World Music & Rhythm Talk: Complete Preschool Music Curriculum

Through songs, games and dances, kids learn about:

• Other countries of the world
• Beat and rhythm
• Different languages
• Classical composers
• Instruments of the orchestra
• Musical notation

It empowers you – even if you’re not a musician – to teach music to young children like a pro!

• A complete curriculum guide (130 pages) with lesson plans covering the entire school year. You’ll always know what to do.
• FIVE music CDs professionally recorded in studio especially for this curriculum, featuring many different voices and musicians. A huge value – full of songs children love, all part of the curriculum. Downloadable version has MP3s of ALL the songs.
• Video tutorials for you, the teacher, on DVD or YouTube – see the program in action with a real preschool class.
• A song book with the words to all the songs.
• FOUR MORE CDs (or MP3s) of the most magical and celebrated classical music recordings for children ever produced – all integrated into the curriculum. These are:
  • Peter and the Wolf
  • Carnival of the Animals
  • Mozart’s Magic Fantasy
  • Beethoven Lives Upstairs
• Selections of active listening and role play activities from Dance, Sing and Listen Again and Again! by Bruce Haack and Esther Nelson.
• The Orchestra: CD/MP3, book and flash cards 
• Picture cards of everyone’s favorite foods – used in some of the activities (with Braille labels if requested)
• A cuddly stuffed animal containing a recording device. We will still mail it to you (for free if you’re in the U.S. or Canada) if you purchase the downloadable version.
• If you play an instrument (piano, guitar, uke etc.) Sheet music is included for the songs in the curriculum! Piano and chords so you can play the songs for the kids! Click here for a free sample (PDF): The Grand Old Duke of York.
  NOTE: IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT TO USE THE CURRICULUM! THE SHEET MUSIC IS PROVIDED AS A BONUS FOR THOSE WHO CAN AND WANT TO DO SO.

Each lesson has specific learning objectives as outlined in the Curriculum Guide. The overall program objectives include:

• To enhance the child’s appreciation of music through musical games and recorded works which concentrate on movement, imagination and active listening. Rudimentary singing skills will also develop as the children take part in these activities.
• To enable the child to distinguish between beat and rhythm with the use of percussion instruments.
• To identify a selection of orchestral instruments by sound through the use of musical story recordings.
• To give the children the opportunity to learn songs, games and dances from around the world with the use of CDs or MP3s and recordable stuffed animal.
• To introduce the children to notation by using popsicle sticks for building rhythms.  These are the rhythms they will have played on their instruments during previous weeks.

Age appropriate for pre-kindergarten to Grade 1

While children aged 3-4 can do the activities, older children can learn to sing the whole song and perform the dances exactly as directed. Thus, as the children grow older, the material is used in a more complete manner. The material is varied and challenging enough to use a second time around with the same kids. Just watch them grow musically!

The program covers the entire school year in three 12-week sessions.

• Session 1 (e.g. September to December) introduces beat and rhythm through the use of percussion instruments and many fun songs and games.
• Session 2 (January to March) builds on basic rhythms using songs, dances and stories from many cultures. The CD Singing ‘Round the World guides children and teachers through pronunciation, and the recordable stuffed animal helps children learn words and lyrics from countries such as France, Spain, Germany, Poland, India and many more.
• Session 3 (April to June) introduces music notation and basic keyboard skills, and deepens the children’s cultural music experience through music from Cats, The Carnival of the Animals and other great classics.