Edgewood College Music Department

Philosophy
The program provides real life opportunities for general music education majors and early childhood education majors to observe and put in practice early childhood music education ideas, methods, and techniques. The program is based on the idea that all children have musical potential. The program provides newborn babies through three-year old children with music activities that nurture their musical development through singing, listening, and movement.

The program focuses on the development of rhythmic and tonal acculturation, comprehension, participation, and possibly even creation. The program uses a combination of research-based early childhood music methods, using songs and games from both American and multicultural folk traditions.

Director
Dr. Beatriz Aguilar has a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. She received a MME and a Ph.D. in music education from the University of North Texas. Dr. Aguilar teaches general music education methods and piano classes, and she has experience teaching early childhood music as well as training early childhood educators for the incorporation of music in the classroom.

Parent/Caregiver Participation
Parents/caregivers must participate in every activity in a comfortable manner, providing a role model for children, in an environment free of criticism. They do not need to be musicians. Just by participating, parents/caregivers are modeling the value and importance of music. While participating, parents/caregivers and children will be learning activities that can be practiced at home throughout the week.

Schedule and Location
The Early Childhood Program is taking place off-campus for the 2007-08 school year but will return to Edgewood College in the summer of 2008.

If you would like information about the current session, please contact Dr. Aguilar. Registration for the summer 2008 session will be open in the spring of 2008.

For information on the content of this page, please contact Julie Dunbar at jdunbar@edgewood.edu.