Music is very much a part of everyday life at Frog Song. So many children hum to themselves (or even sing full-voice!) while they’re working, we use music as a way to comfort children or to bring them together in a group, and the songs we choose help to orient children to the season and time of year. More recently, a few children have begun to really love Walking on the Line, a quintessential Montessori work that unifies proprioception, gross motor control, and social cohesion.

One of the most exciting things about this school year, though, is the return of a dedicated Music Class! Our Friday morning music class with Teacher Sophie elevates the wonder of music in our classroom environment. Beloved as she is, Sophie is not someone the children see every day, and so they’re particularly enthralled when she leads a gathering.

Sophie begins with a Music Together classic, Hello Everybody, which has a wonderfully unifying effect on the children, as everyone is just thrilled to bits to hear their classmates sing their name. While the songs we sing in regular class gatherings take some work to remember, Sophie chooses songs that involve repetition and are easy to join in on. In our Montessori environment, all knowledge is rooted in the first-hand experience of the child, and it’s especially lovely to see wigglier children pair their actions with song lyrics.

After singing for a good long while, we all join in to dance to Sophie’s fiddle playing. The tunes vary, and the children generally vary their movements with them, but we always dance for a while, then stop when Sophie’s music stops, resuming our dancing when she starts to play again. This kind of stop/start activity is terrifically fun for everyone, but, as an adult in the room, it’s interesting to see how it helps children harness their executive function and self-control.

Our approach to embracing music, as Montessorians and as observers of the individual personalities in the classroom, continues to evolve. Maria Montessori wrote in The Montessori Approach to Music (pp 37) “Reading music is like reading words. It begins when by presenting something written we are capable of understanding it and representing it in sounds. It is a mysterious thing like the matter of the alphabet; only here we have a musical sound to correspond to what is written; these are therefore exercises of reading. ”

Whether it’s a debate about the “right” lyrics of a folk song, the hilarity that comes with making up our own words, or seeing the blend of personal expression and group dance during instrumental music, it’s such a joy to share this time together!

As the Frog Song children have come in from outside lately, they have felt a pressing need to change finto warm, dry clothes. Things being what they are, this sometimes requires a look in the Spare Clothes Drawer. And, day after day, I seem to offer a sweater, sweatshirt, pants, or seemingly-perfect socks that, when held up to the actual child in need of a spare, could not possibly fit. Then it occurs to me, or they point it out themselves: I’m offering something that fit a child last year, but just doesn’t fit any more. 

It’s a reminder of the value of observation, and observation is at the heart of Montessori education. We strive to offer just the right thing at just the right time. When we get it right, it’s beautiful:

Children do real work

Choose their work freely

And their work inspires concentration (which the rest of the classroom community protects)

So how do we know when a child is ready for something? We observe with interest and curiosity, and join in when we see a space for something we can offer.

We allow others to unobtrusively observe as we learn and practice what we know. 

We accept that a work or game that fit last year might well be too small, but with variation, can grow a little larger. By creating freedom within guiding limits, we encourage that variation.

In a world of standardized sizes, standardized tests, and standardized expectations, we worry. Will she ever learn the letters and the sounds? Will he ever learn how to politely ask friends how to join in their game? When will these drawings become representational instead of abstract? At a time of year when gatherings of family and friends can lead to comparisons, it is especially important to extend grace and openness to ourselves, our children, and each other. When a real concern emerges, it is valuable to reach out to people we trust, including professionals like teachers, therapists, and pediatricians. But, absent these barriers to growth, we actively believe that the children to choose challenging work for themselves, work with joy and concentration, and know when to ask for help and when to reach for the next just-right thing.

It has been a wonderful year so far at Frog Song Montessori Preschool. It has been especially fun this year to watch the children begin to see and feel like the classroom is their very own place to learn, work, explore and engage socially! As adults in the environment we try to foster this by sitting back as much as possible and allowing the children the space to take initiative. If we follow the children around and clean up after them then we take away the opportunity for them to spontaneously and independently do it themselves. We have seen a HUGE drive in the children to care for the classroom themselves and below are some photos to see what kinds of things they have been up to!

Fortunately we were able to open last fall with a small group of ten children! With our unique access to the outdoors we were able to open our classroom door and create a free flow situation from the indoor to the outdoor environments. The teachers and children alike have been thrilled to be in community together. After being closed for 6 months it was clear that being together was the best next step for.. EVERYONE! Take a look at the photos below to see for yourself!