A child's religious sensitivity always starts with music and rhythmical expression. This is because, emotionally, music develops a much deeper level of spiritual awareness than any other form of communication. Therefore, in the Montessori philosophy, musical education can contribute towards a well balanced development and can help an individual to lead a richer and fuller life. In the Western world, there appears to be a need to fill every moment with sound. Music is used to dissipate the pressures of 20th Century living patterns - thus the tendency is for listening to be entirely unselective.
Research shows that such wide exposure to sound has produced a major problem.
Therefore, it is advisable to avoid a constant sound background which dulls the attention and tarnishes awareness of the environment generally. In order to enhance the awakening of the young child's musical sensitivity, it is necessary to follow a kind of ecological education to protect the infant from an overexposure to sounds - the auditory pollution of our days. As said earlier, music is part of the child's environment and can contribute towards the development of a well-balanced personality. Unfortunately, this is an area which has long been neglected in our modern curricula. A systematic and carefully planned listening session is beneficial and fruitful.