Professional Documents
Culture Documents
How Development in Early and Middle Childhood Affects Elementary Music Teaching:
An Application Paper
Rachel E. Ollestad
In 5 years I see myself surrounded by bubbly, excited, elementary school children who
are eager to learn. Teaching music in an elementary school setting has always been my goal and
remains my future career plan. To impart a love of and passion for music to children appeals to
me because I believe very strongly that music can touch aspects of human lives not able to be
touched by other subjects. Elementary school children have a sense of wonder and an open mind
that motivates me, and I cannot wait to be able to share my love with them no matter the size,
location, or demographics of the school. I understand, however, that before I can teach these
children, I must first understand them. It is vital that any teacher understand how his or her
students develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially because by knowing how
students develop, you can better comprehend the motives behind their actions and better meet
their learning needs. The early and middle childhood years are years during which children show
much physical growth as well as cognitive, emotional, and social development. It is during this
time childrens motor skills develop at a rapid pace. They enter into two consecutive stages of
Piagets Cognitive Developmental Theory, and they develop emotional characteristics in line
with Eriksons Initiative vs. Guilt and Industry vs. Inferiority stages. Lastly, children in the early
and middle developmental stages begin relying on peer groups for social interaction, creating
bonds that affect their sense of self and social development in later years.
Children in elementary school show rapid development, especially in their motor skills.
Each child, however, will display a different rate of development depending on several different
factors. During early and middle childhood children will gain more control over their gross and
fine motor skills. They will demonstrate better flexibility, agility, running, and jumping, and they
will also have better control over hands and fingers, allowing them to draw and write better
(Berk & Meyers, pp. 301-304, 419-422). There are several influences that affect how a childs
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 3
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
gross and fine motor skills will develop. Heredity is a factor that may help or hinder motor skill
development. A child may have a disability that prevents him or her from having control over
their body. Their environment could also affect how childrens motor skills develop. A child in a
home that places emphasis on building athletic abilities will have a developmental advantage
over a child in which the parents do not encourage hands-on play that promotes motor skills.
Lastly, parents can also affect their childs motor skill development by encouraging gender
stereotypes. Oftentimes, girls are discouraged from participating in more athletic activities and
are instead redirected towards more domestic activities, meaning their gross motor skill
The individual differences in development of motor skills during early and middle
childhood directly affect me especially because I am a music educator. I have the rare
opportunity to allow my students to move around in the classroom instead of sitting and working
at a desk. It is important for me to know which level my students are at in terms of their motor
skill development: some may have illegible handwriting, and others may not be able to perform
all of the musical tasks I require because of fine motor skill limitations. Standard 1 and
substandard 1.1 of the Indiana Developmental Standards for Educators discusses the need for
environment (AGS 1.1). This standard directly relates to the need for me to understand
individual motor skill development and respond well to differences in my students. Similarly,
Standard 5 is centered on providing a healthy learning environment. Its substandard 5.3 states
that teachers should have, the ability to plan and adapt developmentally appropriate learning
environments that reflect cultural competency; are responsive to the characteristics, strengths,
and needs of each student, and promote all students development and learning (AGS 5.3). I have
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 4
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
the opportunity to meet this standard by providing personal and, when necessary, adapted lessons
for my students in order to challenge them to be the best they can be. While I must do my best to
challenge my students, recognizing aspects of motor skills that challenge them also means I need
to be understanding and encouraging. In Tracy Cutchlows 2014 article entitled Why Some
Kids Try Harder and Some Kids Give Up, she discusses the need to encourage a growth mindset
in my students. A growth mindset is one in which my students believe that challenging activities
will allow them to grow instead of giving up when they come up against a challenge. By giving
positive praise to my students in difficult situations, they will be encouraged to persevere when
facing difficulties. Keeping this concept in mind, I can create an environment in which I can
engage all students, encouraging them to be their very best at all times.
Similar to the development of motor skills during this time, children are also
experiencing gains in their cognitive abilities with the emergence of Piagets Preoperational and
Concrete Operational Stages. In Piagets Preoperational Stage, children are beginning to have the
ability to recognize and partake in symbolic activity. They understand that objects can be a
symbol for other things. Children in this stage, however, struggle with dual representation: the
idea that an object can represent more than one other thing at a time (Berk & Meyers, p. 311). In
his Concrete Operational Stage, Piaget stresses the ability of children to have flexible, reversible
thinking. They can better classify objects based on quantitative data and can use better spatial
reasoning. Similarly they are able to count and order objects better. Childrens growth in these
areas may extend even past what Piaget originally thought; children at this stage have begun to
demonstrate reasoning and recognition of cause and effect relationships (Berk & Meyers, pp.
429). While abilities to think logically develop drastically, children in this stage will still struggle
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 5
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
with abstract ideas, meaning they will struggle to comprehend concepts such as freedom,
Piagets stages affect my teaching because I can use his information to understand the
Standards deals with understanding learning processes. Substandard 2.2 discusses the ability of
teachers to understand how children acquire critical and creative-thinking skills (AGS 2.2). It
conversations about the emotional impact of certain pieces or composers with first or second
graders because they have not developed the critical and creative-thinking skills necessary for
that type of thought. It is unrealistic to expect my students, especially the younger students, to
understand the deeper, more abstract ideas associated with music. In like manner, understanding
Piagets Stages will help me to promote discovery and hands-on learning that is sensitive to
which teachers must understand how to plan and give lessons in the classroom that engage all
students and help them achieve their goals. Substandard 3.8 also mentions the need of teachers to
plan lessons that are learner-centered, which ties very closely to research on using Piagetian
concepts in classrooms (AGS 3.8). An article in The English Journal entitled Practical Piaget
in the Classroom talks about the importance of recognizing different levels of Piaget cognitive
ability in the classroom. Author Christy Hammer emphasizes the importance and effectiveness of
separating students into groups based on their cognitive development. She says that, in instances
where grouping like this is not possible, children can still learn by being grouped with children
of other levels. The importance is on providing interactive, hands-on, group work (1981, p. 56). I
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 6
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
can use this information to better organize and create collaborative group activities that are
Another concept that children display during the early and middle childhood years is
Eriksons Initiative versus Guilt (page 358). The Initiative vs. Guilt conflict describes the time in
which children begin to develop their self-concept. Younger children are eager to try new things
and have a more unrealistically high image of their self-esteem. They take more risks and are
more curious about their surroundings (Berk & Meyers, p. 358). As they grow older, though, a
new conflict begins to emerge: industry vs. inferiority. Children nearing the upper end of middle
childhood start realizing which activities and skills they can accomplish well and which are more
difficult for them. They start to compare themselves to their peers, and this comparison also
affects their self-esteem as they feel positively about their accomplishments and negatively about
their failures (Berk & Meyers, p. 473). The initiative vs. guilt and industry vs. inferiority
conflicts aid in the development of self-consciousness and emotions like guilt, shame, empathy,
and sympathy, and these emotions will affect how children interact with their peers.
The development of self-conscious emotions and the struggles of initiative vs. guilt and
industry vs. inferiority affect my classroom because they affect the willingness of my students to
participate in activities. In the early elementary school years, my students will be very eager and
willing to perform activities in front of the class. They will not worry as much about the opinions
of their peers. As they grow older, students may be much less willing to participate in solo
activities because of social anxiety or perceived pressure from peers. As a teacher, I must be
understanding of those students but develop lesson plans that can still provide individual forms
of assessment. One of these forms of assessment could be the use of soloing in front of the class
with a group accompaniment or the incorporation of group improvisation into my lessons as well
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 7
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
General Music: Facing Fears and Fostering Creativity author Rachel Whitcombs discusses just
how important teaching improvisation is in the elementary classroom. She states that many
teachers are not trained enough and are fearful of teaching improvisational skills. She argues,
however, that teaching improvisational skills can be a useful form of assessment and encourage
children in their musical expression (n.p.). Knowing which instructional practices to use ties
directly in with Standard 3 and substandard 3.4 in which teachers must know the advantages and
disadvantages of certain instructional practices (AGS 3.4). In my case, it will be the advantages
and disadvantages of making solo performances mandatory for my students. Standard 5 and
substandard 5.5 discusses another aspect of the development of self-concept that I need to
address: providing a positive environment for all of my students (AGS 5.5). Holding my students
accountable for their behavior by adopting a zero tolerance policy towards bullying is essential in
promoting a healthy learning environment, and implementing a positive rewards system for good
behavior and fostering good communication and positive interactions will help all of my students
The last area of development shown in the early and middle stages of childhood is the
social area. In this area children begin to develop friendship bonds and peer-acceptance will
become increasingly important. In terms of friendship in early childhood, many friendships will
be based off of simple things such as shared interests or common characteristics (Berk &
Meyers, p. 368). As they enter the middle stage of development, foundations of friendships will
be based on deeper emotions like mutual trust (Berk & Meyers, p. 489). A childs friends make
up only a small portion of his or her peer group, and peer group interactions have a profound
affect on self-esteem. There are four types of children when it comes to peer group interactions:
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 8
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
accepted, rejected, neglected, and controversial. Accepted children are those who are well liked
by their peers. They are generally seen as popular children and tend to have positive interactions
with those around them. Rejected children are seen as unpopular and are disliked by their peers.
Controversial children make up an interesting group; they are both liked and disliked, meaning
they receive positive and negative attention from peers. Lastly, the neglected children are those
who are largely ignored by their peers and are rarely talked about (Berk & Meyers, p. 490).
Which category students belongs to will not only affect their self-esteem but also their school
conducted a study to see how peer group acceptance affects academic involvement and they
stated in their conclusion that, childrens peer relationships contribute to their school
adjustment (1997, p. 1195). They found that students with healthy peer relationships were
more involved in school, and their study even found evidence of the reverse: that students who
were more involved with school had better peer relationships. Student dispositions will
In the case of peer interaction, using some Piagetian classroom techniques will also be
beneficial. Promoting group learning by planning many group activities into my lessons will
provide my students with the opportunity to interact with their peers as much as possible. Music
also provides a great way to discuss differences between different countries and cultures.
Standard 2, substandard 2.4 states that teachers should have, knowledge of the role of positive
relationships and supportive interactions as a crucial foundation for working with children, with
a focus on childrens individual characteristics, needs, and interests (AGS 2.4) To satisfy this
standard, I can allow children to choose groups based on their similar interests. Seeing any need
for alterations (such as evidence of rejected or neglected children), I can choose to create groups,
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 9
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
too. Likewise, Standard 1, substandard 1.3 states that teachers should promote the development
of self-esteem, peer interactions, and decision-making (AGS 1.3). Through the incorporation of
activities that require choice, I can allow my students to have some autonomy and the ability to
socialize with other peers. Another aspect of teaching that will have an affect on friendships and
peer interaction is the way in which I choose to arrange my music classroom. There may be
instances in which I allow my students to sit by their friends, but by requiring them to sit by (and
work with) other people, I can foster a better sense of cooperation and positivity.
I am certain that my work teaching elementary students will be exciting and challenging.
The elementary school years are years full of such drastic changes in physical, cognitive,
emotional, and social development, and simply knowing what is happening in my students
bodies and minds will allow me to relate to them and teach them better. Children will be making
gains in their gross and fine motor skills at different paces, dealing with Piagets Preoperational
and Concrete Operational stages of thinking, finding out in what aspects of their life they
succeed, and are developing a sense of self-esteem that is directly related to peer interactions.
After learning about these concepts, I feel I have a strong grasp on how to recognize them in
children and develop lessons that will be most effective in teaching my students. My first goal
for the future is to learn even more about specific music teaching methods that deal with the
concepts I have discussed. Secondly, I would like to interact more with children in the
elementary music classroom so that I can observe these developmental concepts first hand and
watch a professional teacher deal with issues that arise because of these changes. Lastly, I want
to have the opportunity to teach children in some kind of guided setting. I want to be able to ask
a professional for help and ideas when necessary and discuss how these developmental changes
affect the students and affect us as our students teachers. In order to accomplish my goals, I plan
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 10
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
within the next three years. These opportunities will also help me to complete InTASC Principle
#1: learning how children grow and develop and implementing appropriate lessons. Seminars on
how to adapt lesson plans to meet the needs of every student, teaching workshops, and my music
education classes will better prepare me to deal with managing a classroom. Also, I plan to
observe teachers in the workplace setting and implement what they do well into my own
practice. Finally, the opportunity to student teach during my last semester here will give me the
most information on how to be the best teacher I can be. I know that my knowledge of these
developmental concepts will help me better to share my passion for music with my students.
HOW DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY AND MIDDLE CHILDHOOD AFFECTS 11
ELEMENTARY MUSIC TEACHING
References
Berk, L., & Meyers, A. (2012). Infants, Children, and Adolescents (8th ed.). Pearson.
Cutchlow, T. (2014, September 16). Why Some Kids Try Harder and Some Kids Give Up.
Hammer, C. (1981). Practicing Piaget in the Classroom. The English Journal, 70(7), 56-58.
doi.10.2307/817481
Ladd, G. Kochenderfer, B., & Coleman, C. (1997). Classroom Peer Acceptance, Friendship, and
Whitcomb, R. (2013). Teaching Improvisation in Elementary General Music: Facing Fears and
organized, positive, and productive learning environment that maximizes students' time on task;
facilitates learning; and encourages student self- regulation, responsibility, and accountability