The pedagogical philosophy of Toy Symphony builds on the work of cognitive psychologist Jean Piaget and other influential educators who believe that children learn best through an active process whereby they build or construct understanding by interaction with objects and situations in their environment. Music educators such as Keith Swanwick emphasize the need for direct interaction with musical material and the incorporation of the child's innate musical perceptions as part of the learning process.

It is generally agreed that children learn best when they:

BUILD, MAKE OR MANIPULATE
Toy Symphony offers children a range of exciting Music Toys that enable them to interact with music on multiple levels. The toys are intuitive and easy to use, requiring no prior musical training.

ARE ACTIVELY PHYSICALLY INVOLVED
Music educators as diverse as George Odam and W.A. Mathieu have written of the importance of the sensorimotor aspect of music and music learning. Toy Symphony encourages children to physically interact with music through expressive gesture (HyperScore) and direct physical manipulation of powerful tactile interfaces (Beatbugs, Shapers).

COOPERATE / COLLABORATE WITH THEIR PEERS
Communal interaction is fundamental to the musical educational experience. Music Toys such as Beatbugs and Shapers encourage interactive performing networks, so children are interacting not only with musical material, but also with one another.

ARE IN CONTROL OF THIER LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
In Toy Symphony children are at the heart of the musical experience. They are empowered to become music makers in cooperation with the professionals. Through participation in the Toy Symphony workshops, children will come away feeling they have played a unique and special part in making their own Toy Symphony.

ARE FULLY IMMERSED IN THE EXPERIENCE
The sheer scale of Toy Symphony guarantees that children are engaged on a multiple of levels-physical, affective, cognitive and communal. It integrates the three primary music modalities of composing, performing and listening into a seamless whole with children at the center.

PLAY IN A FREE AND EXPLORATORY WAY
Above all else, Toy Symphony is fun! The toys are engaging, easy to use and allow for maximum musical expression, bypassing many of the technical and educational difficulties associated with traditional learning experiences.
Toy Symphony, even in its unique approach to music education, is in line with the aspirations of many music curricula, including the 1994 Music Educators National Conference guidelines outlined in its "National Standards for Arts Education."

The task for all music educators, therefore, is to present children with appropriate objects, activities and situations to stimulate their natural interest and curiosity and enable them to grow as musicians. Toy Symphony meets this challenge in novel and exciting ways.