5 Montessori Schools

The Music Environment for All Ages, Montessori Foundations for the Creative Personality

SusanMayclinStephenson1 Comment

The Music Environment for All Ages
This blog post contains excerpts from this 44-page title from the “Brief Montessori Introductions” Series . The text was first published in “AMI Journal, Theme Issue: The Montessori Foundations for the Creative Personality.” It is hoped that this and other valuable AMI journals will be available through AMI digital in the future. Watch this blog for information.

Introduction
The natural urge to sing, dance, make and listen to music wells up from the depths of each person, from birth to death. It can be stamped out at an early age or it can be fostered to enrich all of life. This article describes how important music is to us at every time in our life, from birth to death. But, what is music? What words can successfully describe it? We might as easily try to capture all the most poignant sights, sounds, and smells of childhood holiday celebrations into a single black and white collection of letters on a piece of paper. We may not know how to describe music, but we do know that we don’t want our children to miss out on it. (Page 3) Continue reading →

Montessori Interview – Bangalore, India/Trinidad, California

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Montessori Interview – Bangalore, India/Trinidad, California
This 11-question interview by Madhuri Prasad from Bangalore (Bengaluru), India, appeared in social media recently. For my last blog post of the year I am sharing it with you with the hopes that it brings parents and other educators closer together as we work to help the world become a better place in the future. Happy New Year!

In my exclusive interview with Susan Stephenson, a distinguished figure in Montessori education, we delve into her remarkable journey into the world of Montessori, her inspiration behind the “First Montessori Books” series, and the invaluable insights she has gathered during her extensive career. Join us as we explore the core concepts and messages conveyed through her renowned books, and how Montessori principles adapt to the challenges of the 21st century. We also discuss the importance of practical life skills and self-directed learning, the advantages of mixed-age classrooms, and the significant challenges facing Montessori educators today. Finally, Susan shares her vision for the future of Montessori education and recounts her most transformative experiences throughout her five decades as an educator and author.

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Romania: Montessori from Age One through Adolescence

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Montessori from Age One through Adolescence
October 2023 marked the third trip as a consultant for the Montessori School of Iași, Romania. They have translated five of my books so our communication is deep and successful. There is so much to learn in an AMI diploma course and the observation, creation of the environment, observation and meeting the needs of each individual, goes on forever. Some of what we focused on in the last two visits was protecting concentration by more work being done on the floor (less eye contact), having only one chair per table (less interruption), and abolishing “trained” afternoon napping, allowing sleep only when needed and the possibility of a full day of Montessori work. The improvement at all levels was obvious.

Infant Community, Age 1-2.5
In this environment an order of the day must be kept unchanged so the children know where everything is and what comes next. And, just as with the older children, individual presentations and freedom to choose an activity that meets a need allows for more and more intelligent choice, independent work, and concentration. I watched this little girl approach the music shelves, place a floor mat and a small xylophone on the mat, and play as she hummed along. Continue reading →