Do you wonder what it would be like to have a Making Music Praying Twice program in your parish? This wonderful article about MMP2 in the Diocese of Portland paints a great picture. Read Here.
Making Music Praying Twice is “faith inclusive” for the Catholic child. We recognize faith as an important and, in fact, central aspect of life. MMP2 is not a religion class, but like similar music programs, aims to present the music of a child’s culture in ways that impact daily life. By presenting music from a faith perspective, the child’s mind and body, as well as his soul, are respected and educated.
When young families come to the parish for social and educational activity, relationships are formed. It is a place where they make friends. In offering quality music education at the parish, parents who are normally less interested in “church” activities may be
drawn into parish life, making relationships with other parish members.
MMP2 is deeply in the spirit of the New Evangelization. We look to fill a need that appeals both to faithful families and un-churched and lukewarm Catholics. Families who participate are not ‘hit over the head’ with the faith, and yet the faith is powerfully integrated into the curriculum. ... If parents find a nurturing place for their children at the church, we can attract them to church at a critical and powerful time of their lives, the birth of their children.”
-Katherine Daneluk, Making Music Praying Twice
The Little Angels program includes an extensive manual to help a teacher lead small group music classes for children ages 0-5 with a participating parent or caregiver. Not only is parent involvement best practices for early childhood music education, it is key to truly impacting the religious development of the young child, and bringing whole families deeper into Church life.
Our new Preschool Curriculum is scheduled to be released for the 2017-2018 school year. In the meantime, many preschool and elementary school music teachers use our existing program for a truly Catholic music and movement curriculum, sensitive to the needs of the young learner. The guidance in the manual is particularly helpful to teachers unfamiliar with music education practices and for music teachers unfamiliar with early childhood needs.
Music is an excellent tool in religious education. With Little Angels, you are free to adapt the curriculum to your needs. Pick and choose the songs and activities that can help you with your religious education goals. Each curriculum revolves around both the seasons of nature and the Liturgical Year. You will find several songs each season to reinforce key themes along with guidance for fun movement-oriented activities to use with the music. Movement in the early childhood years is excellent for classroom management and promotes learning and retention.
When operating a choir for the very littlest children, we highly recommend using some activities from the Little Angels program for warm ups and musicality training. Additionally, there are several songs following the course of the Liturgical Year that can be used in concert or in the liturgy. Many directors find this a wonderful way to introduce a bit of Gregorian Chant into the repertoire. The Manual includes pdfs with written music and accompaniment chords, when appropriate. Permission is granted for printing copies of the music for your choir members, as many directors also choose to use some of the songs with older children's choirs.
“By incorporating songs of play, songs of the world, and songs of faith, into one comprehensive CD, we teach children that faith is a natural part of everyday life. So often, our children have separate materials for education, entertainment, and faith. This sends a message that these parts of our life must live in different places. Music easily allows all of these important areas to live together in our lives and in our hearts.”
-Kate Daneluk, Co-founder of Making Music Praying Twice
- Ideal for Preschools, Playgroups, and Religious Ed applications.
- Includes 10 copies of the seasonal CD at a significant bulk discount.
- Comprehensive leader/teacher's guide in PDF format.
- Available in smaller 5-packs to better customize your group size.
- Additional discounts and bonus products with a full-year's package!
