Zuleyma DeLaRosa
Music in the classroom
Children enjoy making and listening to music, and music experiences support learning in
numerous areas. The article by Jinyoung Kim and Helen Robinson provides insight into how
music supports children’s language learning, reasoning skills, and academic performances. In the
area of language learning, children who receive music instruction showed significantly greater
gains in oral language and reading scores and in the development f phone-segmentation fluency,
the ability to separate words into smallest units of sound. In the area if reasoning skills, music
enhances children spatial temporal reason skills, known as skills that are crucial for learning
math and science. Thirdly, it has been study that children who have received formal music
lessons, as a result have a positive long lasting correlation with IQ and academic ability (Kim &
Robinson 2010) .
The strength of Jinyoung and Helen’s argument go along with teachers who are not
musically inclined or who have limited knowledge. This article suggest four steps for effective
implementing the National Standards for Music Education in the early childhood curriculum.
The four steps for effective implementation for music in the curriculum are, one, read the music
standards, second, learn the music terminology related to the standards, third, implement the
music standards, and fourth, check the music standards (Kim & Robinson 2010) .
As an educator we know from the expressions on our student’s faces that music benefits
go far beyond what can be measured. Music is something students enjoy and as a result of this
enjoyment students can build their confidence through the participation in music. Some
characteristics Jennifer Prescott advocates for music being integrated in the classroom is, music
brings out the best in students, take advantage on their natural curiosity and allowing it to display
in a different stimulating environment. Furthermore, there are students who have given up on
school or has never found their strength academically. Nevertheless, music is sometimes the
motivation needed for those students to show up to school every day. It is important to know
and acknowledge that everyone has a gift to explore and develop. Therefore, not integrating
music into classrooms or taking it away will result in a disservice (Prescott, 2005).
Music and Math
Teachers are being encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary instruction. Although many
of teachers are comfortable using children’s literature as the foundation for interdisciplinary
units, teachers hardly think of integrating math and music in a lesson. Music energetically
involves students in learning and helps develop important academic skills. By using music to
improve children’s enjoyment and understanding of mathematics concepts and skills, teachers
can help children advance access to mathematics through new intelligence. In the article,
Integrating Music and Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom the author expresses, music
improves spatial- temporal reasoning skills, which are essential for learning concepts in relative
reasoning and geometry. Although many teachers may not feel comfortable including music into
their lesson plan, it is important to know integrating music and math does not require musical
training or expensive equipment for your classroom. The author communicates that teachers just
need a few materials for the integration of music in math such as, rhythm instruments, which
students can make these instruments themselves, some chart or poster paper, and a CD player.
Through the article the author provides the reader and teachers a few activity examples teacher
can use in their academic year. The activities the author mentions throughout his article is
targeted by grade levels starting from Pre-K to grade 6 (Johnson & Edelson, 2003) . An activity
the author talks about that demonstrates the relationship between math and music is titled
“Learning Fractions by Creating Musical Arrangements” targeted for grades 4 to 6. The author
expresses musical notations and rhythms offer other ways to explore the fractional parts that can
make a whole.to give the reader a better background knowledge on the correspondence of music
notes and beats, the author says, music often has four beats to a measure, with each quarter note
getting one beat. This four beat measure represents the unit or whole that can formed out of
many fractional parts. It is important to communicate to students the rule of whole notes and the
amount of beats that corresponds, hence students will have a better understanding and will be
able to make a connection to math. For instance the author explains, one whole note get four
beats, the half note gets two beats, the quarter note get one beat, and the eighth note gets one-half
beat. You may ask, how is this related to math? The way math is in involved in this set of notes
and beats is by asking students to study all the ways they can make one whole measure using
quarter notes, half notes, and eight notes.
Music and ELA
The tools for Music and ELA can be categorized through three central themes: First,
music and written text both consist of formal written representation which must be read from left
to right. In both cases however things are written, there is a specific sound to it. There is a
possibility that practicing how to read music notes causes the reading of linguistics notes an
easier task. Second theme is, skills in reading entails an understanding to phonological
differences. Whereas, for skills in music listening involves an understanding to tonal difference.
Last theme spoken in this article is, when students learn the lyrics of songs they may participate
in reading written text. The lyrics of songs are often repetitive and predictable. It is possible that
experience in reading such predictable text may help better reading skills (Butzlaf, 2010).
Ron Butzlaff found evidence that there is a strong and consistent relationship between the
study of music and performances on standardized reading and verbal testing. However, the
author challenges specific findings. The author expresses correlational studies cannot explain
what lie behind this relationship. For instance, it is possible that students who are already strong
in reading choose to study music; it is possible that students who are interested in music are also
interested in reading because they come from families which value both music and reading; or it
is possible that a causal relationship exist, such that either music instruction transfer to reading
achievement or the reverse (Butzlaff, 2000).
In Gretchen and Jill article Integrating Music and Mathematics in the Elementary Classroom,
the author’s knowledge expands further than just involving music with math, but also speaks
about the integration of music within ELA in this article. Within this article the author provides
different activities based on grade level that are helpful for students who are learning how to read
and write. One activity the author discusses is called, “Sorting and classifying rhythm
instruments” focusing on grades Kg.- 2nd grade. For this activity students will be groups
according to their corresponding rhythm instrument sounds. The three groups students will have
to choose from is hit, shaken, or rubbed. After each group had made their sound, students will
have to describe the sounds and the teacher will then help students write descriptive words on aa
chart. Something relate to this activity that can be implemented for older students for grade 5 to 6
us using Venn diagrams to illustrate a rhythm bad. For this activity students will examine and
play rhythm instruments. Then, students can represent them using a Venn diagram. The teacher
should ask students to identify the universal set and the three discrete sets of rubbing, shaking, or
hitting instruments, then create a variety of intersecting sets.
Developing name patterns- students will take turns beating the number of syllables in their
names with a drum while the others listen carefully. Or teachers can do the activity creating
patterns which is, teacher beat a number of syllables on the drum and tell the students to raise
their hand if they believe the amount if beat that was made on the drum is the amount of
syllabules in their name.
Diversity
Integrating experiences with music in the early childhood classroom supports English
language learners’ literacy development such as, Reading, writing, and learning in ESL. One
important point that the scholars Kelli and Sue makes is, in spite of a teacher’s level of artistic
gratitude and musical teaching, the significance of developing creativity and improving literacy
instruction through music is essential in today’s diverse classrooms (Paquette & Rieg, 2008).
The strength of the scholars arguments go along with the arts across learning domains. Out of all
the learning domains presented in the article, there were two learning domains in correlation with
students with disability and music. One domain spoken in the article was social and emotional.
Within the social and emotional learning domain it stated, “Social and Emotional Expressive arts
activities increase attention spans, social skills, and self-awareness. By painting picture, building
a castle, or singing a favorite song, children realize they are capable of doing things all on their
own. They contribute to their environment.” Students who receive special education benefit from
the integration of music in the curriculum. When music is integrated into students with
disabilities classroom there is a higher chance that students attention span increases, social skills
rises, and self-awareness enhances. Another learning domain mentioned in the article was motor.
Motor activities help children become aware of their bodies and how they can move. With the
influence of music students will be able to correlate their body movements with the music. Motor
skills help children explore, learning, and creative expression. The article expreses children need
tohve choices in music. One way we can provide children choices is by providing a placein the
classroom with a CD or tape player and a wide selection of music. Headphone can be given to
students as we
Use music and movement as topics of communication.
Provide opportunities for feedback from children on the types of music they enjoy.
Provide a wide variety of music ranging from classical to lullabies to children's to contemporary.
When working with a diverse classroom as an educator we must plan, select, and implement
activities in the curriculum that can be used differently by different children, depending on specific
needs. Music and movement are important aspect of daily life. Children hear music everywhere
they turn. Music is on television, in the grocery store, and on the car radio. It should be in the
classroom as well. When children hear music in their environment they become more familiar with
music. They then begin to feel more comfortable expressing themselves through movement.
References
Paquette, K. R., & Rieg, S. A. (2008). Using Music to Support the Literacy Development of
Young English Language Learners. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36(3), 227-232.
Kim, J., & Robinson, H. M. (2010). Four Steps for Becoming Familiar with Early Music
Standards. Young Children, 65(2), 42-47.
Prescott, J. O. (2005). Music in the Classroom: A User's Guide for Every
Teacher. Instructor, 114(5), 29-30,.
Butzlaff, R. (2000). Can Music Be Used To Teach Reading?. Journal Of Aesthetic
Education, 34(3-4), 167-78.
Johnson, G. L., & Edelson, R. J. (2003). Integrating Music and Mathematics in the Elementary
Classroom. Teaching Children Mathematics, 9(8), 474-79.
Hutinger, P. L., Betz, A., Bosworth, J., Potter, J., Schneider, C., & Western Illinois Univ., M. (1997).
ArtExpress: A Curriculum for Young Children with Disabilities.