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Music in
Our Classrooms Help Children Learn
Presented by Beth Butler/Creator of the
BOCA BETH
Program
Most of us recall some rhythmic chant or catchy
song taught to us during our early years that often times was used
to help us learn a concept such as the days of the week or the
months of the year. There is a reason why our parents and teachers
used rhythm and music to help us learn back in those days. Learn
some modern facts on why this technique works generation to
generation.
I remember the listening center I set up in my
elementary school classroom as if it was yesterday. It was my first year
of teaching, and I was so proud of that blue denim beanbag chair and
cassette tape listening station that I had put together to introduce
Spanish to my second graders. I had decided not to subject the little
seven year olds to me singing acappella on the tapes I made at home, but
I did incorporate some rhythmic beat to make the learning easier. I
chanted the vocabulary word in English first then in Spanish and
repeated the pair again, leaving time for the student to repeat the
words out loud.
It worked! The little darlings were begging me to make more and more
tapes each weekend, thinking I had no other life outside of being their
teacher. (For those of you who are teachers you can so relate to that
feeling!) And so it was, way back in the early 1980s, I was carrying on
the tradition of what generations of parents and teachers had been doing
which was to introduce new concepts to kids with rhythm and song.
Why does this technique work so well that even as adults we recall a
cute little tune our French teacher taught us to learn the colors in
French or that silly little chant our Science teacher rapped off to us
about the Solar System so that we never forgot the order of the planets
as long as we could recite our little rap out loud? There are many
studies, some recent and some from years back, that explain to us how
music works so well in the learning process.
As adults, we intuitively realize that students who have had the
opportunity to study music tend to do better in school and in life, and
over the years there has been quite a lot of research to support those
feelings. It has been proven that children who study music perform
better on tests. There have been many studies conducted where the
conclusions point to kids participating in music programs show enhanced
academic performance and better social skills.
It is even more astounding to note that a study conducted by the College
Entrance Examination Board reports students with experience in music
performance or courses that involved music scored more than 50 points
higher on the verbal section of the SAT and more than 40 points higher
on the math section. As a parent and teacher that means a lot to me and
my take on the arts in the education of my children.
Music engages children and allows them to learn concepts that sometimes
are difficult without the beat or without the rhythm of a song. It
allows children to remember important facts, whether they are in
history, science, math or language arts. Imagine the feeling of success
a child experiences once he has mastered his ABCs thanks to that little
song placed to the melody of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. You
have seen the delight on many faces of toddlers and preschoolers who
master that twenty-six letter song!
Music helps many children build a level of confidence they might never
have experienced had it not been for music. Children gain nourishment
from music in their classrooms, in their homes, in their daily routines.
Sometimes that child who feels no success in the academic side of school
finally is introduced to music with that one special teacher and the
rest is history (no pun intended!). Drop outs may become drop ins thanks
to a little rap, a simple play of jazz or a classic tune played during
art class for inspiration.
Exposing children to other cultures, other people, and other lands far
from theirs come many times through music. What a lovely way to hear
what the new student in school used to listen to daily by appreciating
and playing the music from his country during his first week in class.
Imagine the impact that teacher makes on the success of this new student
by embracing the culture of this new student, inviting her to bring in a
CD from home or a song book from her childhood. The encouragement it
provides her as a new member of this society along with the world
experience it allows all of the members of the class to have are things
no text book could ever provide with such feeling, such emotion.
Music is the universal language of our world. Whether you speak English,
Spanish, French, Hindu, Mandarin, Farsi, or any of the other thousands
of languages in our world, you will always be connected to your
neighbor, your co-worker, your new friend by music. And it is that music
that should continue to be a large part of the learning you expose your
child to and insist that his school continue to incorporate in order to
bring the learning to life and make the learning fun.
About the Author:
Beth Butler is the creator of the BOCA BETH Language Learning Series for
young children. Find out how fun and easy it can be to raise a bilingual
child. Sample the BOCA BETH bilingual music and movies for free at
http://www.bocabeth.com
Call toll free 1.877.825.2622 or 1.813.244.1432 |
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