Basic Music Literacy

Basic Music Literacy

---

So, as Reimer says, music literacy is irrelevant in our current society. As someone committed to music literacy then, I see the job I have as a music educator is to make music literacy relevant.

Music literacy

Furthermore, because the rhythms of spoken language are far less restrictive on the reader or performer than musical rhythms, music is seen as much more difficult to read. The singer feels the need to have the song memorized while the reader can stumble over a written word or two without losing the integrity of the "performance. We are not a musically literate society. When parents were by-in-large unable to read to their children they too had to memorize and tell stories rather than read them. While teaching music literacy is problematic for the generalist, I think that whole-language points a way to help overcome at least some of the problems.

First of all we must encourage parents and Early Childhood Education teachers to sing to children. Moreover we must start to produce written materials appropriate for reading, or rather for singing to children. How, one may well ask, can such materials be created when we have already pointed out that most parents, or for that matter, teachers cannot read music?

There are some possible solutions if publishers and educators creatively apply themselves to the challenge. Many books are currently available in which the words to well-known songs form the text. However, if these books include music at all, it is usually printed in small print at the back of the book, often in full score with piano accompaniment. I would like to see these story books produced with simply notated melodies in large print along with the words in the main body of the book.

Such story books would not only provide children the opportunity to see simple, comprehensible music notation, it would also provide the same opportunity to their parents and teachers. This would give these adults "whole music" experiences that could serve to start some of them on the road to musical literacy as well! Currently, even illustrated children's music books have the music densely printed in full piano score. The music notation is clearly not meant for the benefit of the child, but for the musically literate adult accompanying on the piano.

I would advocate that in the story books described, a single line or two of the melody be printed on each page allowing much room for illustrations etc. Music books could have a page with the piano score for teacher or parents accompanying singers, but should also have a page or two with interest provoking illustrations and large, easily decipherable musical notation of melody alone.

Another technique used in whole-language education to make learning relevant to the learner is the use of language labels on everyday objects all around the classroom or home to illustrate words or phrases. Teachers and students place such labels regardless of whether the child has learned the letters and their sounds that make up the words. Such labels could also be used to illustrate written musical motifs.

These musical labels could be developed using several strategies. Teachers could print related familiar musical phrases along with language labels. For instance a sign "door" might have a musical phrase: The classroom clock might have the music for "Hickory Dickery Dock. In order to give children the opportunity to become truly musically literate it is essential that they be surrounded by musical notation in the same way that they are by written language. Another technique for of Whole-language development is to display complete meaningful sentences in the classroom.

These sentences are often generated by the children in morning sessions sharing the news of the day. The teacher writes the sentences down whether or not the children know all the words.

Complimentary Navigation

Some short phrases of known musical notation are also displayed in primary music classrooms. But these are usually short snippets of rhythm or basic melodic notation. One seldom sees complete songs known by the children printed or displayed in the classroom. Another tenant of whole-language is that learning to read and write should go hand in hand and not be isolated into subject areas e. Much of the early reading material is generated by the students themselves as they dictate sentences meaningful to them and the teacher transcribes the child's own language to be read back by the child.

The theory is that children will be motivated to read language they find meaningful more readily than the stilted, artificial primer language patterns generated by attention to a pedagogical sequence. How can such a strategy work in teaching music? Music is not the same as language in that children don't use music as readily and naturally as language to express ideas and thoughts. Music is an abstract representation of sound not a language of intrinsic meaning used to express daily routine thoughts and needs. Yet music is a natural activity for children.

Music is used from a very early stage to communicate and celebrate. How can we connect the early music experiences with writing or representing music on a written page? Perhaps the easiest way for a child to begin creating music of their own is to write new words to known tunes. Using this technique a synthesis of music and written language is possible. One of the strengths of teaching music literacy is the affinity of music and language. The folk tunes of our culture are formed by the language patterns of our language. Singing those songs is an important tool in language development.

Through the music the child is absorbing the lilt and cadence of the English language. This is particularly important in the teaching of English as a second language. These rhythms are very deeply ingrained in native speakers of a language. One major strength of music as a written language is that it notates rhythm explicitly.

Musical literacy: a skill of some note(s)

Unlike language writing, music writing indicates the passage of time and the division of time into graphically visual rhythmic units. Children very quickly learn to read rhythm notation. The only pre-requisite is that the child understand the concept of "Beat. Indeed fluency means to have a "free flow" which in turn implies the easy flow of beat.

A halting lack of fluency is characterized by a lack of regular meter. In fact I suspect that the feel for a regular beat is essential to many other areas of learning apart from music. In language learning, where fluency is the goal, the whole learning process can be viewed as the process of attaching a symbolic representation to the spoken language to the point that it flows as easily as the spoken language.

Indeed the thrust of whole-language, it seems to me is that it seeks to jump into the flow or fluency of the language and its rhythms rather than to analyze and pick apart the flow to be reassembled only when all its individual parts are understood. And finally again it seems to me that the reason to avoid the "analyze and pick apart" of traditional grammar and phonics methods is that in that process many students are lost and discouraged because they lose track of the natural flow and rhythm of meaningful, fluent language. So perhaps music reading can help students discover this kind of fluency.

At any rate, simple rhythmic notation can be used to represent the rhythm of any written phrase. It is not difficult for any teacher, even teachers unfamiliar with music reading, to use rudimentary rhythmic notation to write out the rhythmic pattern of any sentence. Using " " vocalized as "ta" to represent 1 sound per beat, " " vocalized as "ti-ti" , to represent 2 sounds per beat and "Z" rest to represent a beat of silence, any sentence can be notated rhythmically.

To demonstrate take the last phrase, " any sentence can be notated rhythmically. Speech is not that regular and any sentence can also be spoken in several different rhythms. However, by giving children contact with this notation, the flow of language is graphically illustrated. It is also possible to use this notation particularly effectively in conjunction with choral reading activities that require that all student speak with the same rhythm.

This notation system can also illustrate the effect on meaning of differing rhythms in speech. In the example given stress on the "can be" can be! Another step in teaching music writing is the re manipulation of phrases from known song material. Poetry also connects to music because of its rhythm. Whereas finding fluency in speaking poetry takes practice, music has the rhythm built into it.

The score tells students which notes and syllables to stress and which to make longer or shorter. Performing a text in this manner can help students figure out how to do this for non-musical texts without teacher instruction. Both vocabulary and rhymes have a place within literacy and music, and these skills help students become effective language users. Another of the literacy standards for four year olds is being able to talk in front of a group Wiggins For many children, this is a scary experience. In a music classroom, similar occurrences exist when singing or playing instruments in front of peers, teachers, and even parents during concerts.

Through music, students will be able to practice being secure in front of a group. Some children may find confidence in their singing voices where it lacks in their speaking voices, or vice versa. Those who are not confident in either area will simply get more exposure and reinforcement through both literacy and musical experiences.

Other social skills are developed in music classrooms that may not be emphasized within the regular classroom. Music naturally creates a social environment, where students are working together to produce a common result. They become comfortable interacting with peers in new ways and learning from one another by listening. In elementary school, solo time is rare, so most of the focus is on group work. When students do receive solos at a younger age, they learn to present themselves in front of peers and an audience. These musical aspects of learning do not have to occur exclusively in the music classroom, and many sources exist to help classroom teachers who may not be confident in their musical skills.

For example, when older students are learning the difference between primary and secondary sources, teachers can use recordings of the original instrumentation versus modern instrumentation of a Baroque symphony. Auditory learners will hear the difference in sounds and be able to discuss how the modern instruments changed what the composer originally wrote.

Today's selected stories

Many similar exercises can be used when comparing two literacy concepts. For younger students, McEwing outlines ways teachers can use music through songs from their own childhood and big book sing-alongs. Starting with the familiar is always best, and teachers can gain confidence in their own skills if they use songs, chants, and dances that they have known since their school days. This is a good way to introduce music into a regular classroom and sets a baseline for other musical activities. For example, a teacher may incorporate songs during big book instruction. Students can sing the repeated text every time it comes into the story.

From a literary standpoint, students can analyze the characters as the story progresses, and as they get more skilled at this, they can even explore how the characters relate to the music. Teachers should try to involve music in their classrooms in any way that they can because it greatly enhances learning, especially for those who are auditory learners. Literacy is larger than just reading and writing, and it also includes listening, speaking, and social skills that are relevant to communication. These literacy elements are also found in music and can be reinforced through music education.

Other elements of rhyme and vocabulary development also exist both in literacy and music, and students can have enriching experiences in these areas within a music classroom.

Preserving music, preserving culture

Musical-literary experiences can occur within and outside of a music classroom, and teachers can find many ways to incorporate music into their regular schedules. Music has a value of its own right and is not just a tool for literacy education, but it can be used to greatly enrich these literacy learning experiences for all students. Social development theory L. Retrieved September 1, The music and literacy connection. The National Association for Music Education.

Engaging auditory modalities through the use of music in information literacy instruction. Music, movement, and early literacy: Pre-k music and the emergent reader: Early Childhood Education Journal, 35 1 ,

• Uncertain Vision: Birt, Dyke and the Reinvention of the BBC
• Wulfsyarn
• Hell On The Way To Heaven
• Stoics, Epicureans and Sceptics: An Introduction to Hellenistic Philosophy
• The Uplift War (Uplift Trilogy Book 3)