Up Beat!

For the past few months I have been working on putting together a preschool music program and now I am very excited to announce that my program "Up Beat!" will become a reality starting in February!

Up Beat! is a preschool music program for children of the Elizabethtown Area School District, ages 3-5 (not enrolled in kindergarten) and their parents.

The current session of Up Beat! will meet in the music room at Mill Road Elementary School on Tuesdays from 3:00-3:30 for the months of February through May 2016.

What is Up Beat!?

In music, an "up beat," or anacrusis, is the unaccented beat before an accented beat or "down beat."  The term "up beat" was chosen as the name for our preschool music program, because I feel that the key to successful students is starting their education before formal education starts in kindergarten, and building connections between home and school educational efforts.  It is also the goal of Up Beat! to create a joyful and up beat learning experience.  Children who have joyful learning experiences are more likely to engage in learning in the future.

"Ana-crucial" Elements of Up Beat!:

 Below is a list of "ana-crucial" elements that Up Beat! will focus on.  The word "ana-crucial" is a play on the words anacrusis and crucial, meaning that these elements are necessary for the development of young learners before they enter formal education.

1. Exposure: There is a lot of research that has been done on how we learn.  Most findings boil down to exposure!  You can't learn it if you aren't exposed to it.  The more you are exposed to something that you need to learn, the easier it will be for you to retain the information and apply it in new situations.  By exposing children to music concepts and other core concepts at a young age, they will be more equipped to make connections to their experiences and learn new concepts in the future.  Up Beat! strives to expose children at a young age to the arts and core subjects.

2. Engagement: In order for a child to become a life-long learner, engagement is key.  If a child is not engaged, he may not want to learn or may not make the deep connections necessary for him to be able to apply his learning in new situations.  However, it is also imperative for parents and guardians, the child's first teachers, to be engaged in the child's learning as well.  Up Beat! strives to build connections between home and school education by engaging the parents and child in the educational process.

3. Exploration: Children often first begin to learn by exploring the world around them through imaginative play and games.  Exploration often leads to opportunities for children to apply their learning in new situations.  Up Beat! provides a safe environment for children to explore their world through imaginative play, movement, songs and games.

Space for Up Beat! is limited and will be granted on a first come, first served basis.  

Please register today!

 To register please, contact me by email (nichole_witman@etownschools.org).