Provost's Speaker Series continues March 18 with "Building Bridges Through Music"
by Sean Kotz
March 03, 2025
Music professor speaks on music and childhood development
On Tuesday, March 18, the third installment of the Provost鈥檚 Speaker Series takes place when Dr. Jennifer McDonel presents 鈥淏uilding bridges through music: The transformative power of music in early childhood education鈥� in the Artis Center at 7 p.m.
The event will explore the connection between music and childhood development in a 30 minute discussion before opening up a question-and-answer session. The public is encouraged to attend the talk which should be of particular interest to educators and parents with young children.
McDonel, an associate professor of music at 福利导在线观看 and the Director of Music Education, has spent many years studying the connection between music and mathematics, especially in early childhood. Her work demonstrates how music can foster cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development, laying the foundation for stronger kindergarten readiness.
McDonel says her collaboration with Primrose Schools, a national network of early learning centers, has played a major role in her work.
鈥淚 won a contract to co-develop the 鈥楬armony & Heart鈥� music and movement program,鈥� she said, 鈥渨hich integrates foundational music skills with social-emotional learning through character development.鈥�
This 12-month, research-based curriculum serves children from six weeks to five years old, offering 150 minutes of instruction per week in two, 15-minute daily lesson segments, significantly more than most early childhood education programs.
McDonel has also partnered with 鈥淶ERO-TO-THREE,鈥� a nonprofit dedicated to improving early childhood education across the country.
鈥淭hrough this collaboration, I鈥檝e worked to make high-quality music accessible to all children, regardless of their background,鈥� McDonel explained.
In this project, she created music-based tools integrating music with STEM education.
鈥淚 composed 44 original songs for the 鈥楶roblem Solvers鈥� curriculum, which helps children grasp foundational concepts in math, science, and engineering while developing musical skills through active listening and movement.鈥�
The result of that has been a multi-album project called 鈥淟ittle Beats: Counting, Shapes, and Sets,鈥� which was under consideration for a Grammy in 2023, and listed as one of the top 100 children鈥檚 albums released that year.
Through this project, she鈥檚 reached thousands of children, parents, and educators across the U.S. and beyond.
鈥淭his project has been a labor of love, merging academic content with music in a way that is both engaging and educational,鈥� McDonel said, 鈥減roviding families and educators with valuable resources to support children鈥檚 development.鈥�
This is the background and research McDonel will bring to bear when she appears in the Provost Speaker鈥檚 Series.
McDonel is excited to share what she has found.
鈥淢y goal is to present aspects of this work in a fun, interactive way that builds awareness of the impact of music on early childhood development and the connections music has across learning in early childhood.鈥�
鈥淚 am looking forward to meeting people from around our community,鈥� she added. 鈥淚 hope I can offer some new inspiration for both educators and parents alike.
No registration or tickets are required for the Provost鈥檚 Speaker Series and the event is without charge. All campus parking is free after 6 p.m. as well.