Quotes that inspire us:

“Many educators and carers are looking for confirmation of what they already know: that there are long term consequences for children who are pushed too quickly into a competitive education environment without a balance of what creative arts can offer.” - anon

“Brain compatible learning integrates the engagement of emotions, nutrition, music, enriched environments, meaning-making and movement with the absence of threat into a joyful educational environment that ensures optimal learner success.” - Anne Green Gilbert

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything." - Plato

“Tell me, I forget...show me, I remember...involve me, I understand.” - Carl Orff

LINKS

www.ancos.org.au
Orff Schulwerk is the music education approach that has inspired Carol & Gary for much of their children’s music and teacher training. The above link is to the national association, which includes links to the various state associations for Orff training and information.

Orff Schulwerk is an approach to creative music education developed by the German composer and educator, Carl Orff and his colleague, Gunild Keetman. The Orff Approach is an educative process, which can be used with participants of all ages and abilities. It explores all aspects and relationships of rhythm, pitch and harmony through language, singing, movement and instrumental performance. Elementary techniques such as imitation, echo, ostinato and cannon are utilised in the Orff Approach. Improvisation is a fundamental part of the process, establishing a learning atmosphere full of fun and discovery to realise the young child’s full potential. Orff Schulwerk activities exercise and reinforce skills in the areas of coordination, rhythmic senses, language and development and social interaction. All of which contribute to the all-round intellectual and social development of the individual.
Through the Orff Approach, music becomes an activity in which everyone, regardless of their level of competency, can actively participate.

www.brightbubs.com
A music program for babies by Pamela Allen. Carol Crees & Dr Anne Power were consultants for the DVD.

www.leaveittoleslie.com.au
Leslie is a wonderful source for a wide range of early childhood educational materials, props and puppets. Online store.

www.creativedance.org
Anne Green Gilbert’s website re BrainDance.

Excerpts from our teachers’ books on the importance of music and movement for children.

Why music is important
For babies music provides a whole body learning experience that promotes well-being.
• Music sets the emotional climate for learning. Babies learn through relationships with parents and carers and this communication is at first, essentially a musical one.
• Music is highly motivating for babies and young children as they are born with the ability to respond to music.
• Music promotes trust and well-being. Our earliest experiences of music after birth are about being touched, talked to and sung to.
• Music supports listening, aural discrimination and aids memory, the basic building blocks for language learning.
• Music promotes thinking skills or ‘cognitive’ learning but also the learning of language, social skills, play and creativity.
Music is the vehicle for both love and learning. Although I am making some big claims for music as a pathway for children’s learning I am not advocating that music be seen as a tool to create super babies. Rather I would hope the later sections clearly demonstrate that music has been the way, over many centuries, that humans have instinctively nurtured their young to achieve their developmental potential in a secure, loving way. In Section Two I will give more information about music and young children’s development.
Reference: Music for little people, 0-3 years

The busy brain: new brain research
While the human brain is still a mystery, in the last 10 years much has been discovered about
the growing brain of the human baby and young child. This research suggests that healthy
babies are born ready to learn. The brain of a child between birth and 3 years has a greatly
higher metabolic rate and is two and a half times more active than an adult brain. At birth
all the neurons are present to provide a framework for the brain. It is through a process of
“myelinization” that synapses grow and connections between neurons are formed. This only
occurs as a baby responds to outside stimulation, usually as they interact with an interested
carer. Babies’ responses create and reinforce brain growth: a greater number of responses
means greater stabilization of connections.
As we cuddle, talk and sing to a baby (thus encouraging their pleasurable response) we are
contributing to brain growth.
Researchers speak about windows of opportunity for learning, referring to the fact that
different parts of the brain are genetically programmed to achieve myelinization at different
stages in a babies early brain development. If these developmental opportunities are missed
it is harder to achieve these milestones later. We might see this same principle if we try to
learn a new language as an adult. It is not an impossible task but significantly more difficult to
forge the new brain pathways needed than it would be if we were learning that new language
as a young child when the brain offers multiple pathways for language learning.
Opportunities to experience music through speech, song and movement must be available,
frequent and enjoyable to create a rich environment. A rich environment results in more brain
connections and ensures that critical periods for brain development are not missed.
Reference: Music for little people, 0-3 years

BrainDance - fundamental movement patterns.
BrainDance is an exciting body of work by Anne Green Gilbert that connects music and
movement with the growing child’s brain development. This system describes eight fundamental
movement patterns that occur in sequence in the first year of a babies life. These movements “wire the central nervous system so the brain can operate to it’s full potential” (Gilbert). She uses BrainDance in conjunction with nursery rhymes to ensure that young children successfully achieve all movement milestones. Moving through these patterns on a regular basis can aid children’s normal development but can also help to fill any gaps in a child’s neurological development if any milestones have been missed due to illness, trauma or not enough opportunities to explore these movements in infancy. Below is a brief summary
of BrainDance.
• Breath - to give blood and oxygen to the brain
• Touch - essential for social and emotional development
• Core-distal -movements that stretch out through the fingers and toes and shrink back to a foetal curl
• Head-tail - finding the two ends of the spine and moving to bring them together then apart.
• Upper-lower-movements that differentiate the upper half of the body from the lower
• Body sides - focusing movement from either right or left side of the body
Horizontal eye tracking is an important development to prepare for later cognitive skills.
Cross lateral - any movement that causes a crossing of the midline of the body.
Vertical eye tracking develops. important for reading & writing skills.
Vestibular - swinging, swaying or spinning movements that move the inner ear fluid around.

All these movement experiences are vital to children, When they are done in connection
with music they provide many learning possibilities especially for children with additional
needs.
For more information about BrainDance see our Book & CD: Music for Little People, 0-3 years.

The importance of the folk tradition in music and movement
Traditional songs and dances are part of an ongoing, alive tradition that supports and promotes an understanding and mutual respect for the diverse ethnic groups living in Australia and around the world. It supports a rich community activity that can involve people of differing ages and abilities. Folk dance has educational benefits for children ranging from language and spatial maths, through recognition of simple abstract structures, to active, purposeful listening habits (vital preparation for learning to read). It increases body awareness, gross motor skills, social and emotional as well as physical development. So, it is a whole person activity. It is a wonderful way to explore the great diversity of our multicultural heritage & of course, is fun & relaxing.
What is valuable, is the pleasure small children have in moving to music, from this enjoyment comes developing skills in basic music, movement and dance. These skills will assist with self esteem, self assurance and wellbeing for life. We hope that children will grow up with singing and dancing as an integral part of a lifelong enjoyment in music for recreation, stress-release and a rich and varied social life. 
Off the Wall Dances for young children. Volume One and Two.

Music for children with special needs
Children with additional needs usually enjoy music because it is such a strong biological
response. Howard Gardner suggests that musical intelligence is one of the first intelligences
to develop in humans and studies of brain injury patients show it is also one of the last to
disappear with impairment. Sound is one of our first sensory experiences and babies hear a
wide variety of sound while in the womb. Nordoff and Robbins, two long standing and highly
respected music therapists in England suggest that because music is a strong biological response
in humans it has the potential, when used appropriately, to build new experiences of
learning. This happens most effectively if we can copy the musical relationship learning that
engages babies and young children and make this appropriate to special needs children.
Special needs children will vary greatly in their interests and ability we need to adjust any
music to fit these needs. Special needs children will learn best through a sensitive one on
one relationship just as babies do. If we can find the appropriate stage of musical interest we
can usually ensure success.
Reference: Music for little people, 0-3 years

Yoga for special needs
Yoga is a non competitive activity & can begin where any child’s particular needs & abilities are.
Yoga postures & relaxation practices can be adapted successfully to suit the particular needs of many special needs children. Many people have used yoga to improve motor co-ordination, physical strength & cognitive learning working on a one to one basis with each child.
Special needs children will need yoga activities that suit their age & degree of impairment with lots of repetition of movements & support for achieving these.
Try finishing with a guided relaxation. Harmony & co-operation with a carer would be very important in building a child’s trust & self confidence. Movements should be done in a comfortable manner & never forced.
A helpful text by Sonia Siemar “Yoga for the Special Child” (see references) describes how even beginning the poses passively with a downs syndrome baby helped amazingly with developing mental concentration, physical strength, motor co-ordination & flexibility.
The fundamental premise of yoga, that we work with our bodies’ ability & do our personal best, makes it a potentially very useful tool with diverse needs children.
Reference: YogaPlay and Relaxation for Young Children

The body brain connection
There is now much evidence of the great benefits that yoga has on a child’s wellbeing. Yoga works on the limbic brain, the system associated with survival: feeding, defence and reproduction but also memory and emotional states. What is now confirmed is that the body and the brain are completely interconnected.
The brain controls the functioning of:
• The endocrine (hormonal) system, which regulates (through the pituitary gland) functions from growth, sexual development to metabolism and response to stress.
• The autonomic nervous system, responsible for heart rate, blood pressure and some
production of hormones.
• The immune system which responds to hormones but also makes it’s own hormones to protect the body.
A healthy body ensures a healthy brain
A healthy brain ensures a healthy body

Movement and Relaxation Aid Learning
A new book by Bruce McEwen (The End of Stress As We Know It) summarising recent research, gives full support to the use of regular movement and exercise as the first support for brain/body health. Research such as McEwen’s suggests the hypocampus, responsible for memory and learning, is aided by movement
and relaxation. Yoga can also be part of a life-long education in stress reduction and wellbeing and research seems to suggest, considering our vulnerability to stress at early ages, that there is no stage too early to introduce these skills. Helping children gain confidence and experience in building a varied movement
repertoire will help with self esteem and positive learning function. We feel passionately that yoga can increases the chance of healthy body/brain connection. As stress levels decrease, brain function increases.
To learn effectively, children also need to learn how to focus, to be able to find the quiet place within so as to really listen - yoga works to build these skills.
Young children’s’ brains have been described by neuroscientists as having amazing plasticity i.e. their brains are capable of enormous and dynamic learning potential. However, their learning is entirely unconditional,
they lack the experience to make educated choices about what they spend time learning. As teachers,
we have an enormous responsibility and opportunity to engage children’s’ learning in a positive and healthy way in their early formative years.
Reference: YogaPlay and Relaxation for Young Children

Relaxation, Visualization, Breath Awareness
Cultivating quiet in our busy lives is a skill that will serve children well for the whole of their lives. Being able to relax is just as important for our health as exercise and activity.
Awareness of the breath is an essential part of stilling the mind in yoga but deep breathing also supports good health and posture. The diaphragm acts like a lift, rising up to expel air and dropping down to allow for inhalation. Yoga breathing is a deep breath into the abdomen (belly breath) ensuring a good supply of oxygen to the body and the brain.
Rest and relaxation after yoga calms the nervous system and gives the brain time to integrate new information
it is learning . Keep the activities short especially at first - just a few minutes will have an effect on changing energy levels and allowing children to build skills in relaxing and visualising.
Visualisation consists of a relaxed fantasy stories that the children can participate in and enjoy while lying down with eyes closed. Visualisation allows children to use their imagination, but also encourages them to participate in their own way in thoughts and feelings with no criticism or censure. It helps children to learn the value peace and reflection as well as relaxation.
Relaxation is sometimes called Shavasana (pose of the corpse) or Yoga Nidra and usually focuses on parts of the body and using our breath to help relax the muscles.
Give the children time to move out of relaxation and visualisation so they have time to re-orient. Encourage
children to say how they feel. Children will only build a vocabulary of relaxation ideas and feelings with experience and modelling from adults.
Reference: YogaPlay and Relaxation for Young Children