Bright Start Music

Bright Start Music: A Developmental Program for Music Therapists, Parents, and Teachers of Young Children grew out of a need to provide developmental services for premature infants after going home from the hospital. While any parent-infant music groups are available to promote bonding and development, the need to create an inclusion-based, comprehensive developmental program for children at risk for developmental delays became evident. The curriculum is structured to identify specific developmental skills that can be demonstrated, practiced, and mastered through music engagement. Although this program is rooted in the profession of music therapy, the resources in this curriculum can be implemented by early childhood educators or staff working in child care facilities, community groups, or hospitals. The various formats of engagement highlighted in this program provide the user with many options for targeting developmental interactions. All of the developmental skills that can be observed while young children engage in music interactions are outlined, providing a rich resource for anyone interested in specifically targeting developmental skill achievement. Visual aids, suggested materials, chord sheets, and audio files are included to enhance the usefulness of this program. All of the songs used in this curriculum either were written by music therapists or songwriters specifically for use with young children, or are in the public domain. With over 100 songs on the included CD, this curriculum provides a wide diversity of song choices to use with young children who are constantly moving, growing, and changing!