What is Smart Start?
Developed by the Royal Conservatory of Music for over 10 years, Smart Start is an early childhood music education program based on research from neuroscience and cognitive psychology to enhance cognitive development in young children through music-making. The program includes a multicultural, flexible, fully digitized curriculum for ease of use, robust online teacher training, including continuous professional development and teacher support, as well as an app for families to take what children learn in class into their own living rooms.
The Curriculum
This new program includes 36 themed lessons across three age groups: infant, toddler, and preschool and is designed so ECE teachers can facilitate these mini lessons within their classrooms, even if they have no musical background or training. Each lesson is 15 minutes long and includes:
• Fully digitized lesson plan offered through an online platform
• Sing-along audio tracks so ECE teachers are not required to have any musical background or ability
• A fun theme such as space, outdoors, weather, animals, vehicles, and more
• An optional companion book activity that can be done as part of the lesson or separately
• A craft activity that supports the lesson’s theme
• A printable pdf of the lesson plan and lyric sheet
The Teacher Training
No Musical Background Required
Because of the cognitive power of music, we believe in training teachers to learn how to integrate music into their classrooms, empowering them to provide high quality music education, whether they’re musically inclined or not. The Smart Start Teacher Training for ECE Teachers is a 5-hour online asynchronous training and provides ECE teachers with an understanding of how music making develops cognitive skills, equipping them to facilitate an unparalleled learning experience for young children. The training does not require any pre-requisite musical training or ability.
Teachers will discover the link between music and cognition and learn about four of the cognitive skills crucial to learning: attention, memory, perception, and cognitive flexibility. Teachers will also learn about key musical concepts including pitch, beat, and rhythm and how these musical skills lead to enhanced cognitive development in young children. Upon successful completion, teachers will be prepared with both the knowledge and skills they need to successfully facilitate the fun and engaging Smart Start for ECE curriculum.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Define what cognitive skills are and are not
• Discuss how music making effectively develops cognitive skills
• Define four of the key cognitive skills required for learning including attention, memory, perception, and cognitive flexibility
• Define the musical concepts of pitch, beat, and rhythm
• Describe which musical concepts are tied to which specific cognitive skills
• Describe the structure of the Smart Start curriculum for ECEs
• Facilitate a Smart Start for ECEs lesson in a classroom
Music and Cognitive Development in
Young Children
Learning music has significant implications for cognitive development in children. Research consistently shows that engaging in musical activities enhances various cognitive skills, including memory, language, and executive function.
Neuroscientist Dr. Sean Hutchins, one of the co-creators of Smart Start, found that musical training enhances children’s cognitive abilities, linking it to improved verbal skills. Children who were given weekly Smart Start classes at the Royal Conservatory of Music demonstrated increased vocabulary and an increase in letter and number naming speed after only one year of classes. (Hutchins, 2018).
One critical area where music education makes a difference is memory enhancement. Research by Souza et al. (2017) showed that children receiving music instruction exhibited significant improvements in memory recall tasks. Musical training activates brain areas involved in memory retention, thereby enhancing overall cognitive function.
Music education also promotes the development of executive functions, such as problem-solving and attention control. A meta-analysis by Moreno et al. (2011) found that musically trained children exhibited better executive functioning than their non-musical peers, skills essential for academic success.
Learning music can also improve spatial-temporal skills, which are vital for subjects like mathematics. Research by Rauscher et al. (1993) indicated that children receiving music instruction on performed better on spatial-temporal tasks. Furthermore, Hallam (2010) highlights the broader impact of music on children’s intellectual, social, and personal development including increased perceptual skills which impact learning language, increased fine motor skills when learning to play an instrument, improved spatial reasoning involved in mathematics. Hallam’s fin dings reinforce the importance of integrating music programs in education. Learning music provides substantial cognitive bene fits for children, enhancing memory, language skills, executive functions, and social interactions. Integrating music programs into early childhood education fosters both musical talent and cognitive excellence.
