‘My favourite song is ‘Walking on Sunshine’. It makes my shoulders wiggle around!’ Joe, aged five The power of music to aid learning has been documented in numerous studies around the world. Learning to play instruments, to recognize rhythm and to read music has been proved to enhance academic performance. Music can be used for specific purposes, such as Don Campbell describes in his book, ‘The Mozart Effect.’ He tells how children have overcome specific difficulties through practicing reading with a metronome on 60 beats per minute. More relevant, though, to those who work with young children, is the fact that music can be used to create an atmosphere that supports the children's emotional development and wellbeing. There are many opportunities to utilise music for many different purposes, beyond the usual timetabled or organised music sessions. Music can be played to create the right atmosphere for various times of the day, for example, to help the children to arrive in the morning in a calm, reflective mood or to help them to relax at the end of a hot summer afternoon. Children thrive on familiarity, so some pieces can be used repetitively for specific purposes, for example to indicate that it is time to begin or end an activity. Some practitioners use the same calm piece of music each day for snack time, finding that when children hear the music they go to wash their hands and sit down without needing verbal direction. Similarly, a familiar piece can be used to signal that an activity is coming to an end. A piece of music can also be used to demarcate the time that is needed to complete a task, for example at tidy-up time or when putting shoes and socks back on after PE. This can be a great help with persuading tired children to cooperate! Music can act as a ‘vehicle’ for learning basic concepts and make this learning more accessible. Parents have known this instinctively for many generations. Just think about how many of us still sing the alphabet to ourselves when flicking through a dictionary! Number songs and rhymes are an essential part of the early years experience and should be included in planning to ensure a wide breadth and variety of material. Many teachers start numeracy sessions with a ‘maths to music’ session where they sing number songs, rhymes and maths songs to well-known tunes or use published tapes and CDs. It is worth considering where there might be additional times to include these songs during the day, for example, when lining up for lunch, handing out snacks or walking to the hall. The use of these extra slots of time can double or even triple the children’s exposure to learning through music, and can aid discipline by making routine activities more fun. Variations of popular songs and nursery rhymes can be used for this purpose For example, one nursery nurse used this adaptation of the song There was a Princess Long Ago to make tidy-up time go with a swing: 'We are the helpers in this room, in this room, in this room, We are the helpers in this room, in this room.' Then: 'We put the aprons on their hooks' 'We put the bricks back in the box' 'We put the tops back on the pens' – and so on! Music can also be used to increase the sense of joy when celebrating the children’s achievements. One practitioner used Louis Armstrong’s What a Wonderful World as a background for a regular Friday afternoon celebration. The children knew that when they heard the song begin, they should get ready to congratulate one another on a great week’s work In The Thinking Child, guidance is given for how to use music in the foundation stage, and ‘The ALPS Approach,’ and 'The ALPS Approach Resource Book' contain music selections under headings that will enable you to make the right choice for each occasion. Here are a few additional suggestions:
To energize:
To authenticate a mood:
To demarcate time on task:
To relax:
Recommended reading:
To purchase these books, or see further lists of recommended reading, click here. International Copyright © 2003 Nicola J. Call All Rights Reserved |
