It feels like ages since my last post. I spent several days in Paris with my husband to celebrate our 15th anniversary. I got home on Tuesday and he flew on to Rome where he will be for the next week. So, on top of the jet lag (which just about kills me every time i travel) my schedule has never been busier and I'm flying solo with out a husband to help out. I've had to put blogging on the back burner. Until today! I have a few free hours to update the blog and download pictures.
I wanted to talk a little bit about learning through music. I really wish I was better with words to explain my passion for music. Music has been a major part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up playing piano, violin, cello, and singing. And because I love music so much I incorporate it in every single one of my lessons to reinforce topics that we are learning about. Mother Goose Time provides a fun and interactive themed CD each month with our curriculum. This is a great recourse to use daily to when I can't think of a song myself.
I've spent hours and hours researching how music benefits learning. Here is some of the main points of my study.
- Music helps us learn because it will
- establish a positive learning state
- create a desired atmosphere
- build a sense of anticipation
- energize learning activities
- change brain wave states
- focus concentration
- increase attention
- improve memory
- facilitate a multisensory learning experience
- release tension
- enhance imagination
- align groups
- develop rapport
- provide inspiration and motivation
- add an element of fun
- accentuate theme-oriented units
(I've never added video so I hope that it works. I wanted to show some of the music that we sing each day.)
"Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents." --Ludwig van Beethoven
How do we incorporate music every day you ask? Well, as part of our daily circle time we always start out by singing gathering as a group while singing the circle time song, followed by our theme song "We are the Busy Bees". Then we sing our days of the week, months of the year, and patriotic song. We also sing an alphabet song while looking at and touching each letter as we sing. On top of that We will sing one of the mother goose time songs that go along with our lesson. We also, listen to music while we are doing art projects, quite music during snack time, & silly music during play time. I have music for every occasion!
Music can be used to help us remember learning experiences and information. In Active Learning Experiences music creates a soundtrack for a learning activity. The soundtrack increases interest and activates the information mentally, physically, or emotionally. Music can also create a highly focused learning state in which vocabulary and reading material is absorbed at a great rate. When information is put to rhythm and rhyme these musical elements will provide a hook for recall.
I also like to give the students opportunities to see and play instruments from time to time. And because we are a musical family, we have guitars, pianos, keyboards, a violin and cello, a full drum set, a clarinet, and one very old banjo. One of my favorite things to do as a teacher is play my guitar while the kids sing along. Now that I type this, I wonder why am I not a music teacher?
On a side note...This past year, My 4 year old son was enrolled in a music program called "Lets Play Music". If you are fortunate enough to have a certified teacher in your area I highly recommend this program.
Happy teaching friends!
xoxo - Miss Mandy
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