Smart Start is a program which uses music, supported by other art forms, to teach cognitive skills to young children.Cognitive skills are a natural part of music education. For example, in a class, a child might be remembering a new song, paying attention to the teacher, and switching between tapping to the beat and clapping the rhythm. This kind of activity is good practice for cognitive skills as well as musical skills, and is just one of the many ways that our teachers help to develop these skills.The new Smart Start™ curriculum builds on the RCM's sixty years of fine music pedagogy in early childhood. Under The Marilyn Thomson Early Childhood Education Centre, The RCM has been able to bring together leading subject specialists from across Canada to develop a unique and exciting early childhood program. Together with The RCM's Director of Research, neuroscientist Dr. Sean Hutchins, our early childhood music specialists are allowing a current understanding of cognitive skills to evolve our teaching of music. Also, modern educational practices help us understand that children learn in many different ways and it is important to differentiate the way that we teach to best serve the learning needs of the child. Supporting music with the arts (drama, dance and visual art) creates a full-bodied learning experience, including physical, visual and interpersonal engagement.Children in Smart Start™ develop fine motor control, rhythm, creativity and sophisticated musical understandings through their exploration of a wide variety of percussion and Orff instruments. This learning is wonderful preparation for lessons on a specific instrument later on. Some children will also add a RCM instrumental program, such as the Music Enrichment Program, to their Smart Start™ program. Please discuss with your RCM Student Services Representative which program is right for your child.Smart Start teachers understand that young children learn best when they are engaged by an activity. They are highly skilled in using a great variety of teaching strategies, including stories, play and games. And don’t forget, children naturally enjoy both mental and physical activity. From memory games to creative play, cognitive skill development, especially though music, can be more fun than work.Research plays an important role in the development, evaluation, and continuation of Smart Start™ classes. Our curriculum is based on current psychological and neuroscientific research on the role of music education on cognitive development. Our teachers receive training in this research, and we continue to refine our curriculum and practices based on it. In addition, in order to keep refining and developing our practices, we conduct original research on the outcomes of our Smart Start™ classes. This voluntary research is maintained through community support, and is vital to our continued improvement as an educational institution.
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Upcoming ClassesSmart Start, Age 3/4/5 (class description below)
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* The teaching techniques employed in this course are designed to improve and support children's socialization, fine motor skills, self-confidence, and attention span through instruction in fundamental musical concepts such as pitch, metre, rhythm, dynamic and tempo. Listening skills are developed through exposure to a wide array of musical elements through singing games, basic instruments, and guided listening. Singing, dancing, listening, instruments and multi-arts activities all factor into the Smart Start curriculum. By age four, children start organizing and better understanding their world. Smart Start classes are designed for the four-year old to use their increased attention, organization, and planning to aid their musical creations. Children begin to learn the basics of music theory, and are encouraged to apply their creativity to musical and artistic activities. These Smart Start classes provide the framework for learning a musical instrument, singing, or any other type of musical activity. In this class the children experience the beginning steps musicianship and theory with simple rhythmic and melodic notation.
Jamie Yu
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