Montessori-informed sessions planned around the age group, group size and the rhythm of your day.
Children meet live guitar, ukulele, percussion, movement, song choice, listening and musical pattern within a recognisable structure. The programme changes as the children change, with materials, pace and musical demands adapted to each group.
Every service has different enrolments, rooms, work cycles and available time. These are the parts that stay clear while the final programme is designed around your setting.
This is an example rather than a fixed timetable. Your actual group sequence is built from the children, rooms, available time and budget.
If you already have a programme budget, tell me. I can suggest how groupings and session lengths could work sensibly within it.
An infant session calls for a different pace, scale and musical experience from a 3–6 group. Materials, movement, musical demands and session length change with the developmental stage and the group in front of me.
Voice, gentle live instruments, simple percussion, repetition and quieter listening are offered at a smaller scale and an unhurried pace.
Musical focus: sound awareness · early melody · simple pulse · imitation · visual and auditory attention
Steady beat, singing, gesture, percussion and visible song choices give children practical ways to join, repeat and influence the session.
Musical focus: beat · movement · turn-taking · emerging language · choice-making · familiar musical patterns
Older groups can extend into solfa, rhythm work, movement, ensemble playing, musical games, pattern and simple composition.
Musical focus: pitch · rhythm · memory · coordination · creativity · ensemble skills · child leadership
Session timing is agreed with the service. Younger groups usually need a shorter musical sequence; older groups can sustain more. Group size, room rhythm and the wider timetable all matter.
A familiar beginning and ending help children know where they are. Inside that frame, the group can move, choose, watch, repeat and change direction.
Gather. A familiar opening brings the group into the musical space together.
Listen and breathe. Tingsha chimes and a slow breath create a brief shared listening moment.
Greet and choose. Greeting songs, photographic song cards and visible materials help children recognise what is available and influence what comes next.
Play and move. Guitar, ukulele, percussion, voice, movement, gesture and Key Word Sign using Auslan signs can be woven in where useful.
Close. Instruments are returned and a familiar farewell helps the group move back into the rest of the day.
A recurring programme is not the same session repeated each week.
Familiar songs, rituals and materials create continuity. Observation of the group then informs what is repeated, extended, simplified or introduced next.
Establish familiar rituals, notice participation and learn what catches the children’s attention.
Return to musical ideas children recognise while adding a little more challenge, variation or responsibility.
A rhythm, song, movement, project or children’s idea can become material for later sessions.
As familiarity grows, children can take more responsibility through choosing, remembering, coordinating, leading and creating.
Montemusic brings the musical planning, instruments and prepared materials. Your educators remain the people who know the children, the room and the rhythm of the day. The strongest programmes use both.
“Kym is a great educator whose warmth and energy create an inviting atmosphere for children. Her passion for music shines through in every session, captivating the children and fostering a love for learning. Having worked alongside her, I’ve seen firsthand how her engaging music sessions ignite joy and creativity in her students. Kym truly has a gift for connecting with children, making her an invaluable asset to any educational setting!”
Natasha CondonEarly Years Teacher, Brisbane
“Kym's musical talent and general aura always excelled and never disappointed. Always well received when adapted to her classes for the children at Chalong International Kindergarten and School, Phuket.”
Daniell PillingFounder and Director, Chalong International Kindergarten and School, Phuket
These connections are built into how Montemusic is prepared and delivered. Children choose from visible materials, repeat and refine patterns, move, listen, care for instruments, contribute ideas and work within a shared sequence. Montessori practice and music education meet naturally across the frameworks.
Open an outcome to see how the programme supports it in practice.
Outcome 1 · IdentityHow this is supportedVisible song choices, familiar greeting songs, child-led turns and space to join at their own pace support agency, confidence and belonging.
Outcome 2 · ConnectednessHow this is supportedShared instruments, group rhythm, care of materials and songs connected with people, places and the natural world invite children to contribute to something beyond themselves.
Outcome 3 · WellbeingHow this is supportedMovement, breath, listening rituals and predictable transitions support physical participation, coordination and a settled way of moving through the session.
Outcome 4 · Active learningHow this is supportedChildren repeat patterns, remember sequences, test sounds, improvise and revisit ideas, building persistence, curiosity and problem-solving through active music-making.
Outcome 5 · CommunicatingHow this is supportedChildren communicate through singing, rhythm, gesture, photographic song cards, musical language and Key Word Sign using Auslan signs where useful.
For kindergarten groups, the programme can extend these same foundations through more complex musical roles, patterns, ensemble work and creative decision-making.
IdentityHow this is supportedChildren choose, lead, improvise and take musical roles, giving them practical ways to express preference, capability and growing confidence.
ConnectednessHow this is supportedEnsemble work, shared materials, turn-taking and songs connected with culture, place and nature help children participate in a group and consider the wider world.
WellbeingHow this is supportedMovement, coordinated instrument play, breath and quiet listening give children opportunities to use their bodies confidently and experience changing levels of energy and attention.
Active learningHow this is supportedSolfa, beat and pitch patterns, memory games, improvisation and simple composition invite children to investigate, predict, practise and create.
CommunicatingHow this is supportedVoice, rhythm, solfa hand signs, gesture, visual song choices, musical vocabulary and collaborative play give children several ways to express and interpret meaning.
Where agreed, brief session notes can be provided for educators to draw on within their own planning, reflection and documentation. They are not intended to replace the service's own observations or curriculum decision-making.
Musical understanding begins in active experience before it becomes abstract.
Montemusic draws from Montessori practice and established approaches to early music education. Across these approaches, children first meet musical ideas through voice, movement, instruments, repetition and direct experience, with understanding becoming more conscious over time.
Observation, readiness, independence, order, respectful modelling, choice and freedom within clear limits.
Voice, listening, solfa and musical pattern build aural understanding through a sequence that moves from hearing and singing towards reading, writing and creating.
Speech, movement, body percussion, instruments and improvisation let children explore rhythm and pattern through active, progressively organised music-making.
Eurhythmics connects listening and movement so pulse, tempo, phrasing and musical form are experienced through the body before becoming abstract concepts.
The programme connects most directly with educational programme and practice, the learning environment and relationships with children. Other Quality Areas shape how Montemusic works safely and collaboratively within your service.
Sessions respond to children's interests, choices and participation. Educators can draw on observations from the music programme within their own planning, reflection and documentation.
Predictable routines, calm transitions and age-appropriate instrument use are built into the session. The programme operates within the service's own health, safety and supervision procedures.
Materials are prepared so children can see, reach, choose and return what they use. Indoor, outdoor and undercover spaces can be adapted to support participation without requiring a separate specialist room.
Montemusic is an external programme. Service educators remain present with the children, maintain ratios and supervision, and provide the continuity of relationships that sits around the session.
Respectful pacing, genuine choice, observation and different ways of joining help protect each child's dignity. Children can participate through singing, movement, watching, choosing or returning when they are ready.
Where useful to the service, familiar songs, children's interests and brief session notes can give educators material to share with families or extend within the wider programme.
Professional documents, insurance, child-safety requirements and agreed service arrangements are provided so the programme can sit clearly within the service's own governance, risk and quality-improvement processes.
You do not need to design the programme before getting in touch. Start with the children you have, the time available and what you would like music to add to the service. If you already have a programme budget, include it and I can suggest a structure that works within it.
Age groups or room names
Approximate number of children in each group
Preferred day or time window
Any current interests, routines or programme priorities
