Beat-nippers

The ANU School of Music is offering early childhood courses to children from birth, improving not just musical talent but imagination, confidence and relationships.

University students are getting younger.

One often hears this lament on the ANU campus around Orientation Week, but now, rather than referring to the year’s crop of fresh-faced undergraduates, it is an accurate description of some of the youngest students enrolled in courses at any university in the world.

The Pre-Tertiary Music Program at the ANU School of Music now offers world-class music tuition from birth: strollers and prams are sharing the halls of the Schoolof Music with double basses and trombones. Babies just a few months old are studying a few doors away from Australia’s most promising undergraduate and postgraduate musicians.

Like all educational programs at Australia’s top-rated university, the courses are grounded in extensive research.

The unique program is carefully structured to improve the musical, social and intellectual development of children and young adults in the crucial stages of learning, according to convenor and teacher Dr Jolanta Kalandyk-Gallagher, of the ANU School of Music.

“When I established my first music program, after a few weeks I had feedback from teachers that a few lessons had made a huge difference to a particular child,” Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher said.

“The child was interacting better, showing more initiative and was much more involved in kindergarten activities.

“So I decided to undertake research and completed my PhD in the role of music in child development.”

The first impression of Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher’s program is that it is a time of play for children, but as the session progresses, the subtle structures become more obvious. The sometimes discordant chaos and high-energy transition between instruments which are apparent at the beginning of a class rapidly morph into a meticulously planned program with definite outcomes as the activities are seen in context.

After one session, apparent random diversions begin to form a perceptible pattern — channelling the short attention spans of children into efforts of performance which promote confidence and leadership.

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This structure has evolved after a four-year study by Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher, involving 55 children with shy tendencies. The program that evolved from that research targets not just musical skills, but also self-confidence and broader goals of child development.

“Under the fun of the activities, there is so much hidden,” Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher said.

“The children feel safe in a secure, friendly environment and can develop leadership, physical coordination and problem-solving skills through their approach to making music.”

As she has developed her unique blend of child and musical development, Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher has witnessed some remarkable effects. No wishy-washy feel-good epithets about the power of music here — but rather practical, research driven outcomes.

“I remember a child involved in my research project who used to spend the whole playtime in the foetal position.

“He started coming to my classes and nine weeks later, he was spending playtime jumping up on the trampoline, laughing with other children.”

This latest course offered at ANU benefits from that research background.
The classes are active in all senses of the word: in terms of play, imagination and interaction. A typical session would begin with a ‘picnic’ on brightly coloured rugs with ‘friends’ — fluffy, cuddly stuffed toys.

After musical introductions to each other, Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher then gently encourages the children to look at ways to make music with their bodies — clapping hands, stamping feet and banging chests.

“It is important to validate all the children’s ideas, no matter what they might be. This is part of the learning process,” Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher says.

“These simple exercises of singing, listening, moving and inventing music are the foundations for the youngest children to learn about music.”

Classes are divided into age groups, with exercises such as those above targeted at a younger age, and more challenging ‘play’ — such as figuring out what a grand piano is made from, and swinging to music in hammocks — left for older children.

“One of the great things about this course is it gives parents and children access to some of the best academics, teachers and musicians in the field,” she says.

“Through imaginative, playful activities children develop their understanding of musical concepts, and at pre-school age, the understanding of basic musical notation.

“It also exposes children to different styles of music, and prepares them for future instrumental tuition.

“A very important benefit is the boosted sense of autonomy and confidence toddlers and pre-school children get from this.

“It’s also great for the relationship between parent and child as the parental participation in the course helps children and parents to learn, play, and relax together, and can be a powerful bonding experience.”

Research indicates that young children learning with a parent present enjoy significant benefits in self-esteem — but those self-esteem benefits are almost negligible if children are on their own.

Furthermore, research with children between the ages of 0 and 1 indicates that the development of a strong attachment with parents empowers the child to develop self-esteem, adventurousness and leadership to a far greater extent later in life. As a result, the music program for babies focuses closely on strengthening parent-child bonds through musical play.

“The course can change a parenting style from stressed and irritable to enjoying the child fully and having a very rewarding and playful experience shared with children.

“As the course will expose older children to new and sometimes challenging learning experiences, children need parental encouragement, recognition and praise. Children assisted by parents learn much more quickly.”

Ultimately, the course is about learning music and giving children the earliest start on the road to enjoying, understanding and making music. According to Dr Kalandyk-Gallagher, by the time children who have been part of the program from a young age reach primary school, the students can read music and conduct a four-part round.

“Music is a cultural, social and historical learning experience, and to take it into the future we should be encouraging the next generation of innovative musicians at an early age,” she says.

“There is a wonderful energy that drives the child. It’s an imprint of human emotions and I like to bring all the positive aspects of those out in our classroom.”

The School of Music also offers a number of other courses for older children, teenagers and young adults, all of which are the product of a unique collaboration between the ANU and the local government of the ACT.

The Music in Primary Schools program involves 1,500 children in the Canberra region. It includes the Music Education Program at a primary school in Ainslie; the School Singing Program, a training program for teachers; and the Hand-in-Hand outreach program, which involves children in major therapeutic outreach through music with the elderly and the disabled in the community.
The Music for Students with Talent program helps 12 to 16 year-olds develop their existing skills, while the College Program is designed for musicians aged between 16 and 18.

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