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.
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 students 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) .
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 ().
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).
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).
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.