The universal language of music! In our Early Education Center, music is seamlessly woven into activities and helps enhance learning. For faculty members Amy Kuenzel and Ximena Yanez’s primary students, incorporating music from around the world creates a global perspective in the classroom.
“Many studies have shown the great importance of music in early childhood development,” said Yanez. “While listening, children are often strengthening vocabulary, social emotional skills, and the relationship between body and brain. Why not branch out from what we’re used to hearing on the radio?” Students have been enjoying a range of multilingual CDs from India, France, and a number of South American countries, which students locate by pouring over their classroom map.
“They are making the connection between sound and place,” noted Yanez. “Now if you step into room 102, you can often find them holding hands and dancing to their favorites. We’re listening to French Caribbean this week!” It’s just one of many ways that make Ashley Hall’s early education program the only one of its kind in the Charleston area.