Why Should You Teach Music In the Classroom

1. Why Should You Teach Music In the Classroom By Lauren Grasso

2. Teaching Music Helps Students Learn By- • Improving Memory • Increasing Attention Span • Helps with different subject areas such as: • Science • Math • Language • Art • History • Physical Education

3. Improved Memory • Music helps students improve their memory skills. Learning something without music can be much more difficult than learning something with music. There are many different ways to use music to aid in memorizations as John Hopkins University summarizes well in this quote- • “Songs, chants, poems, and raps will improve memory of content facts and details through rhyme, rhythm, and melody. Teaching these to students or having them write their own is a terrific memory tool!”

4. Increased Attention Span • There are different types of attention- being able to come to focus and be able to stay focused. Music helps with both. Another great quote from John Hopkins University explains why music helps aid attention. • “The rhythms and tempo of musical sound can assist us in setting and maintaining our attention and focus by perking us up when we are weary and helping us find peace and calm when we are over-energized in some way.”

5. Attention Continued • Music helps people come to attention because it is interesting and varied. There are so many different songs and tunes that could be used to be different. Music also helps people come to attention because it is familiar. There are favorites that people hear, that as soon as they hear it they are singing every word and focused on that song. • It also helps people stay at attention because it is always changing. Music does not stay at one pitch all the time, it changes, develops, and through that helps us keep our attention.

6. Science • The Tuscan Elementary schools use music to help teach their science curriculum. An example of how they use music to teach science is how they use violins to teach about weather. Humidity affects stringed instruments and the teachers have the children hypothesize why that would affect their instruments.

7. Math • In order to be able to read and play music a person needs to be able to understand math. “Music is playable fractions” (Samuel Hazo). Without the understand of how to divide, multiply, or a basic use of fractions and decimals a student could not play sheet music. Often students learn to read sheet music before they can do math, and they helps them be able to do math. When they start learning to do math they already understand it from playing music.

8. Language and Literacy • Music encourages language and literacy in different ways • Through repetitive language that students are able to hear many times in order to learn- I.E.- “The Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed” • Learning rhythm from music can help with the correct pronunciation of words and rhythmic reading • Music is also sung in all languages. Listen to music in foreign languages can help students learn the language more quickly

9. Art • Music is a form of a fine art. It is beautiful and complex. By having students learn to appreciate music you are teaching them the skills they need to be able to appreciate all art forms.

10. History • Music helps students understand history better because of the emotions that listening to music evokes. By listening to the music of the time that you are trying to teach your students about you can have them understand how people were feeling during the time that the piece was written.

11. Physical Education • In order to play music students need to be able to control their arms, breathing, hands, fingers, mouths, lips and many other parts of their bodies. In order to do that students need to have good fine and gross motor skills. • Dance is also related to music. If students are encouraged to dance to music that are not only learning to express themselves, but getting in a great exercise.

12. In Conclusion • Music should be taught in the classroom because of these ways that it helps improve student learning. There are so many ways that music affects the brain and helps students understand concepts. It should also be taught in classroom in order to encourage the student to become a better person. Music teaches students to love life more by encouraging them to see beauty, be compassionate, love more and do good. Music helps people live a more complete life. That is why we teach music.

13. Resources and Materials • 1. Integrating Music In the Classroomhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZFrJQ7ZpVQ • 2. Music and Dance Drive Academic Achievement • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISTUqQeXPcM • 3.  Why Teach Music? one page PDF resource from the Pennsylvania Music Educators  • 4.  Keeping a Musical Beat Linked to Academic Skills   short article • 5.  Music and Learning:  Integrating Music in the Classroom  from Johns Hopkins University • 6.  Promoting Literacy Through Music  from Songs for Teaching • 7.  Using Music To Teach Early Reading Skills  from Songs for Teaching • 8.  The Math in Music and Movement  from Scholastic • 9.  Music and Math