Opportunities for music making in early years (0 - 5 years) settings are vitally important. In order to use and build upon the learning that has already taken place in the home and its immediate environment, early years education should provide children with a rich variety of activities and other experiences in a stimulating and challenging environment.

Free resource: Musical Development Matters by Nicola Burke

Musical Development Matters, created by Nicola Burke and published by the British Association for Early Childhood Education, is a guidance document with an accompanying online resource. The overall purpose of Musical Development Matters is to support practitioners, teachers, musicians and parents to see the musical attributes of young children and to offer ideas as to how they can support and nurture children’s musical development by offering broad musical experiences. Musical Development Matters forms part of the legacy of the Tri-Music Together project. The free online accompanying resource can be found on Youth Music's website.

Early Education online resources

Early Education also offer a number of free-to-download resources on their website for anyone interested in the early years, from parent to practitioner.

The ISM is: