how children might“ experiment with tone through other channels than [ their ] own vocal chords” and offered suggestions, such as“ bells and xylophones and water glasses, drums, rattles, tambourines, and many other... modes of musical play”( Hill 1929, xiii). She also called for teachers to consider children’ s abilities when selecting music to teach and share. This aligned with Hill’ s own practice: She often took careful notes when sharing songs that she and her sister composed so that they could refine and adjust to better meet children’ s abilities and interests( Allen 2016). she said, could allow children to“ listen, sing along, and learn about people from many parts of the world”( Jenkins 2014). In addition to her catalogue of award-winning recordings, Jenkins shared her music at NAEYC conferences and on television programs. As she stated in an interview in 2014 at age 90,“ Music is so very important. It’ s an important way we can communicate with one another, with children, at home, at school, and around the world”( Friedman 2014).
Music Perspectives from NAEYC’ s Journals
The story of music in early childhood education is woven throughout NAEYC’ s history. It unfolds across the pages of NAEYC journals: From the Bulletin of the National Association for Nursery Education( 1945 – 1956) to The Journal of Nursery Education( 1956 – 1964) to Young Children( 1964 – 2024). Music also appears in the pages of Teaching Young Children, NAEYC’ s magazine for preschool professionals( 2007 – 2025).
Ella Jenkins was a pioneer in children’ s music.
Almost 20 years after Hill’ s writings, another early childhood pioneer, Ella Jenkins, began sharing folk songs with young people at a summer YWCA camp. These were songs she had learned in her childhood neighborhood, and they came from many cultures and languages( Smithsonian Folkways 2024). Thus began Jenkins’ s lifetime of work as a musician for children. Throughout her performing and teaching, she stressed the importance of sharing music that allowed children to“ go beyond the culture that they are growing up with”( Jenkins 2014). Folk songs and music from other cultures,
A search across these publications using a combination of the words music, rhythm, and singing produces over 80 articles. In many of these pieces, music is presented as a pedagogical tool for supporting other domains and content areas, including language and literacy; arts and culture; science, technology, engineering, and math( STEM); and cognitive development. Music is described as an important component of an early childhood setting and as a skill and gift to be developed( see“ Music as a Pedagogical Tool” on page 58).
For example, in a 1975 Young Children( YC) article, Evie Kosower shared how music should be one of the areas available for children to explore. She highlighted four kindergarten teachers who worked as a team to allow children to move between classrooms during certain times of the day. Besides outlining the philosophy, guidelines, scheduling, challenges, and family inclusion efforts of this approach, Kosower described a typical day and offered examples of supports for children who
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