies.

Music Education for Young Children
Site includes suggestions for music curricula, songs and music games, teaching ideas, links to books, periodicals, and catalogs, professional organizations and information about musical development and music and brain development.

The Music, Movement, and Learning Connection by Hap Palmer
An article found in NAEYC's Young Children describes how this musician-teacher author discovers and uses children's natural desire to move and be active, and fashions an environment where children increase their vocabularies by moving and using colorful active words to describe body parts and movement, time and force, and space relationships. They sing/rhyme/repeat sounds of language to create their own stories of travels, pets, and favorite animals. An inviting, engaging classroom results.

Nellie Edge
Nellie Edge, a former kindergarten and early primary teacher, is a well-respected language arts consultant, storyteller, and musician. While teaching in a bilingual kindergarten in Albuquerque, New Mexico, she discovered the power of developing language and literacy skills through traditional Spanish and English folk songs. Teacher-friendly site promotes excellence in kindergarten literacy, supports the use of her Read and Sing Books, and encourage teachers to connect with technology. Includes
articles, Read and Sing little book masters and teaching tips.

Neurological Research
New Study Which Suggests That Music Beats Computers at Enhancing Early Childhood Development

Play Music
A website which focuses on orchestral instruments and children playing instruments. Wonderful for elementary age children who are interested in learning more about instruments, music composition and how they fit together.

Playhouse Radio
A new internet radio station for music-loving parents and their children ages 0-8. Features hundreds of original songs and lyrics from all around the world in a variety of different genres and languages from which they can build their own personalized CDs. Includes a workshop where children can learn to make musical instruments out of everyday household objects.

Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is a non-profit educational organization making a meaningful difference in the lives of children worldwide by addressing their critical developmental needs through innovation, optimism, knowledge and diversity.

Sing Along with Me
An alphabetical selection of traditional guide, scout, and campfire songs. 

Zero to Three
Music is everywhere—in the clap of hands; the coo of a baby; the sound of the wind moving through the trees and raindrops falling on a roof; and, most of all, in the treasured songs of your family. No special lessons or fancy equipment are necessary to enjoy music. It’s all there…in you and your baby…waiting to be shared.