Music is a universal language. Exposing children to the music, songs and dances of other cultures should simply be another aspect of the and movement program, integrated quite naturally on a daily basis. In the home setting, if another language is not spoken, exposing children regularly to the sounds of another language through is a good idea.

Why is it a good idea? Young children learn by being actively involved in the process, through exploring and experimenting, through copying and acting out. And so it is with learning music, including the (and language) of another culture, the foundations for which are best learnt while developing primary language. As such, a successful early childhood program must incorporate movement (including dance) and should quite naturally involve learning across the curriculum. In other words, through music, the child can also develop language, mathematical concepts, physical development as well as social and emotional outcomes. Music, of course, is not exclusively reserved for the school domain. At home or in a childcare centre, music, including from other cultures, should form part of the structure of everyday play. EVERY child has the right to a musical education. Like other forms of verbal and non-verbal communication, exposure to should start at birth and even before.

It is important to bear in mind that not every child will naturally take to singing or learning to play a musical instrument. Physical expression through dance and drama is the way some children prefer to enjoy their musical experience. How wonderful to extend that experience by using the dances, the and the costumes from another culture. And what child doesn’t love dressing up?

In musical interpretation there should be no pressure on the child to “get it right” because there is no right or wrong but simply the joy of participation. When a child feels successful at something, the child gains enormous confidence. This is critical where children are suffering from low self-esteem due to poor academic achievement. The more you can extend the creative arts experience, therefore, the better.

Furthermore, by exposing children to other cultures in a positive way, they gain understanding and learn acceptance of others. They need to be made

lem09 @ 11/23/2008 11:35 AM : halp i'm such a cliche
ahhhhhhhh. sometimes, right now, i think that the internet is just a south park episode on repeat... oh noes kenny has been trolled ahhhhh.
meggittmusic @ 11/23/2008 11:34 AM : The number game.
[wi:859]
Vismund @ 11/23/2008 11:34 AM : Re: shook of Crookers
Come on people, Im still up. What parts of the world are meant to be up now? Who's at work?
JohnBuckWLD @ 11/23/2008 11:33 AM :
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lem09 @ 11/23/2008 11:33 AM : Re: Dancing to Autechre
in the dark??
ArinMB @ 11/23/2008 11:32 AM : Re: Last concert you attended
Ryan Adams and The Cardinals last Wednesday at the Brighton Dome. It was on one of his good nights and the band sounded good. Went on for two and a half hours as there was no support, and the banter was good. Only problem is, due to the full band and everything, Ryan played barely anything off Gold or Heartbreaker, and the majority of the set was from Cardinology and Easy Tiger, which aren't exactly amazing albums. Still, all in all a good gig.

aware that somewhere in another corner of the world are children just like them. These children are also having fun by singing songs, chanting rhymes, playing games and dancing. In this way inherent social values are gained, especially discovering that difference simply means diversity. Thus, it encourages a sense of harmony and inclusion rather than discrimination and distrust.

Studies show that exposing children to the sound, rhythm and intonation of language and from diverse cultures assists them to discriminate between sounds, which assist with the acquisition of language skills. Listening is a skill that needs to be taught, as opposed to hearing which is a sense we are born with. Listening to the sounds of another language encourages concentration. In time, it starts to make sense, in the same way that as babies, we all learnt to understand the spoken word. Introducing children to Languages Other Than English (LOTE) cannot start soon enough. Far from confusing children, learning another language actually enhances the learning of their mother tongue.

Unlike adults, children absorb the language of another culture easily. Children who come from bi-lingual households quickly learn to discriminate between the two languages and use them both appropriately. They soon become aware that communication, in whatever form, gets them what they want.

Whether in a classroom, a nursery or at home, children are naturally attracted to the sounds of another language. Most adults can remember the foreign songs that they learnt at school. How many English songs from school can we remember? And why limit it to songs? Include fingerplays, dances and relaxation music. To the child, it is not important what the words mean as the conveys the mood and that is everything.