Name: Edith Blackwood-Slater
Instructor: Professor Aprile
Assignment: Reading Response

Reading Response
In the article Leaps and Bounds, the author clearly demonstrates the many reasons music matters in the early educational development of young children. Firstly, when music is part of their learning experience, children have a greater motivation to communicate with the world. Music may provide their first exposure to the existence and richness of their own culture as well as the heritage and culture of other people. Music is a non-verbal form of communication and can bridge the cultural divides between people of different backgrounds.
According to Miche (2002) music is vital to the development of language and listening skills, both music and language arts consists of symbols and ideas the combination of which make abstract concepts become more concrete. Music activities can improve attention span and memory and increase vocabulary (Bayless and Ramsey 2004). Shaw (2003) reports that children in music training score significantly higher in spatial temporal reasoning which is the kind of reasoning used in higher levels of science and math. Reports show that music can help children meet early learning standards including those in literacy and math. Most importantly music offers children the development of an appreciation for beauty. My observation of using music in the classroom is that it creates a mood for students which help them to be more focused and engaged in an activity when they can listen to steady beats, sing along or move to a rhythm especially one with which they are familiar.
Research suggests that math and music are related in the brain from very young. Music rhythm such as steady beat, rhythm, melody and tempo possesses inherent math principles such as spatial properties, sequencing, counting, patterning and one to one correspondence Bengtson et al. (2008) and Zentner and Eerola (2010) found that 120 infants 5-24 months were more engaged with rhythm only stimuli, than with speech-only stimuli. This innate capability to responds pattern in music indicates that teaching patterns through music at an early age may benefit children’s cognition abilities (Bell et al). Preschool children can recognize ,describe, extend and create patterns ( Van der Heyden et al.2011) Edelson and Johnson (2003) found that music enriches the mathematical learning environment for children because such activities are infused with a degree of pleasurable intensity, promote the fun of learning and allow the child to be an active participant. The Danielson framework for teacher effectiveness stress the importance for teachers to plan and deliver a rich and rigorous instruction that is engaging for all students. Students are engaged when there is activity to motivate and maintain their interest. Music is essential in all stages of a child’s learning and development.
Music is a powerful shaping force for listening to and especially playing; it encourages many different areas of the brain, all of which must work in tandem from reading musical notation and coordinating fine muscle movement in the hands to evaluating and expressing rhythm and pitch, to associating music with memories and emotion, (Sacks, 2011, p. A19) From this perspective it is clear that including music in the curriculum as a content, a process and product is essential to the ease of learning other content and the aesthetic development of the whole child.
According to Gardener, Music intelligence entails skills in the performance, composition and appreciation of musical patterns. Oran Ethkin, world jazz musician points out that if music is to be regarded as a language then it should be taught in the natural way in which children acquire language in their formative years. Music should be learned through immersion, not imposed, formulaic structures. As the writer points out in his book “Young Children and the Arts, the use of echoes, call and response, and embedded musical cues are integral to young children learning songs and music. These strategies provide ample opportunity for creativity. The traditional practice of using rhymes and songs to facilitate rote memorization has been supported by Campabello et al (2002) that song is a useful mnemonic device to aid in the memory of facts, skills or concepts. Much of the curricular material now used in the Charter Schools incorporates the traditional use of mnemonics in instructions to engage students and improve retention.
In summary, there is ample evidence from research findings that there is high correlation between students’ academic performance, creativity and aesthetic awareness when music is infused in the curriculum. The focus now is for educators to invoke the senses of children from the early stages of development by providing them with meaningful music experiences.

Grade Levels: Preschool – 2nd grade
Duration: 20-30 minutes
Standard: Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts Students will actively engage in the processes that constitute creation and performance in the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) and participate in various roles in the arts.
Source:
Song: to tune of Are You Sleeping “Frere Jacques”
Musical Objectives: At the end of this activity the students will:
• Introduce their name by singing
• Sing a song by repetition
• Play instruments and create movements to the song
• Identify rhythmic pattern
Musical Concept: Repetition in music
Musical Skills: Singing in unison, counting beats, social awareness, language and listening
Materials Needed: tape recorder chart with song, rhythm instruments- shakers, bells triangle
Activity: Teaching a song
Lesson Sequence
Today we are going to learn a welcome song to sing in our morning meeting class
First discuss with class how important it is to feel welcome when you go to a new place or with a group of people you don’t know. This week we are in a new class and you are going to learn lots of new things. First we are going to learn each other’s name.
I will say my name and then I will point to you in the circle and ask what your name is. You will reply my name is …… then point to the person next to you and ask what your name is until everyone says their name.
2. Now we are going to learn a song, Teacher model singing the entire song for the children with her name. Sing song twice then have students sing with me using their name. Sing with individual students to help develop confidence, and then have students sing by themselves.
Include movement by directing students to wave hands when singing hello and shake hands with partner when singing how are you.
Teacher:
Hello Friends, Hello Friends).
How are you? How are you?
Glad to see you here.
Welcome! Welcome!

Hello friends, hello friends
What’s your name? What’s your name?
We’ve got to know you
So tell us your name. Tell us your name
Child:
I am (name), I am (name).
That’s my name, that’s my name.
I am glad to be here,
I am glad to be here.
At school today, at school today.
3. Tell the children, “Now we are going to add some more rhythm using a musical instrument.”
4. Pass around basket and have students select an instrument, tell them the name of instrument and have them make sounds. Then sing song again and invite students to play instrument when you raise your hand.
Records singing then play back for class to hear.
Closure: “Songs can have the same words that repeat more than once. Who can tell me some lines in the song that are repeated? ”