About

Nurturing the Musical Infant: Observe, Respond and Create

This interactive workshop is rich in information, and fun-filled with effective musical strategies to engage infants and toddlers so as to support their overall development through play.

The workshop will briefly introduce you to the scientific research behind why music is one of the best ways to support very young children’s overall development.  Music is made up of many different elements (e.g. melody, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, timbre), and fMRI scans show that music is processed and engages many different regions of the brain. And scientists believe that we are all innately musical. 

This workshop will introduce you to various musical strategies that can support bonding and playful engagement of infants and toddlers:

1. Infant-directed singing -- following the child’s lead and emotional state
2. Fill-in-the blanks techniques in inviting a child to participate musically 
3. Choosing the right types of songs by observing the child’s energy level (lullaby VS play-song)
4. Spontaneous song singing (make up songs on the spot to support language development and play)
5. Tweaking musical elements in traditional nursery rhymes and expanding the myriad possibilities of a simple tune
6. Bringing music into a child’s everyday routines (when and how)
7. Adding play materials to music-making (Musical instruments/ Genre of songs/ books/ musical props)

Participants will be in groups of 4 to 5 when practising the different musical strategies after seeing live demonstrations. Feedback and suggestions will be given on the spot. 
    

Target Audience: Educators/ Practitioners

Presenter

Ms Jacqueline Chow 

Jacqueline Chow is a Registered Music Therapist and an adjunct lecturer at NIEC. She holds a Bachelor of Music (Music Therapy) Class I Honors from the University of Queensland and has over a decade of experience working in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore. 

In addition to her clinical practice and teaching, Jacqueline has written several courses for NIEC, including “Using Music in The Infant Classrooms”. Jacqueline is also a proud mother of three where she shares passionately in many public platforms on parenting musically based on research. She was a panelist at the PCF Parental Conference 2021, where she spoke on the topic of “Bonding through music”. 

Jacqueline emphasizes following the child’s lead and incorporates play and sensory integrations in her work. She developed a music and movement lesson plan design called “Bell-Curve Energy Model” and recently published “Ukulele- The Beginner’s booklet, which guides those who wish to bond and interact musically with their child.