Music Works

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Sesame Street Stomp your feet, clap your hands, sing, hum, dance, and make all kinds of music with your favorite Sesame Street friends as we help children to explore, create, and grow with music.

Music is a universal and natural language for children of all ages and all abilities. It provides a wonderful way for families and caregivers to interact, communicate and connect with children right from birth.

Sesame Street Music Works workshop is designed to provide parents, early childhood professionals, music educators, and music therapists with tools and activities to bring music to life for young children, as they discover new ways to make, learn from, and appreciate music.  Music Works encourages parents and educators to involve children in the wonders of music everyday by making music a natural part of everyday life.

Musical Connections: Preschool Development and Music

Every child can learn and grow through music, each in his or her own way. Here are some guidelines and suggestions that can help develop your preschoolers’ language and emergent literacy, cognitive, creative, motor, and social skills.

Music Experiences That Promote Learning

• Singing favorite songs often to develop language and emergent literacy skills and strengthen memory.
• Making up songs, repeating rhymes and finger plays, and singing with puppets and toy animals to explore books and develop language skills.
• Listening to, comparing, and responding to various kinds of music to develop thinking skills
• Repeating patterns and counting beats when clapping, playing, or listening to instruments to develop math and literacy skills
• Using music and movement to represent people, things, and feelings to develop self-expression and motor skills.
• Dancing, clapping, and moving creatively to music to develop motor skills, body awareness, and spatial concepts
• Engaging in group musical activities such as group songs, games, or dances to encourage social and motor skills
• Listening to and exploring diverse kinds of music and instruments from different cultures to develop social awareness.

Other elements of this fun hands-on workshop include hands-on learning activities, how music helps prepare children for school, Web Site resources, additional Outreach Resources, and Read-View-Do activities that include making simple instruments with children.  Tips for parents are also available.
   
PBS Ready To Learn is supported by a cooperative agreement from the U. S. Department of Education, PR/Award Number R295A00002.