A Child-Directed Music Curriculum in the Montessori Classroom

Abstract

<jats:p>Maria Montessori strongly advocated for music learning to be fully integrated into the classroom; however, many Montessori classrooms are dominated by materials aimed at developing children’s visual sense. The purpose of this critical participatory action research (CPAR) study was to address this perceived learning disparity by developing and implementing a curriculum that is consistent with the Montessori approach, child directed, and focused on sound examination and music learning. We designed six shelf works and offered them, over the course of 6 CPAR cycles, to 20 3- to 6-year-old children attending a Montessori school. Findings from qualitative and quantitative data indicate that the children received the works positively, chose to engage with them, became more confident in their musical tasks over time, showed signs of deep concentration and attention, and demonstrated consistent performance across similar tasks related to perception and cognition. We conclude that the presence of these 6 curricular works began to disrupt the perceived learning disparity we identified; however, more can be done to understand and change the classroom practices that support that disparity.</jats:p>

Stimulating the Development of Rhythmic Abilities in Preschool Children in Montessori Kindergartens with Music-Movement Activities: A Quasi-Experimental Study

“…Several music teaching ideas are grounded in the Dalcroze method (Da Napoli, 2006). Dalcroze's eurhythmics uses movement to teach about rhythm, structure, and musical expression and frequently introduces a musical concept through movement before they learn about its visual representation (Dalcroze, 2007). Montessori and Dalcroze shared the idea that the performance and reproduction of music should occur only after the child understands and experiences music through movement (Abril & Gault, 2016;Dalcroze, 2007;Montessori, 1964).…”

“…Dalcroze's eurhythmics uses movement to teach about rhythm, structure, and musical expression and frequently introduces a musical concept through movement before they learn about its visual representation (Dalcroze, 2007). Montessori and Dalcroze shared the idea that the performance and reproduction of music should occur only after the child understands and experiences music through movement (Abril & Gault, 2016;Dalcroze, 2007;Montessori, 1964). Listening and moving to music in the Montessori concept, therefore, represent an important preparation for other musical activities and the overall holistic development of children.…”

“…Despite the increasing interest in the Montessori pedagogy, very little attention has been paid to the research on the music in Montessori preschools. Based on a review of the relevant literature, we can conclude that most of the attention in the field of music in Montessori pedagogy was devoted to the research on verifying the effectiveness of music-didactic materials that were designed in accordance with Montessori principles (Dansereau & Wyman, 2020;Fitzmaurice, 1971;Miller, 1981). Until today, only a few research articles discussing music in the Montessori approach have been published in Slovenia (Gruden, 2017;Mavrič, 2019;Smrekar & Podgornik, 2017;Zadnik & Koren, 2017).…”

Effect of the Montessori Method Integrated with Collaborative Learning on Early Mathematical Reasoning Skills

“…It can be stated that examining the different methods and techniques used in preschool education and integrating and reflecting their effective aspects into the teaching process will also appeal to the individual differences of children. Studies have revealed the positive effects of implementing robotics applications (Elkin, Sullivan & Bers, 2014), STEM activities (Çakır & Altun Yalçın, 2022), music activities (Rajan, 2017;Dansereau & Wyman, 2020), and movement activities (Laure & Habe, 2023) with the Montessori Method. However, Montessori Method applications integrated with cooperative learning were not found in the literature.…”