The Musical Child: Using the Power of Music to Raise Children Who Are Happy, Healthy, and Whole

by Joan Koenig

“Wonderful.”—Herbie Hancock

A pioneering music educator reveals how music can supercharge early childhood development—and how parents and educators can harness its power. Since opening her famed Parisian conservatory over three decades ago, Joan Koenig has led a global movement to improve children’s lives and minds with the transformative power of music. With a curriculum and philosophy drawn from cutting-edge science, L’Ecole Koenig has educated and empowered even its youngest students, from baby Max, whose coordination and communication grow as he wiggles and coos along to targeted songs and dance, to five-year-old Constance, who nourishes her empathy, creativity, and memory while practicing music from other cultures. In The Musical Child , Koenig shares stories from her classrooms, along with tips about how to use the latest research during the critical years when children are most sensitive to musical exposure—and most receptive to its benefits. A gift for parents, caregivers, musicians, and educators, The Musical Child reveals the multiple ways music can help children thrive—and how, in the twenty-first century, its practice is more vital than ever.

Genres: Parenting, Nonfiction, Music

256 pages, Hardcover

Published July 6, 2021

Reviews

[Sandra Koka (pielasit_sirdi)]

"Arvien lielāku popularitāti gūst ideja par iztēles pilnvērtīgu attīstīšanu, un pedagogi sāk atzīt, ka ar augsto tehnoloģiju prasmju sacensību nepietiek un ka iztēle, pārliecība, sociālās prasmes un labsajūta būs galvenās atslēgas panākumu gūšanai dzīvē,"

Šūpuļdziesmās ierakstītais sentēvu zināšanu kods kā stafetes kociņš tiek nodots no paaudzes paaudzē. Neskatoties uz valstu un valodas robežām, šis vecāku mīlestības simbols visās tautās tiek dabiski turpināts. Jau mammas vēderā mazulis dzird mammas sirdspukstus, vēdera burbuļošanu un virbācijas, kas savā veidā ir pirmā iepazīšanās ar mūziku, tāpat arī pirmās lalināšanas skaņas ir pirmie soļi uz aizraujošo mūzikas pasauli. Kā šo pasauli ļaut iepzīt mazulim, palīdzēt attīstīt un praktizēt ikdienā, palīdzēs mūzikas pedagoģe un pētniece Džoana Keninga. Lai nemulsina vārds "mazulis"- šī grāmata ir paredzēta no bērna piedzimšanas līdz pat sešu gadu vecumam, bet iekļautā informācija, komunikācijas prasmes attīstīšana un dziesmu notis ir iespējams izmantot jebkurā vecumā, pat, ja bērns ir izaudzis no šķietamās mērķauditorijas. Un, nē, tev nav nepieciešama muzikālā izglītība, skaista balss vai prasme spēlēt kādu mūzikas instrumentu. Kopā ar grāmatu "Muzikālais mazulis", tu soli pa solim varēsi uzzināt, kā izmantot mūzikas valodu, lai attīstītu un nostiprinātu bērna prasmes un sapratni par pasauli.

Autore ar piemēru palīdzību izskaidro, kā ieviest mūziku sadzīvē un pirsmskolas nodarbībās, lai attīstītu ne tikai ritma izjūtu, sapratni par mūziku, improvizācijas iespējām, dziesmu spēku, bet arī ļauj nostiprināt bērna komunikācijas prasmes, pārliecību par sevi un prāta attīstību.

Grāmatā iekļauti arī QR kodi, kurus var noskanēt audio failus, padarot grāmatu interaktīvu un mazajiem tehnoloģiju bērniem daudz saistošāku. Pielikumā ir pieejamas notis vairākām dziesmām, ar kurām praktiski papildināt savas muzikālās zināšanas, gan dziedot, gan spēlējot. Tāpat arī nobeigumā autore ir norādījusi plašu avotu skaitu, kas ne tikai apliecina teorijas padziļināto pētījumu un zinātnisko pamatojumu, kas iegūts 30 gadu darba pieredzē, bet arī sniedz ieskatu resursos, ko izmantot pedogoģiskajā darbā.


Grāmata, kas pedagogiem, vecākiem vai aprūpētājiem palīdzēs attīstīt mazuļa intelektuālās, lingvistiskās, emocionālās, muzikālās un fiziskās prasmes caur mūziku.

[Mags (mbooksbycandlelight) · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my opinion this book was too dense and too packed with scientific jargon to be useful to the average parent. It took quite a long time to read and the way the information was given was just very difficult to assimilate. I liked the examples and the exercise suggestions, but the rest just wasn’t for me. I also felt like the illustrations didn’t help this book at all.

I received an eArc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually struggle with non fiction but this was brilliant. My sister bought it for me for my birthday and I have already implemented some of the suggested music games with my daughter - she loves “I’m… going… to…… playplayplayplayplayplayplay and STOP” the best. I’ve recently got really obsessed with “learning through play” and early years provision (everyone needs a hobby) and this book just added ammunition to that, with its examples of how children learn and use music even when they can’t speak or read yet.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating read and one I still have to process and start implementing this year, so these are just beginning thoughts. The author is a professional musician and for several decades, led a preschool in Paris that had a robust musical program. She and her colleagues introduced music to children from ages 2-5 in playful, natural ways, instilling a love for music that carried many of the little kids through years to come. Now in this book, she shares some of the activities parents (even those without a musical background!) can do at home for their children from infancy through age 5. She backs up her music philosophy with reliable research that enhances the book along with her stories from the classroom. I love using music in our home in various ways and was inspired to try new, fun activities with my kids. I listened on audio, so now I’ll re-read sections with the physical book and take notes for things we can do this year together to further enjoy the wonder and joy of music-ing together.

[Jes]

Super interesting stuff, although it seems like it would be so much more effective if you could implement something like her proposed curriculum in a school or daycare setting (as opposed to having to figure out how to do it at home).

[Justine]

Thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing an ARC!

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an interesting study in how children learning musical skills contributes to their participation in society.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Joan Koenig opened her own conservatory in Paris three decades ago, and has since been working with children and their families to harness the power of music for early childhood development. Broken into chapters for the first six years of life, Koenig shares different exercises that can be implemented into a child's life for communication, coordination, and various other aspects of growth. Including QR codes that can be scanned to access recorded examples of songs, this book is a great resource to parents, educators, and all who interact with young children.

As a music educator, I picked this up because I'm interested in how music affects development. By the end of the first chapter on music during a child's first year of life, I was hooked. The idea that music can be used for communicating with such young children is incredible to me, and it made me happy to read about different ways that children use music to express themselves. Some of the text is a bit heavy on the terminology, both scientific and musical, but if taken in pieces, it does make sense and can be accessed by any who are interested.

[Lili Hsieh]

This is a wonderful book about how central music/music education should/can be for our child. I picked it up because N is so deeply engrossed in music and I want to learn how to support him. But this book is not specifically about the musical path. It is really about the "whole brain" development that music can bring out!

N is doing Suzuki method of violin, so I am also excited about how the book resonates with Suzuki method-- without really having Suzuki in mind at all (at least as far as I can tell). Here are some parallels:

* The book is written in line with a baby's development, from year 1 to 6. So mostly pre-instrument period. The point the author is making is that music is central to baby's development. Translate: The mother-baby relationship evolves and can be enhanced by music! This is what others called "motherese" ("oooh sweeeeet babiiie! "). The author calls it "duet". The author also believes that it is the baby not the parent that leads the interaction.

For the baby's brain to develop optimally, the interactions (a lot of them verbal/musical) need to be constant and positive. When this foundation is provided, the baby will thrive. The baby's communication skills prosper.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the positive impact music has on the development of children in their early years. Music is universal and as old as humankind, so it has a primal connection to us all. Scientific research backs up the author’s 30 years of experience, showing that our children’s developmental, linguistic, intellectual, and emotional lives can be enriched by incorporating music into their lives.

This book struck me because it talked about the depth of our human relationship to music. Music reaches us in ways that traditional non-music-related methods don’t. The book talks about how music can be brought into our children’s lives in so many different ways, from learning a foreign language to simple things like getting dressed in the morning — all while using song. It reminded me of my own childhood when my mother used a tooth-brushing jingle to get me to brush my teeth.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at: https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/gre...

[Ji Heng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Koenig backs her framework with (education) psychological and musicological research, and she does a pretty decent job explaining the research theories to parents too (her target readers).

But at the moment, her book largely remains at the level of ‘Researcher X said this, therefore I do this in my Ecole’. I wonder if she could have engaged with the theories (some of which, to be honest, are rather dated) more critically with her own musicking experiences with children? Do her observations of the participants at her school confirm the theories, or might she be able to offer different perspectives? So I am left wanting to hear more from her acquired wisdom.

Also, I find some of the suggested activities to be rather unpractical, e.g. the one whereby she suggests that the parent matches the ‘cadence’ of the baby’s cry to forge a connection to calm the baby down… does it actually work? (It didn’t for me.)

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite intriguing and unique! The author teaches the reader how to seamlessly weave musical understanding in the lives of children from birth to age 6. She includes many activities as well as the science of why it is affective and important for a child's natural development. I do think she underestimates, at times, the reader's understanding of music and assumes any of the activities can easily be performed by the average person. At least in book format, I did struggle to follow along with some, though I have no formal music education. That being said, a book is a tricky format to relay this type of information, thus a video demonstration would probably make any points of confusion more clear. Overall, I really appreciate the novelty of this topic and what the author brought to the book. It was very well done and engaging!

[Pat]

Checked this out of the library without quite knowing what it was. Seems like a good primer on all the reasons we should want kids learning music and a sound argument (informed and illustrated by both research and anecdote) for starting music education early. But really not very much at on what that means in a hands-on context (there are dedicated sections describing proposed activities, but not many of them, and in my experience not particularly user-friendly). I suspect this would be a great ed school read in a class on arts education policy or early childhood music curriculum or something, but for a lay audience (or parents just looking for ideas about how to raise a “musical child”) it’s a bit of a miss. Would suggest maybe including some sample lesson plans from her school as an appendix?

[Laura Armbrust · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a musician, parent, and early childhood development enthusiast, I am the target demographic for this book, if my kids were a few years younger.

This book is an excellent thesis on the importance of music for proper human development. I am convinced!

[I do take issue with presenting C as a universal Do (if a song is in D minor, D is not Re. D is Do, the tonic, the key it is in.) I understand why she does this, but I don’t like incorrect things, even if they are age appropriate. Everything else, though, is excellent.]

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was interesting and opened my eyes to a few things! We’re now incorporating a few of her activities into our school time. Definitely recommend the audiobook if you read this one because she sings the songs and it makes a big difference. This book made me very thankful for our Music Together classes!

[Kes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basically: author believes in that music develops the child. This book argues that music is innate and helps socialise children; the key is to foster interaction when developing musicality as a language. I liked that this went into some science behind this thinking. There were quite a few anecdotes too.

There were also some examples / activities for parents to do with their kids.

[Rainbow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book for any parent who wants to connect with their child. I have offered it to all my friends with young children. I thought the exercises were very easy to put into practice and the scientific information totally fluid. READ IT!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a retired Kindergarten, first & second grade teacher, we used the piano daily in the classroom.
This book reaffirmed my belief that children learn through rhythm & music. We used the piano for clean up songs, getting ready to line up, etc…. Music was used all day long.🎵❤️

[Bethany Stewart · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book focuses a lot on the first 5 years of a child's life. My kids are way beyond that phase. She does share some great information on the importance of music in young children. It was just not relevant to the ages of my kids.

[Liuba Guigova · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that will help parents & educators to understand how important is music in children’s lives. I am growing a musical child and I strongly agree with Joan Koenig that music is key to child’s development. The earlier the better.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good research and great ideas

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but felt very repetitive.

[Goldenrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dnf p 71, would like to finish later

[SERCAN SEZGIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enlightening and helpful book for parents and teachers. Koenig blends science with engaging anecdotes and stories. It makes you want to sit down with your child and try out the exercises. The QR codes lead to fun audio files and tutorials.

This is a beautiful book about the power of music in children’s lives. The stories from her school make you want to be there having the experience yourself!