Fill It Up Friday- Music as a means or an ends?
Fill it up Friday
Each Friday we will look at an article to fill up on the whys of teaching.
Let's talk music. Do you use music in your classroom? In many early childhood classrooms it is something that is used in many areas. Transitions and learning new material are two of the major ways music is incorporated in the classrooms I have seen.
In the article The Importance of Music in Early Childhood Dr. Lili Levinowitz pulls in a wide array of research that suggests music in the early childhood arena should be viewed through many various facets.
The first she suggests is in terms of multiple intelligence theory. I love using Howard Gardner's perspective on the multiple intelligences when crafting lesson to ensure balance. Dr. Levinowitz references Thomas Armstrong's work that indicates that intelligence develops through participation in the activity beginning in early childhood.
The paper goes on to state that all children are born with the capacity to learn how to perform and understand their culture's music. My husband would disagree that I ever had that capability. Be lucky you don't have to hear my attempt to perform in the shower.
The article cites work that suggests that from birth through age six children have a critical period where they are able to "unscramble the aural images of music and to develop mental representations for organizing the music." Dr. Levinowitz encourages the introduction of music into early programs through repeated emphasis on these early critical periods.
I like that this shows that music can be the end product. Music instruction for the sake of music. I will still utilize music as a tool for calming or teaching new material, but incorporating music independent of those uses can add another dynamic to the class.
How do you handle music in your classroom? Do you have a music resource teacher or does the responsibility fall on you? Leave me some comments and let me know!
Let's talk music. Do you use music in your classroom? In many early childhood classrooms it is something that is used in many areas. Transitions and learning new material are two of the major ways music is incorporated in the classrooms I have seen.
In the article The Importance of Music in Early Childhood Dr. Lili Levinowitz pulls in a wide array of research that suggests music in the early childhood arena should be viewed through many various facets.
The first she suggests is in terms of multiple intelligence theory. I love using Howard Gardner's perspective on the multiple intelligences when crafting lesson to ensure balance. Dr. Levinowitz references Thomas Armstrong's work that indicates that intelligence develops through participation in the activity beginning in early childhood.
The paper goes on to state that all children are born with the capacity to learn how to perform and understand their culture's music. My husband would disagree that I ever had that capability. Be lucky you don't have to hear my attempt to perform in the shower.
The article cites work that suggests that from birth through age six children have a critical period where they are able to "unscramble the aural images of music and to develop mental representations for organizing the music." Dr. Levinowitz encourages the introduction of music into early programs through repeated emphasis on these early critical periods.
I like that this shows that music can be the end product. Music instruction for the sake of music. I will still utilize music as a tool for calming or teaching new material, but incorporating music independent of those uses can add another dynamic to the class.
How do you handle music in your classroom? Do you have a music resource teacher or does the responsibility fall on you? Leave me some comments and let me know!
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