When you child has a problem with learning you try anything you can to help them. One of the best ways to help them successfully involves using things they love to learn. My daughter loves candy, doing cartwheels and music…. so I choose music.
With my son we play classical, smooth, relaxing music while doing his homework to set up a calm environment. We also play relaxing light music in the morning to help with our routines too. When looking for ways to help my daughter I came across an article written by Sarah Forrest discussing music as a powerful teaching tool. When teaching fourth grade students she has her class listen to music at the beginning or ending of class.
Here are some of the things she found:
Beginning, Middle, End
She has the sign in her classroom that says, “The BME Rule – Every Good Piece of Writing is Following It!” This is a focal point referred to throughout the year as the class writes, reads and listens to music. The class learns that every good writing/music has a beginning (B), middle (M) and end (E). The class listens to music and looks for the B, M, E and does the same in their reading and writing.
Using this technique lets the children grasp the concept. As they look for the composers grab for your attention in the beginning is similar to how a writer grabs your interest in the beginning of a story. Both vie for your attention to tell you a story whether through written word or song lyric. Over time the children are able to tell when an end is coming in a song, the same as the ending of a story.
This technique would also work well for children with dysorthography and problems with comprehension.
Visualization
This strategy in reading is crucial to a reader’s understanding of the text. It is also one that can be practiced with music. When you strip the other processes that may interfere with a student’s ability to read fluently (namely decoding the words on a page), students are free to practice the skill of actually making the pictures in their minds.
Encourage children to close their eyes and describe what they imagine when they listen to music. Then draw their attention to how this parallels with reading. They may see abstract lines and colors, they may see a story unfold, or they may visualize the video that goes with that particular song. Visualization is a huge key to comprehension. Some children not able to describe the text they are reading, practice this skill with music and improve in their ability to visualize and describe their reading. Practicing this skill with music can be very beneficial.
Inferencing Skills
Music can be described using three basic components: pitch (the high notes and low notes in music), dynamics (volume in music), and tempo (music’s speed). Once children practice using these words to describing the music they listen to in an straightforward, observational manner, they can use this knowledge to infer meaning behind the music.
For example, if you are listening to a piece of music that is low in pitch and has a slow tempo, one may infer that the emotion of the piece is sad or scary. In comparison, a piece of music that has loud dynamics and a quick tempo, may be cheerful.
In allowing children to practice these skills with music, they are able to understand the strategies of reading in a different way. For some struggling readers, it is the practice they need to understand what a teacher is asking them to do. For others it is an interesting, abstract way to stretch their minds. Regardless, listening to music is a great way to connect while practicing important skills that will make them better readers.
