New music offers culturally diverse and relevant genres for today’s young children
YPSILANTI, MI, November 12, 2018 — HighScope Educational Research Foundation, a leader in early education, releases Big Beats for Young Peeps, a new music collection that’s upbeat, eclectic, and guaranteed to get kids moving. Big Beats fills a gap in children’s music by offering teachers and parents of children ages 0–8 culturally diverse, developmentally appropriate instrumental music that promotes movement and self-regulation skills.
“We noticed that the children in our classrooms weren’t connecting with a majority of the music recorded for young children,” says Erica Hill, Early Childhood Consultant at HighScope. “That’s why we set out to create a music collection that’s relevant and relatable for children to freely express themselves.”
Produced by Chip Dixson, an accomplished music producer who’s worked with P. Diddy, Beyoncé, and Jay-Z, Big Beats taps into different genres not often heard in young children’s musical recordings, including hip-hop, jazz, reggae, Latin pop, and techno.
Big Beats for Young Peeps includes a guide so adults can support children’s movement, executive function, and self-regulation skills — skills known to help children be successful in later schooling and in life — during large-group times, as well as other times of the day.
“Many teachers struggle at large-group time because they’re trying to build children’s self-regulation skills, and, as we all know, preschoolers don’t simply sit and listen,” explains Shannon Lockhart, Early Childhood Applied Practice Manager at HighScope. “By using the strategies in the guide, teachers can foster children’s self-regulation by helping them to stop, think through their movements, and then act on them.”
Big Beats for Young Peeps is available now. Download your copy or purchase the CD by shopping at HighScope.org.
About HighScope (highscope.org)
HighScope Educational Research Foundation is an early childhood leader in pursuit of a world where all children have the opportunity to develop socially, emotionally, and cognitively so they have satisfying, productive lives. HighScope supports the development of young children from birth through age eight by developing and providing research-based, high-quality curricula, assessments, professional learning, and other supports in the context of families and their communities.
HighScope’s roots extend back to the Perry Preschool Project (1962–1967). Launched in Ypsilanti, Michigan and led by Ypsilanti Schools psychologist David Weikart and Perry Elementary School principal Charles Eugene Beatty, the Perry Preschool Project was one of the first early childhood programs in the United States intentionally designed to increase school success for preschool children living in poverty. Today, HighScope’s work can be found in classrooms throughout the United States and in educational settings around the globe.
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