Baby Teacher

Ever wonder what is going on in a baby's brain? Or how you can best nurture a child's natural development? Or why exactly Bach is better than Mozart for babies? This book will explain why. No technical knowledge is necessary, as Shore makes recent neurological findings accessible to all those who come into contact with young children. Everything a baby experiences in his or her first five years is building the foundation of life's learning potential through the formation of neural networks in the brain. Through increasing the complexity of the early childhood environment in developmentally appropriate ways, we can nurture these neural networks. The visionary educational leader must look beyond the traditional boundaries of the K-12 system, and towards the space between the maternity ward and the kindergarten door.

A superb and necessary book that synthesizes and explains much of what we know about early childhood development and discusses many things we didn't know about the importance of music in early childhood development. The chapters on Bach and ployphony and the importance of complex aural stimulus for brain development are absolutely compelling and entirely convincing. Dr. Shore's book is inspired and must be considered a major contribution to the field. I, for one, am headed to the piano to play through my Bach Preludes and Fugues, flushed and inspired anew by the power and depth of this wonderful music., Baby Teacher: Nurturing Neural Networks from Birth to Age Five, by Rebecca Shore is an outstanding book...Early childhood educators will be drawn to this book because it does a great job of bringing together so much of the research and theories about which we study. Parents and others interested in caring for children will find the book offers practical information for the use in enhancing the child's development., Though approaching a theory-based subject, the book is written in a warm, accessible and enthusiastic manner., That music not only calms the savage breast, but is good for human development has long been suspected. Now, Rebecca Shore lays out the case for music and child intellectual development. Readers, and especially young moms and dads, will find her presentation not only interesting but passionate and provocative. Sit back and get ready for the overture. You won't be disappointed.

Rebecca Shore has the distinction of having both a degree in music and doctorate in education administration and policy. She has published numerous articles on early childhood education and has lectured extensively on this topic. She has also produced a series of Bach CDs for children, highlighting the importance of developmental neural network stimulation.