Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Learning Environments Help! Three Year Old Music

My DS6 is gifted. His brother (three in May) has shown similar aptitudes; although more on the creative side than my oldest. The person who cares for him has discussed with me some of the "divergent" thinking processes and wants to ensure she is meeting his needs. She is not educated in teaching gifted preschoolers and has stated such, but she is educated in child development and is open to learning new strategies to help gifted kids. Given the recent battles with DS6s school environment, she's nothing short of amazing and it's such a relief to have someone who WANTS to learn and figure out the best ways to meet his needs.

When DS3 was a newborn, he would sit for at least an hour very alert while my husband played guitar to him. He has always been very in tune with music. At 2, he would point out differences and attach emotion to songs. He would say, "that's scary music," or "that's sad music." He makes up his own lyrics to songs (a trait he gathers from DH) and quickly memorizes lyrics to songs.

So...after reading an article about divergent thinking I sent to her (I'm so thankful to have someone who actually reads some of the info I send them), she has suggested playing to his musical strengths and has asked for some ideas. She's done a search but hasn't really found much. Does anyone here have suggestions on ways she can incorporate music into her curriculum? She spends a little circle time in the morning and does a lesson plan, but much of what she teaches is done through play. I'm not really looking for "get him some of those little kid instruments." I guess I'm looking for ways to incorporate music into what she's already doing. Does that make sense? Any thoughts? Thanks!

Books and recordings about the variety of orchestral instruments--e.g., "Zin, Zin, Zin, a Violin," "Peter and the Wolf" (Prokofiev), "Carnival of the Animals" (Saint-Saens). The latter two musical works have the advantage that they are written in relatively short movements or sections, and have vivid imagery or a narrative attached to them, so you could take a month and use one as the spine of a thematic study.

Experimenting with making your own instruments: you can make pretty much anything into percussion (rice/pasta/bean shakers, box/tub/can drums, etc.). Rubber-band banjos can allow you to play with the effect of tension on pitch. Blow across the top of bottles filled with various amounts of water. (Or you can tap them gently, instead.)

Thanks. Those are great ideas!

Before DD4 started with her current teacher who just happens to come from a family of professional musicians, I was exactly in the same place as your daycare provider. I knew my DD was musically inclined but I didn't really know where to start. I suggested to her that she takes some classes but until she was 3+, DD was completely against the idea. So, I got a catalog from this site:

http://www.westmusic.com

I borrowed all the books that came with CD from this list from the library:

http://www.westmusic.com/s/children%27s-literature#dept=1798&page=1

I also took her to music, dance, and art combination classes. They weren't anything fancy but a load of fun. The instructor focused on making a connection between music and emotions.

I wasn't sure if early formal music lesson was a good idea for DD. We questioned our decision a lot since we didn't want structured lessons to stifle her creativity. For my DD, it worked the exact opposite way. Knowing how to play instruments well enough to compose on them opened up a new world of possibility for her. She is truly herself in front of the piano and it seems almost therapeutic for her. The only drawback aside from the financial burden is that music makes her very emotional and it's not like she wasn't emotionally charged to begin with but I hate to think where she'd be if she didn't have music as an outlet.

So, I'd keep an open mind about learning instruments at a young age. When he is ready, he'd probably let you know.

You mentioned incorporating music into the curriculum, I was thinking of ways to use music to learn curriculum. That is a great way to learn. Songs about the states, history, alphabets, phonics, arithmetic, really help those things stick in a fun way. Some fun sources might be bands like Trout Fishing in America ("Six", "Wheels on a Big Rig"), They Might Be Giants had some good songs, and even the old Schoolhouse Rock videos.

Have them sing rounds, it's an effective way to pay attention to the music and leads to singing harmony.

Look into Music Together. It has a beautiful music curriculum for preschoolers. Even if the classes aren't accessible, you may be able to find what you are looking for in the cds.

I like the idea of tying music to emotion. He already does that, so that could really give her something to focus on. I'm not going to start any kind of formal music lessons at this age. I think we both just want to play to his strengths.

Good suggestions, too NotherBen. I think she does some of that, but I think she'd be willing to try more. She's thinking of switching her Master's Thesis to conflict resolution for gifted preschoolers, which is funny because my oldest son's pre-K teacher wrote about gifted children because she had him in class. I LOVE it when teachers stay open to possibilities and learning from these little characters!

I'll look into Music Together as well. Thanks so much for all your comments.