Value of Music, Movement, and Drama in Early Childhood Education

This research paper examines the values of music, drama, together with movement in education in early childhood. It explores theories related to music, drama, together with movement and their importance in early childhood schooling. The paper also discusses the importance of drama, music, along with movement for the development of children and the inclusion of drama, music, together with movement in the curriculum of early childhood.

Running Head: VALUE OF MUSIC, MOVEMENT, AND DRAMA IN EARLY CHILDHOOD
EDUCATION 1
Value of Music, Movement, and Drama in Early Childhood Education
Name:
Institution Affiliation:

VALUE OF MUSIC, MOVEMENT, AND DRAMA IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
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Introduction
Music performs an essential function in the development of children. Music, drama, and
movement play an essential role in the culture of different people. Music has been seen to ignite
all areas of child development as well as their skills for school readiness, intellectual, emotional,
social, language and overall literacy among other aspects. Additionally, music assists the body
together with the brains of kids to operate together (Abraham, 2017).). Exposing kids to drama,
music, and movement throughout early growth help children to study the sounds along with the
significances of words. Additionally, dancing to melody assists kids in developing motor abilities
while enabling them to practice self-phrase. Educators have the purpose of training, rehearsing,
and leading children in musical programs. They have the role of developing and maintaining the
effective music educational plan for learners (Latham, 2018). The educators have the roles of
understanding potentials as well as skills of every child while guiding them in accordance with
their skills. They also evaluate the performance of a child and provide feedback together with
assistance to improve their musical skills. Therefore, the primary objective of this research paper
is to examine the values of music, drama, together with movement in education in early
childhood.
Theories related to music, drama, together with movement and their importance in early
childhood schooling
There are various theories linked to drama, music, along with movement in early
childhood teaching. Some of these theories consist of Howard Gardner’s theory and music
learning theory. The theory of Howard Gardner is important in early childhood early education

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of a child as it offers multiple intelligence on intrapersonal together with interpersonal processes.
The theory also offers a firm relationship between understanding an individual’s feeling and the
feelings of others (Trinick & Pohio, 2018). Gardener theory believed that if capabilities are well
developed in childhood, it assists in strengthening kids’ self and the relationship with other
individuals. The theory found that young children that are sensitive to other, as other individuals
are aware of their feelings. Furthermore, these individuals appear to achieve great successes in
school when compared to other individuals that have similar intellectual capacity but less
emotional capacity. The theory helps children to develop intellect, societal skills, emotional
maturity, language, and motor skills. Howard Gardner theory is also useful in early childhood
education as it helps the children to learn different sounds and the meaning of various words in
use in various dramas or music (Acker, Nyland, & Niland, 2015). Therefore, through this theory,
it illustrates that children can get the music that stimulates their frontal lobe. Such lobes are
useful to both motor development and language progress among kids.
Through learning theory, music is utilized as memory assistance for several young
individuals as it takes various separate pieces of data through a song. Learning theory is
important in early childhood education since it illustrates some of the best programs that
education center need to focus on when dealing with music movement and drama (Ö ncül, 2015) .
The idea helps to learn centers to offer the best opportunities for young children to experience
some varying musical experience. The opportunities offered by this theory help in the process of
fostering the awareness of music. It also helps in fostering the considerate of music while assist
kids to worth and attain meaning in their personal lives together with those of others around the
community. The theory states that although music and drama hold their exclusive values and

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procedures, particular points shared to music, drama and general education of children. For
instance, this theory is important as it illustrates that social contact, growth, and physical
harmonization, psychological, remembrance, and academic perception improves growth of kids.
These developments are intensely occupied in the process of studying music as they are the
broad syllabus although no common subjects develop the complete gamut of such talents in the
manner music learning acts. Music learning theory is important to early childhood education as it
present cultural diversity and international nature of music (Habegger, 2013). The idea has
ensured that music movement and drama is capable of developing a wide range of curriculum
implementation techniques. Some of these approaches as presented by the theory consist of
Kodaly, Orff-Schulwerk, together with Dalcroze. The theory of music learning is useful in the
education of early childhood as it ensures that every educator can offer a blend of music,
movement, dance, and rhythm in education as children love such blends. The theory ensures that
music movement and drama can offer several benefits to the mental, social, and physical
progress among children.
Importance of drama, music, along with movement for development of children
Music as well as dance among children is helpful as it offers an idea of learning the
alphabet, counting and recognizing shapes to kids. The inclusion of drama, music, with
movement drama into early education of children can assist a child with to develop appropriate
social relations, as well as the growth of language (de Vries, 2013). Performing music together
with moving to beats offer motivated experiences for kids and encourages the process of
education at home or in learning centers. Ability to introduce music movement and drama in the
life of young children is important. It helps such children to develop memory skills, skills for

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concentration, and language skills (Rodríguez-Bonces, 2017). Therefore, most learning
institutions have embrace music studies in their early childhood syllabuses to help them improve
different skills of young children. The music and drama help most children to improve in
learning speech.
Music is important as it had been seen to be instructional. It tells the children where there
are going in their day or that it is time to perform a specific activity. The song and drama are
important in early childhood development as it tells children what they need to perform (Cain,
Lindblom, & Walden 2013). For instance, when children and their educators go into the circle,
they use ‘hello songs.’ At the time of clean-up, they use other songs that tell them just that it is a
clean-up moment. Besides, the idea of playing classical music helps to slow down the
movements of people by making things to calm. Music helps to improve relaxation of children
when they have engaged in various activities. Music movement and drama activities that consist
of cross lateral movement are specifically useful to the development of the brain among children
(Kohn & Eitan, 2016). It is evident that creative cross movement incorporates any movements
such as limbs or legs to move crosswise midsection of the body of an individual. Such a scenario
can be attained by playing or dancing with scarves along with performing various actions when
moving. Cross side advancement help the human body to operate jointly an incident that remains
to be an essential factor towards strengthening connections of the brain.
Music movement and drama is essential in the development of children as it improves
their symbolic stage of growth. Here, children can utilize several ideas, symbols, and language to
understand as well as define various concepts. For instance, young children working as a group
in the process for planning for a drama performance can apply their creative ideas to plan of the

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drama (Spector, Yong, Altenmü ller, E& Jabusch, 2014). However, the use of music in this
symbolic stage help children to define various characters, symbol images for every character,
along with the language to dictate the drama. Therefore, music is important for the development
of children as it offers them a platform of exploring, actively participating, and innovate ideas.
Therefore, drama, music, and movement improve the process of language development among
kids (Lam, & Wright, 2014). Language development as an early form of communication is
entirely physical and depends upon various gestures and expressions. The function play by music
thus helps in speeding up the entire process of language development among children.
Inclusion of drama, music, together with movement in the curriculum of early childhood
Idea of focusing on ideal way on the process of inclusion of drama, music, and movement
is critical as it can help children to explore and various ideas. The need to include these
operations in childhood curriculum is essential as it can improve participation and exploration of
learners (Cain, Lindblom, & Walden 2013). Music, movement, and drama should be taught in
early childhood classes, and it needs to incorporate different traits. Music programs included in
childhood curriculum has to be developmentally appropriate and age appropriate for the children.
The curriculum needs to have a balance of both educators planned together with child-initiated
operations for it to help in improving the development and wellbeing of children (Lam & Wright,
2014). Additionally, drama, music, and movement included in this curriculum need to be
pleasurable and capable of supporting the development of positive attitude together with
emotional responses among children. The idea of having such a curriculum will be essential in
instilling children to love music for a long period as they grow up in society.

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There is a need to include different types of drama, music, and movement into the
curriculum of early childhood. The process of teaching songs such as “ABDCs” while clapping
or tapping foot along can help in teaching and understanding rhythm and cadence while children
will be able to learn new words. The inclusion of songs and drama that consist of action and
hand gestures that follow the music into the curriculum is vital (Brandes, Franck, & Nü esch
2013). The actions and hand gestures can help in teaching the children not only the meaning of
new words used in the song, but it will also teach them some of the moves as they sing at the
same moment. Some of the kind of activities for use that can be included in the curriculum
should be playing with scarves or streamers, using small music instruments, singing while
cleaning up, performing different songs in circles, walking to the beat, or emulating various wild
animals (Archer & Siraj, 2014). Such inclusions of different elements should not be beneficial to
the students academically only, but it can also focus on keeping children to move, the idea which
is good for their little bodies.
The insertion of drama, music, with movement in the curriculum of early childhood can
help towards improving the language of learners. It is clear that language in most instances has
its tempo (de Vries, 2013). The process of talking a language easily comprises of usual stops,
pauses, as well as commence in right locations. Therefore, by introducing movement, music,
along with drama in the early childhood curriculum can help in reducing such instances.
Learning of music can also help in improving the skills of communication among students
(Acker, Nyland, & Niland, 2015). Therefore, there is a need for government, parents, and other
education stakeholders to ensure that movement, music, with drama is included in the curriculum
of early childhood.

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Conclusion
From the above presentations, it is evident that drama and music plays a great role in
early childhood development around global society. There is a great need to include them in the
education curriculum in every learning institution to benefit children growth, health, language
skills, and actions of kids. Well-planned music experiences among children can improve and
nurture every domain of their development such as thinking skills, literacy, social development,
literacy, and physical wellbeing. Therefore, this presentation has illustrated that music, drama,
and movement performs powerful roles in the lives of young children. Through music,
movement, and drama, children can come to understand themselves and their feelings better,
learn to decipher different patterns and solve problems, as well as discover the world around
them in rich and complex approaches. The use of music, movement, and drama remain to be one
of the ideal strategies that can assist in developing good social and emotional skills among
children. From various theories of music, music aid in the development of intrapersonal and
interpersonal processes in children that enable them to build strong and positive connections with
different people around them while their self-confidence is enhanced.

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