Publishers Weekly
05/17/2021
Koenig, director of Paris’s L’Ecole Koenig conservatory and kindergarten, debuts with an enthusiastic take on music being central to early social and creative development. “Musicking” should be encouraged even in the youngest children, Koenig writes, and her approach centers on exercises that match a child’s cognitive stage. Developmental neuroscience bolsters her case that aural fine-tuning and imaginative improvisation aid developments in musical, linguistic, and social skills, and she shares developmentally appropriate activities for each year from ages one through six (parents can sing “movement songs” to babies, for example, while alphabet songs can help five-year-olds learn to read). Koenig makes a convincing case that music can be used to teach nonmusical topics (songs to help memorize time tables can help with math, for instance), and while her assertion that educators should invest in early music education rather than classroom technology may feel old-school, her research is solid enough that even parents who may not think of themselves as particularly musical will be persuaded to incorporate song into their child’s routines. Educators ready to approach music as a core skill will find these ideas easy to implement and worth exploring. Agent: Zoë Pagnamenta, the Zoë Pagnamenta Agency. (July)
From the Publisher
We need music in our lives now more than ever, so that healthy minds and bodies can develop humane and compassionate values—just what music-making instills. There were statements in this wonderful work that brought tears to my eyes. I hope the decision-makers of the future will heed the message of The Musical Child.”—Herbie Hancock "The Musical Child is full of sensible ideas to try out on newborn and young . . . you will probably want Koenig to move in with you to help with those games-exercises, from clapping to squatting to waggling legs in the air."—The Guardian “A beautiful book, and one that is great fun to read—and which addresses an unmet need. Drawing from her experience as a music teacher, Joan Koenig gives readers the tools to make music with their children during the first few years of life. Her approach is accessible and her loving tone is full of the spirit—of optimism, generosity, joy, and energy—that music instills. I wish I could have been one of her students.”—Nina Kraus, Director, Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory, Northwestern University “In The Musical Child, Joan Koenig helps get music off the stage and back into our bodies, souls, and families. Her examples and exercises are simple and easy to follow, helping any parent get in touch with this timeless gift.”—Silke Rose West & Joseph Sarosy, authors of How to Tell Stories to Children “By matching Joan Koenig’s personal observations as a gifted teacher of young children with the scientific findings of some of the most brilliant minds in the field of music cognition, this wonderful book makes crystal clear how music can be used to develop the minds and enrich the lives of all children. The Musical Child shows us that music holds the key to developing a healthy life full of humanity.”—Charles J. Limb, music cognition neuroscientist, University of California San Francisco Medical Center "Joan Koenig is on a wonderful mission to enrich children’s lives through music."—Dr. Guy Deutscher "Joan Koenig’s The Musical Child blends observation, empathy, experience and detailed research to present the invaluable benefits of bringing up children in music. The natural joy that children have in music, the importance of creativity and the vital role music plays in developing curious, confident and happy young people is beautifully illustrated in a book that abounds with love and fundamentally believes in the deep potential of children. As a family for whom music was there from the beginning, we are happy to recommend this book to all families and to anyone interested in childhood and education."—The Kanneh Mason Family —
