Montessori & Music

Posted October 1, 2017

Music plays an essential role in the Montessori classroom. Music is rich in history and culture and can provide many lessons and benefits for your child.

The Absorbent Mind

Children have absorbent minds and the younger they are when they learn things like music and language, the more easily they’re able to pick up these new skills. Providing your child with a rich environment includes exposing them to music early in their life. This will help to give them an appreciation for music and encourage their creative expression.

How is Music Incorporated into a Montessori Education?

Incorporating music into your child’s life can be done at home, as well as in the classroom. At home, you can make musical instruments available to your child by placing them in a basket or a corner of the room. If you play your own instrument, it would be beneficial to have your children learn about music by watching you play. Allowing them to join in with their own instrument can help them learn rhythm and collaboration. We also suggest singing with your child, and incorporating movement and dancing into your music time.

It’s also important to expose your children to music on a stereo, not just with musical instruments. Play them music that relates to your culture, or classical music to introduce them to calming rhythms and sounds. Encourage your child to identify the musical instruments being played.

At Montessori of Wellington, our Music Together program teaches children music and movement, while contributing to their cognitive, emotional, social and physical development.

Avoiding Background Music

It’s important that your child is able to focus on music, so make sure they have time set aside in their day, or week, to engage with music and musical instruments. Avoid having music in the background during other tasks to allow your child to concentrate on the task at hand, and remove other distractions during music time as this will help them to focus.

In addition to music, movement is also an essential part of your child’s emotional and physical development. Find out how we incorporate movement into our education at Montessori of Wellington in Guelph.

Glynis Hamilton

I am Glynis Hamilton, the owner of the Montessori School of Wellington. When I had my children I knew exactly what I wanted for them in terms of early childhood education. It was only when I visited a beautiful Montessori school in Toronto that I knew I had found what I was looking for. I became intrigued by Montessori and so, at the ripe old age of 44, I went back to school and then switched career from legal secretary to Montessori teacher. Since that time, Montessori has become a way of life for me. The past 20 years have been a joy rather than a job. I have moved from being front line in the classroom to the office doing more administrative work. But, my office door is almost always open to the classroom where I can hear the children’s laughter and welcome them in for a visit. I truly love what I do.