ABSTRACT
Music can help to bring people together and create a sense of belonging. Through the incorporation of song and dance, elementary teachers have the opportunity to enhance curricula, nurture a warm and joyful sense of community, and support the development of children's musical intelligence and other thinking skills. Choosing music and musical experiences to enhance children's music development while strengthening the total curriculum is an important goal. Music of high quality that will contribute to a lifetime of music appreciation is readily available and can be used for curricular enhancement. Thoughtful selection and use of music and music materials will help create a brain-friendly classroom environment. With music, children can move; play musical instruments; sing; create their own lyrics, tunes, or accompaniments; or listen with a purpose. Music can be used to introduce a lesson, enliven the content of a lesson, or just provide a 'break' from seatwork.
