Music and Children
Lesson 1
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” -Bob Marley
Music is God’s gift to man, the only art of heaven to earth, the only art of earth we take to Heaven.
– Walter Savage Landor
Introduction
Music has always been a part of man’s culture. Throughout the history, we can see many
instances where music has a place in our lives. As infants, our parents (especially our mothers) sang to
us lullabies to comfort and put us to sleep. As children we grew up listening to songs that taught us
about the world we live in- places, people, customs, things, nature and events. Music also awoke in
us feelings, right conduct, faith, values and noble ideals, such us as nationalism and love of country.
To an individual, music can be cherished personal possessions --- it may have a sentimental value. As
a collective people, the value of music may be may be greatly multiplied – it may unify people
toward a common goal, or it may intimidate and discourage an opposing foe.
Music – Why Teach it?
Our main goal is to develop in them a love and enjoyment for music -- to teach them how to attain
satisfaction whether they may be Composers, Interpreters, or Listeners.
In teaching music, we must be able to give children equal and various opportunities for them to be
able to experience music as composers, interpreters, or listeners.
Composers

We Allow children, as composers, to contemplate and perceive the world around them, and
let them examine both the common and the rare. We do not expect them to write full song or
a symphony. But give them chances to improvise and experiment on creating musical ideas
based on what they perceived around them. Young children have a naturally “honest”,
innocent, and unbiased perception (schema) of their surroundings
Interpreters

The path of the interpreter is usually that of a performer: he/she is tasked to give meaning and
life to the creations of composers. Children can interpret music either by their ability to “play
by the ear” or reading musical notation, both traditional and non-traditional. Since not one
human being is usually a singer, an instrumentalist, or a conductor. Interpreters may perform
solo, in duets, or as a group.
Listeners
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The listener is not to be judged as a passive partaker in the music-making process. Listeners do
not merely enjoy the complementary efforts of the composers and the interpreter; they are
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the ones to “evaluate”, critique, and try to understand the message being put forth by the
composer and the interpreter.
Listener also investigate connections between music, the composer, the interpreter, and many
other factors, such as historical, political, and cultural contexts. In a way, listeners also
determine through their reception of a musical piece whether it is a success of a flop.
What is the Mozart effect?
In October 1993, researchers Dr. Gordon Shaw, Frances Rauscher, and Katherine Ky made a research
exposing college students to some Mozart’s piano music before taking a spatial reasoning test.
Students who listened to Mozart’s music prior to test scored significantly higher compared to those
who did not. Their research, a one-page article originally titled “Music and spatial task performance,”
was popularized and coined by the media as the “Mozart Effect”.
Benefits of music in child’s development.
1. Music enhances the cognitive skills in reading, language development, and proficiency.
-Early Music training develops areas of the brain related to reading and language,
since music in itself is also a language, and it requires its own notation to read. Lyrics in songs
also help to retain word usage, grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary.
2. Music simultaneously activates many areas of the brain.
-Children learn to perform various skills and all at once when making music, such as;
listening, staying in tune and keeping in time, memorizing, using imagination to convey a
message, using different body parts, and following instruction.
3. Music improves mathematical skills and reasoning skills.
-There is a running joke that most musicians are quite bad at arithmetic. On the
contrary, music employs math extensively. Where some mathematical formulas remain
theoretical ideas, music is very tangible and can be realize immediately by human senses.
Music also teaches reasoning since it teaches and searches for meaning through relationships
between notes and group of notes which in turn determines what kind of sound/s is/are
produced.
4. Music helps in creative thinking.
-Music, like most other arts, is highly subjective. There are some aspects of music that
are not absolute. Children learn that there are many solutions to arrive at a common answer,
or that there may be more than one right answer. Music also helps thinking outside the box.
5. Music helps improve motor skills and coordination.
-For, instance when playing piano, one has to look at the sheet music to read the notes,
use his/her hands to strike the keys, listen whether the notes are correct in pitch and rhythm,
press the pedals with the foot. Activities like these train finer muscle control and coordination
between the brain and various body parts.
Music as an Art , Language, and a Science
To be truly effective musicians, we must have a thorough understanding of the nature of
music. No, it does not require us to be virtuosos in particular instrument– performing and teaching are
two separate worlds. There are those who are good in performing but cannot teach, while there are
some who can teach but cannot perform. Ideally, we must strive to strike a happy balance between
these two. Realistically, especially in the Philippines, we earn a living by being proficient enough in
both teaching and performing music, as the opportunity arises. Being able to do both skills can
contribute to a more enriching and satisfying career.
In the course of our teaching, we should keep in mind that music is unique compared to other
fields, in that it is an ART, a LANGUAGE and a SCIENCE all at the same time.
1. Music as an ART
As mentors, we are to guide our elementary students on how to develop an aesthetic taste of
music, since there are some types of music which are not quite appropriate to be heard by young
children either because these might be too complex or boring or might contain text that are not fit
for young listeners’ innocent ears. These are many ways that music can be enjoyed or experienced
as an art, such as.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
A sense of affinity when hearing familiar;
An emotional appeal when hearing distinct tunes and how they are arranged.
A certain detachment for music that is too complex hard to understand or relate to;
An aware in the use or form;
A sense of recognition whether music is played accurately, with or without a feeling; and
Evokes a mental image or stirs up the iimagination for an idea being put across by the
music
2. Music as a LANGUAGE
Since it is universal language, we aim for children to have the ability to use music as a means
for communication and self-expression. This is achieved through activities that encourage them to
compose simple songs and tunes, and also through listening experiences where they get to
understand how others express and communicate through music.
3. Music as a SCIENCE
Music is an exact science, and it is important that students, as they continually progress in their
learning, would be familiar with technical concepts, such as tonality, compound meters, and the like.
A lack of awareness of music as a science will not help unlocking it being also appreciated as an art.
As guides, we, Teachers, should ask questions like: “When does a child need to know that a key
signature of three sharps may either be “A Major” or “F# minor?” When does this knowledge become
useful for the child?
LESSON 2
Appreciating Music


Merriam Dictionary;
“An ability to understand the worth, quality, or importance of something, having full
awareness or understanding of something”
“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart will find, in every hour, some
heavenly blessings.” ― Henry Ward Beecher


“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” ―
Robert Brault
“Appreciation is necessary for enjoyment in learning and study “
Goal:
As Teachers, it is our goal that our students would attain a similar degree of understanding, sensitivity,
and awareness about music. Music experiences in class should bring enjoyment, satisfaction, and
understanding.
With this in mind, let us know at the definition of “Music Appreciation”. Glenn(1936) noted that it is an
“Effort to give music meaning in the lives of children”. There is not one single way to define what
music appreciation is, so let us not look directly at its characteristics and what approaches are
applicable to ensure that appreciation for music is constantly sustained in our classes.
Here are some notable points to remember when carefully planning for activities engendering music
appreciation:
1. Music appreciation is all about Nurturing a desirable attitude toward music, fostering a love
for the craft.
2. It is Understanding with enjoyment, so avoid the usual class lectures where students have to
memorize facts and information --- let them experience the music for themselves.
3. Creates activities where students can learn Skills with pleasure. This will take some creative
and critical thinking on the part of the teacher.
4. Activities must be tied with a child's interest.
5. Activities must be aimed such that students gain recognition, compare, and contrast
musical details.
6. Extensive use of listening, singing, rhythms, body movements, dancing, and creating music.
7. Listening activities must be always guided, teaching students what to listen for in the music.
8. Multicultural education - Expose students to a wide, diverse range of music styles.
9. Early exposure to good listening material should be established.
10. Perfection is not always the goal! It is not necessary for students to play an instrument
exceedingly well or always sing in tune-enjoying the experience is more important.
In colleges and universities around the world, Arts Appreciation courses are usually offered as
General Education subjects. These are primarily "exposure courses" which give a cursory glance on
the arts, music, literature, and drama among others. In the current K to 12 curriculum, we are given a
chance to plant the seeds of music appreciation early on in a child's life. Every music lesson should
be a music appreciation lesson. Our students may not become musicians in the future, but their love
and understanding for music will always remain with them.
Appreciation for music is accomplished when our students have attained both an intellectual
response ("I know something about that song, it is in E major!") and an effective response (*I love
hearing the chorus of that song, it inspires me to do great things.").