Currents in Literacy

Using Music as a Springboard for Your Reading Curriculum

By Peter Stewart

A child in the womb responds to music as early as to her mother's voice. Mothers have been singing to their children since the beginning of time, cradling and comforting and lulling them to sleep with lullabies. Educators have now discovered how crucial early exposure to music can be. Music can help the brain! One study at the University of Konnigstanz reports that "Exposure to music revives neural circuitry," and that musical circuitry formed early endures throughout life. The College Board recently compiled some compelling evidence that students who have studied music score higher than average on both verbal and math SATs.

Singing has no constraints. It can be done in any time frame, in any space, with no special skill or materials required. We can sing with children on a walk, in the car, or while baking. It can be a part of each day! Music can be woven into the very fabric of our lives.

I know that many of you are thinking "I can't sing!" Of course you can! Your students are not critics, but rather a loving audience. He or she will love your words, your expression, your enthusiasm! In fact, your students will be your own personal fan club. So, let's get started.

Using Music in the Classroom

Successful singing activities start out with music that is repetitive and that respects children's narrow vocal range. Most melodies with nursery rhymes have a 5 or 6-note range and are easily singable. The melody for "Rain, Rain, Go Away" is very easy to sing for it is built on a minor third and has only a three-note range.

Let's start with familiar nursery rhymes. They have been handed down for generations because of their wonderful rhythm and funny rhymes. Children love them for these elements; success is built into each song you sing. These songs provide a wealth of language for the children to hear, internalize, and exchange. Remember Jack and Jill didn't just get a bucket, they fetched a pail! The repetition in each song's lyrics builds memory and mental muscle!

Children can use music in their own scripts and fantasy play. By using a song and acting it out, children invent and try out new roles. For example, while teaching a unit on "The Store," you can act out "Muffin Man," "Simple Simon," and "Hot Cross Buns." Children can experiment with different parts, and can sing in the roles of the narrator or the actors.

Learning comes through involvement. As caring teachers, we reach our students through their minds, bodies, hearts, and voices.

I would like for us to rethink our curriculum and put music at its core. Here are some ideas for using song as an integral part of a theme on apples. In the middle of a glorious fall, you can go apple-picking singing, "This is the way we pick the apples...." The children can count the apples picked, smell and taste the apples, and can dictate experience stories about the trip. Later, they can weigh their harvest and compare that number to their own weights. They can bake apple pie and apple muffins, each time learning a new song, sung to the tune of "BINGO."

Today we're making applesauce
We make it out of apples
A-P-P-L-E, A-P-P-L-E, A-P-P-L-E
Today it's applesauce!

or

Today we're making apple muffins
We make them out of apples
A-P-P-L-E, A-P-P-L-E, A-P-P-L-E
Today it's apple muffins!

The children gain experience in counting and measurement as they cook. They can contribute to a large graph showing who preferred applesauce and who preferred muffins. They can dictate their own recipes, or draw about the whole experience. They can put up a bulletin board about apples, or create an apple tree with pipe cleaners and clay. The song can be sung numerous times. For older children, an illustrated chart with the words provides a direct connection between their experience and printed text. Music provides a context which helps children make meaning of the words they see. Using music connects words to movement and experience. It helps children remember concepts and learn words. Every area of your curriculum can be enhanced with music!

Peter Stewart has been singing with people for over twenty-five years. He has recorded ten cassettes and has recently finished a C.D.