Music in the Montessori Classroom

Music in the Toddler Room is part of our daily routine. Music is incorporated into the morning circle time, stories, and movement.

Providing opportunities for musical exploration is essential to any early childhood program. Through music making, children are actively engaged with their senses: they listen to the complex sounds around them, move their bodies to the rhythms, and touch and feel the textures and shapes of the instruments. The unique strength of the Montessori classroom is the focus on child-centered learning. Music stimulates the senses, guided by the teacher's direction; children begin taking ownership of their music-making.

The Montessori classroom is packed with opportunities for fostering musical growth. Montessori's methodology includes songs for singing, muscular development, memory retention, and later musical notation in the Primary Classroom around the age of 5. Maria Montessori developed and outlined techniques and exercises for engaging children in various musical activities. She found that children responded to and were persuaded by music. They smiled, sang, skipped, walked, and sometimes listened silently. These experiences were often unguided, driven primarily by the children's musical exploration and discovery. Montessori believed that music was a necessary part of a complete education that supported sensorial education and child-centered learning. Most importantly, she believed all teachers could and should integrate music education into their classrooms.

Musical experiences engage children's senses and support child-centered learning. Music is present throughout the classroom environment. Musical experiences also provide children with opportunities for collaboration and communication!

Here's a list of some of our Beetle kiddos' favorite songs. Feel free to search for them on YouTube:

-       La Bamba

-       The wheels on the bus

-       Floor is lava song

-       The goldfish (let's go swimming)

-       Twinkle, twinkle, little star

-       The itsy bitsy spider

-       If you're happy and you know it

-       Mr. Sun

-       Ring around the rosy

-       ABC song

-       Hop little bunnies

-       Skidamarink a-dink a-dink

-       Baby shark

-       I am a pizza

- Grandpa's Farm

- It's a small world

-Beetle Teacher