I have only one standing appointment each week with my kids - Music Together class.
We sing, clap our hands, rattle bells and egg shakers and I inevitably sway in the wrong direction when the teacher incorporates movement.
What does this have to do with literacy?
Quite a bit, actually!
The most obvious is oral language development. Songs are, at their most basic level, words set to music. Just like that picture book that you read every night before bed, you share language every time you sing to them. It's not just bonding, it's showing your child another way that words can be precious.
And anyone who has listened to "Let It Go" hundreds of times this winter knows that songs are generally repeated! That's good! Kids progress from listening to humming to singing along with the full lyrics (or some variation of them.) Songs expand vocabulary in an enjoyable and relaxed way! How many kids (and adults) now use the words 'spiraling,' 'crystalize' and 'fractal' thanks to this years Oscar-winning Best Song?
In fact, the way we learn language is quite similar to how we learn music when you think about it. Just like we go from phonics to words to sentences, we similarly progress from notes to tonal patterns to songs with music.
Memorization can also be easier set to music. My guess is the most of you learned your A,B,C's through song and if you are child of the '80's like me, you probably also use music to recite the Preamble of the Constitution. We the People... (Sorry, it's stuck in your head now...)
At the heart of how music and literacy connect, though, is something even more basic. Songs are another way to tell a story. We start most story times in The Scholastic Store with a song for a reason. Music is a fun and familiar way to read together.
How have your children learned from song? Anyone have any favorites?
