Start Date
29-5-2011 10:00 AM
End Date
29-5-2011 10:30 AM
Description
While many students have difficulty to read at the onset of the elementary level, music seems to be an effective way to improve their reading abilities. In fact, numerous approaches have been implemented to facilitate the development of reading abilities. Despite their pertinence and validity, complementary approaches have been put forward to limit the recurring difficulties students encounter at the beginning of the elementary level. Among these, several authors place a particular emphasis on the musical world. This could be explained by the growing number of studies discovering the numerous links between musical learning and others non-musical learning domains. Among these links, recent researches demonstrate the beneficial role of musical education on the development of the written language through the activation of mirror neurons, phonological awareness and metacognition. Correlational studies also show an undeniable link between music learning and reading learning. These results inspired us to examine the steps to follow to create an efficient program of reading instruction that would incorporate music instruction. To evaluate the efficiency of a reading and music program, a quasi experimental study has been designed and performed with second graders. While some children participated exclusively to a reading program, another group participated in a program combining music and reading. This poster will first highlight components that are included in lessons of this second program. Important objectives in reading acquisition will be exposed, such as decoding, fluency, comprehension, morphosyntax and vocabulary. They will be linked with music acquisition objectives such as rhythmic and melodic discrimination. Secondly, examples of different combinations of reading and music objectives of the lessons will be presented such as a way to work on decoding, comprehension and rhythmic discrimination in the same lesson. Finally, some of the preliminary results of the study will be exposed. A list of recommendations will be dressed in order to design reading and music activities adapted for the elementary level. This presentation reach the conference theme as it highlights the importance of music for larger education goals. As reading is considered a priority in education by politicians, the link between music and reading is another way to show that music is not only complete by itself, but is also powerful in general education.
Included in
Music Education and Reading Education: How to Connect Them?
While many students have difficulty to read at the onset of the elementary level, music seems to be an effective way to improve their reading abilities. In fact, numerous approaches have been implemented to facilitate the development of reading abilities. Despite their pertinence and validity, complementary approaches have been put forward to limit the recurring difficulties students encounter at the beginning of the elementary level. Among these, several authors place a particular emphasis on the musical world. This could be explained by the growing number of studies discovering the numerous links between musical learning and others non-musical learning domains. Among these links, recent researches demonstrate the beneficial role of musical education on the development of the written language through the activation of mirror neurons, phonological awareness and metacognition. Correlational studies also show an undeniable link between music learning and reading learning. These results inspired us to examine the steps to follow to create an efficient program of reading instruction that would incorporate music instruction. To evaluate the efficiency of a reading and music program, a quasi experimental study has been designed and performed with second graders. While some children participated exclusively to a reading program, another group participated in a program combining music and reading. This poster will first highlight components that are included in lessons of this second program. Important objectives in reading acquisition will be exposed, such as decoding, fluency, comprehension, morphosyntax and vocabulary. They will be linked with music acquisition objectives such as rhythmic and melodic discrimination. Secondly, examples of different combinations of reading and music objectives of the lessons will be presented such as a way to work on decoding, comprehension and rhythmic discrimination in the same lesson. Finally, some of the preliminary results of the study will be exposed. A list of recommendations will be dressed in order to design reading and music activities adapted for the elementary level. This presentation reach the conference theme as it highlights the importance of music for larger education goals. As reading is considered a priority in education by politicians, the link between music and reading is another way to show that music is not only complete by itself, but is also powerful in general education.