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You are here: Home / Teaching Preschool Music / Best Books and Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

Best Books and Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

May 24, 2014 By Sara Mullett 11 Comments

When I first started teaching preschool music there were very few good general resources available, and certainly nothing like the variety that we have today. I had to search high and low for inspiration,  but gradually over the years I have been able to compile a collection that has quite literally been worth their weight in gold!

Just like a magpie, I have hung on to the most treasured of these books and am very happy to share these links and references with any other teachers and parents who need a little help to get started. A few of these books are now out of print, so a bit trickier to get hold of – it might be worth checking out local libraries in this case!

Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

General Resources for Teaching Preschool Music : Where to Start

Music in Preschool Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

1. Music in Preschool by Katalin Forrai

This is the first book that I would really recommend. I have used it again and again over the years, it’s a wonderful starting point and particularly useful if you are learning about Kodaly alongside teaching, or have little experience teaching preschool music.

This book is specifically for teaching babies to preschool music and it introduces the Kodaly principles right from the start. It includes all sorts of lesson plans, and a large catalogue of songs. It was the first book that I started out with, and when I looked it up on Amazon for the purposes of this post the price is inaccessibly high, presumably due to it being out of print. That said, you can find more information on the book here, and maybe try and get it from a local library.

You Baby Needs Music Teaching Preschool Music

2. Your Child Needs Music : A Complete Course in Teaching Music to Childen by Barbara Cass-Beggs 

Barbara Cass-Beggs pioneered the “Listen Like Learn” approach which has had such an incredible impact on early musical education as a discipline.

Again, this is a great book for those who are starting out. It uses basic Koday principles, encouraging children to experience the music. It has very very simple ideas introduced in a child friendly way, and it another resource I have used countless times and for more years that I would like to admit!

Playsongs Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

3. Playsongs compiled by Sheena Roberts 

This book isn’t so much about the teaching method, but it is an excellent resource for age-specific musical activities. It’s particularly good for people who aren’t used to teaching very young children or babies. It has lots of great ideas about activities, games, DIY instruments and lots and lots of action songs!

The illustrations are wonderful, and really conducive to adapting the ideas to a preschool music class.

Song Library Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

This Little Puffin Resource for Teaching Preschool Music

4. This Little Puffin : A Treasury of Nursery Rhymes Songs and Games by Elizabeth Matterson

On the back of this book it says “no parent or nursery group can afford to be without this invaluable collection” – and I have to say I agree. This is an exhaustive collection of nursery rhymes and songs and is a brilliant reference book. It’s particularly approachable for those who might not have a musical background themselves as it has been compiled by nurseries rather than musicians so is very accessible.

Sing Hey Diddle Diddle Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

Okki Tokki-Unga Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

5. Sing Hey Diddle Diddle and Okki-Tokki-Unga 

These books contain the most popular songs and nursery rhymes, with simple piano accompaniments for those teachers who want to play along. A must have for every music classroom (although you can also check out our free resource section here!)

Musical Activity Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

6. Here are some books that have got lots of finger rhymes and singing games:

Round and Round the Garden Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

Round and Round the Garden by Sarah Williams and Ian Beck

Dancing and Singing Games Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

Dancing and Singing Games by Pie Corbett and Sally Emerson

Bobby Shaftoe Clap Your Hands Resource for Teaching Preschool Music

7. Bobby Shaftoe, Clap Your Hands by Sue Nicholls

This is a great piggyback song book – lots of ideas here and great inspiration for you to try your own!

Three Singing Pigs Resources for Teaching Preschool Music

8. Three Singing Pigs by Kaye Umansky 

I love this book – it’s great for slightly older kids and brilliant for tying together music and familiar stories. It’s wonderfully inspirational and encourages kids to improvise and bring sound effects to their favourite stories.

Filed Under: Teaching Preschool Music Tagged With: Book List, Resources for Teachers

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Comments

  1. Sarantungaa Dashdavaa says

    September 9, 2019 at 2:50 am

    Thanks a bunch, Dear Sara!

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      September 21, 2019 at 8:21 am

      You’re welcome! 👍

      Reply
  2. Michelle says

    January 24, 2017 at 2:50 am

    Thanks for these fabulous resources Sara. I’ve also pinned them.

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      January 24, 2017 at 10:38 am

      Thanks Michelle, There are one or two ‘treasures’ there! I hope you find them useful.

      Reply
  3. Marley Mozart says

    June 2, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    Thank you for your information. Wonderful Blog!

    Reply
  4. sue says

    May 30, 2014 at 3:25 am

    these suggestions look great. thank you

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      June 15, 2014 at 1:51 pm

      Thanks Sue! And thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  5. sue says

    May 30, 2014 at 3:25 am

    thank you

    Reply
  6. Betsy @ BPhotoArt says

    May 27, 2014 at 12:30 pm

    What a great resource, thank you for putting this together! I’ve pinned it 🙂

    Reply
    • Sara Mullett says

      May 29, 2014 at 11:49 pm

      You’re very welcome! So glad it’s useful! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Dianna @ The Kennedy Adventures says

    May 26, 2014 at 11:38 pm

    I can’t wait to utilize some of these ideas with my littles!
    Thanks for linking this information up with The Thoughtful Spot!

    Reply

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