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Singing in the Key of D is Best for the Young Child

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:02:00 -0700

Young children sing in tune best when the first several songs they learn are in the key of D. This key places the child's voice in the optimal singing range, neither too high nor too low, for controlling the pitch. Learning to sing in tune is the fundamental performance skill needed for successful tonal learning.

The pitch "D" above middle "C" is frequently the lowest pitch that is sung consistently in tune by young children without forcing the tone. A successful introduction to song singing is through two-note songs on the tones D and F-Sharp (DO and MI) in the key of D major. This provides the opportunity to sing in a comfortable range, match pitch patterns that are easily learned, and begin developing understanding and an "ear" for the primary tones of the D major chord--the home chord of the key and the foundation of major tonality.

The song repertoire and singing range is expanded by gradually adding additional tones--such as, "A" (SOL), next "E" (RE) and "G" (FA), and then "B" (LA). These tones encompass the range of a sixth (the first six notes of the scale), the usual singing range (or "sweet spot") of most young children. Choosing songs that include pitches higher than this range should be delayed until the child has developed skills for singing the six-note songs in tune. Expanding the singing range downward should be avoided until the voice matures enough to accomplish good tone production on the lower pitches. If a child has difficulty expanding the range in either direction, continue with songs in the basic range to provide further readiness experiences.

Singing familiar or new songs only in the Key of D should not be abandoned until in-tune singing has stabilized and until children have learned to recognize and name tonal patterns (using tonal syllables) that form the song melodies. Utilizing one key helps to stabilize and reinforce the tonal learning and avoid confusion that tends to occur when transposition to other keys is introduced too early or haphazardly.

Choosing song resources for children is challenging because many recordings and printed song collections give little attention to the young child's optimal singing range. Look for programs, such as The Tuneables, that focus on provided singing experiences that are in the best key, are sequentially arranged to appropriately expand the range, and build the tonal understandings needed for musical success and enjoyment.

“Oh, My Child Already ‘Gets’ Music. . . . Really?"

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:19:00 -0700

Sometimes it is easy to be dismissive or even defensive when pressed to consider a new music education program for one's child. Parents sometimes say, "Oh, my child already gets music at school," or "My child has a lot of music activity."

For many young children, this music activity means playing games to music, such as "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "London Bridge," or singing songs about life experiences, such as "The Wheels on the Bus," or about things learned in school, such as counting, colors, and the alphabet. The learning emphasis is on what the words of the song are about, not on what can be learned about the music. This is not teaching music; this is using music to learn about something else.

To determine if your child is "really" learning music, rate the following items with a one (1) if the item is mostly true and a zero (0) if the item is mostly not true or you don't know; then, add up your score:

My child learns music by:

☐ Extending the range of the singing voice

☐ Improving accuracy in singing pitches

☐ Becoming familiar with masterworks of music literature

☐ Learning classic children's songs

☐ Imitating accurate models of rhythmic performance

☐ Imitating accurate models of tonal performance

☐ Performing rhythm patterns in music

☐ Performing tonal patterns in music

☐ Singing tonal patterns using tonal syllable names

☐ Chanting rhythm patterns using rhythm syllable names

What does your score mean?

1 to 3 = having a good time with minimum music learning

3 to 5 = some music learning but much is missing

6 to 8 = above average music education

9 = very good music education

10 = must be using The Tuneables!

Additional features to look for in a music education program include: active participation, interesting and engaging presentations, opportunity for repetition, a sequential curriculum of musical content, cognitive and motor skills development, and parental guidance to support learning. To assure that your child's music learning includes all of these features along with expanded learning opportunities in the home, consider The Tuneables DVD/CD music education program.

The Young Child’s Personal Music “Playlist” (Repertoire): A Context for Learning

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:40:00 -0700

Very young children (ages 0-3) need a personal "playlist" of songs and classical musical compositions to serve as their cultural context for music learning. (See blog: Let's Start at the Very Beginning: Early Exposure to Music-the "Playlist".)

The following lists include important children's songs and classical compositions that are well known and appropriate for every child's "Playlist". Although many more selections are available, these examples were chosen because of their tonal and rhythmic content and their appeal to very young ears.

I. Thirty Children's Songs for the young child's "playlist".

1. Alphabet Song

2. Are You Sleeping

3. B-I-N-G-O

4. Baa, Baa Black Sheep

5. Eensy, Weensy Spider

6. Farmer in the Dell

7. Hickory Dickory Dock

8. Hokey Pokey

9. Hot Cross Buns

10. Hush Little Baby

11. I'm a Little Teapot

12. If You're Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands

13. Jingle Bells

14. London Bridge

15. Looby Loo

16. Mary Had a Little Lamb

17. Mulberry Bush

18. Old MacDonald

19. Paw, Paw Patch

20. Ring Around the Rosies

21. Row, Row Your Boat

22. Six Little Ducks

23. Skip to My Lou

24. Teddy Bear

25. The Bear Went Over the Mountain

26. This Old Man

27. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

28. Wheels on the Bus

29. Where Is Thumbkin

30. Yankee Doodle

(Religious and holiday songs could also be included)

II. Thirty Classical Compositions for the young child's "playlist".

1. Bach: Minuet in G (Anna Magdalena Notebook)

2. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in C Major (Well Tempered Clavier No. 1)

3. Beethoven: Bagatelle in A Minor ("Fur Elise")

4. Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D-Rondo (3^rd mvt.)

5. Bizet: Carmen-March of the Toreadors

6. Brahms: Hungarian Dance No. 5

7. Chopin: Grand Valse Brilliante

8. Debussy: Arabesque No 1.

9. Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No. 3

10. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 1-Bourree (8^th mvt.)

11. Handel: Water Music Suite No. 2-Hornpipe (2^nd mvt.)

12. Haydn: Symphony No. 101 ("Clock") (2^nd Movement)

13. Haydn: Symphony No. 94 ("Surprise") (2^nd movement)

14. Haydn: Trumpet Concert in E-Flat (3^rd Mvt.)

15. Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat (3^rd Mvt.)

16. Mendelssohn: Midsummer Night's Dream (Scherzo)

17. Mozart: Andante in C Major for Flute and Orchestra

18. Mozart: Eine Kleine Nacht Musik (1st Mvt.)

19. Mozart: Marriage of Figaro Overture

20. Mozart: Minuet and Trio for Piano, K. 1

21. Mozart: Rondo Alla Turka (piano or orchestra)

22. Mozart: Rondo No.2 in C Major for Violin and Orchestra

23. Mozart: Twelve Variations in C Major on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

24. Rimsky-Korsakov: Flight of the Bumble Bee

25. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals-The Swan

26. Sousa: Stars and Stripes Forever

27. Strauss: Radetsky March

28. Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker

29. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, "Spring"-Allegro (1^st mvt.)

30. Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, "Winter"-Largo (2^nd mvt.)

(Note: Music enjoyed by children, such as "Peter and the Wolf", that describes a scene or tells a story are not listed. Those compositions should not be avoided, but it is important to include these pieces in the child's "Playlist" where the focus is on tonality, rhythm, and musical design or structure, rather than a story that the music represents.)

www.thetuneables.com

www.musicintelligenceproject.com

“Let’s Start at the Very Beginning”: Early Exposure to Music—the “Playlist”

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:31:00 -0700

Very young children (ages 0-3) benefit most from music learning experiences when they have had a rich exposure to music in the home starting at birth. Such exposure gives young children a personal repertoire of songs and instrumental compositions that become part of the cultural fabric of their everyday lives. Let's call it their "playlist". This is their readiness for learning music in a music education program, such as The Tuneables.

Why have a personal "playlist"?

A young child's personal "playlist" (repertoire) provides a cultural background of experiences, or musical context, for understanding the basic elements of music (e.g., tonal and rhythm patterns and expressive effects). It also helps in learning such performance skills as singing and rhythmic movement. This is similar to language learning. Language learning occurs because of the verbal context provided by learning a number of words, phrases, stories, and poems. Children of families that use larger vocabularies develop better language skills. With both music and language, the richer the context the richer the learning.

What's on the "playlist"?

Very young children should be exposed to a large number of children's songs and classic musical compositions. Include songs that stand the test of time and are generally known. Examples might include "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" (same tune as the "ABC Song"), and "London Bridge is Falling Down." Examples from classical music include "Eine Keine Nacht Musik" (Mozart) and "The Clock Symphony, 2^nd mvt. (Haydn). (See blog: The Child's Personal Music Repertoire-"Playlist" for extended list of recommendations.)

When should the "playlist" be developed?

Start developing a young child's "play list" from the very beginning-from birth. Children, by the age of three, should know and love a number of songs and musical composition (20 or more). Children "know" a piece of music when they recognize it or perform it from recall. They "love" a piece of music when they want to sing it, play it, or listen to it repeatedly.

How do very young children get to know their "playlist"?

Introduce the "play list" to children through listening experiences. These would include parents' and others' singing to and with the children, engaging in singing games, and playing recorded music. Frequent repetition of these activities is important. However, be sure to provide accurate models when developing the "playlist" for singing. [See blog: Children Learn Music by Imitating a Good Model].

What is the parent's role?

The role of the parent is extremely important in developing a child's "playlist"-the all-important context for music learning. The keys are:

Start at the very beginning (at birth).
Choose appropriate music.
Provide good models and recordings.
Provide frequent opportunities for listening.

Getting off to a good start is important for most things in life. This is especially true for music learning!

www.thetuneables.com

www.musicintelligenceproject.com

Music Intelligence Project and Music Education Supporters Contribute to Washington Post Write Up on the Importance of Music Education

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 08:43:00 -0700

The Music Intelligence Project recently contributed along with numerous companies and organizations that support school music education programs to create an eight-page editorial supplement for the Washington Post highlighting the many proven academic, social and wellness benefits for kids and teens who play music.

The supplement was included in the Sept. 21, 2011, issue of the Washington post and was distributed to more than two million people.

Our experts, Drs. Robert and Patsy Johnson provided the article on "Tools for Teaching Young Children ABout Music" on page 6.

Additional highlights of the piece included:

Research studies that prove children benefit academically by playing music
Information about how to get involved in SupportMusic Coalition, which supports music education advocacy on a grassroots-level across the nation
Gallup poll results outlining people's positive attitudes toward the importance of school music education programs and their belief in the long-term creative and social benefits of music education programs for kids and teens
Research on how school music education programs foster creativity, innovation and critical thinking
A Q&A with Ron Manus, the CEO of Alfred Music Publishing, highlighting why music education is important, what is being done to advance the cause and how people can get involved
An article featuring musician Jason Mraz's dedication to school music education programs
Tips and tools for teaching young children about music contributed by Music Intelligence Project
An article highlighting Barry Manilow's commitment to school music education
An inspirational story about how a mute child finds his voice by learning to play guitar
The top 25 things people can do to keep music in schools.

To view the supplement in its entirety, click on the attachment below.

http://doc.mediaplanet.com/all_projects/7703.pdf

www.thetuneables.com

www.musicintelligenceproject.com

The Early Stages of Music Learning

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 15:00:00 -0700

The foundation of a young child's music learning is built on aural (hearing) experiences. These learning experiences progress in three stages: 1. stimulus, 2. recall, and 3. discrimination. Parents and teachers should be aware of these important music learning stages. For any one of them to be missing or partially included reduces the child's learning opportunities and the potential for future musical growth.

1. Aural Stimulus (sensing musical sound in the air)

Music learning begins as early as birth when young children use their aural (auditory) sense to hear and react to musical experiences around them. For young children, this sensory input occurs at a time of very rapid growth in mental functioning and stimulates the formation of the neural structures or pathways eventually needed to process and understand music. Exposure to music listening throughout early childhood enhances this development, and the richness of the young child's musical sound environment influences the strength and amount of neural pathways associated with music learning. Therefore, parents should provide regular and frequent opportunities for quality music listening (see blog: Why Should Young Children Listen to Mozart's Music?). All future music learning depends on this aural stimulus foundation.

2. Aural Recall (sensing musical sound in the mind)

The next stage of music learning is to recall musical sound events. Recall may be either short-term or long-term. For example, short-term recall occurs when a child hears a musical pattern or melody and imitates it immediately. Long-term recall occurs when a child spontaneously performs a musical pattern or melody without an immediate prompt or model. For either type of recall, the musical sound is not physically presented, but it is "heard" (sensed) in the mind. Recall is a learned skill and can be developed through such short-term strategies as parent or teacher demonstration/child imitation, and call-and-response songs, and such long-term strategies as "name-that-tune" game, and asking children to sing their favorite song. Skill in aural recall is the first observable evidence that a child is learning music. Any child not successful engaging in recall activities should continue with aural stimulus activities until readiness is achieved.

3. Aural Discrimination (sensing musical sounds as the same or different)

Memory or recall of musical events makes possible aural discrimination, i.e. knowing when two musical events (e.g. patterns) sound the same or different. For example, children may engage in discrimination learning when listening to the two tonal patterns, Do-Mi-Sol and Do-Re-Mi. A child functioning at an early stage of discrimination learning skill will compare the two patterns by means of aural recall and determine that they are different. Learning activities for aural discrimination include games that children detect or perform pairs of same and different patterns, or children detect that changes have been made in familiar songs. Any child unable to determine sameness or differences in musical sound events could benefit from continued short-term and long-term aural learning activities until a readiness for aural discrimination is achieved. This is a crucial step, because all advanced music learning involves aural discrimination.

A carefully sequenced program of music learning for young children, such as The Tuneables, develops each of these stages of aural sense. This is an important consideration by parents and teachers when choosing a music education program for young children.

For more information about The Tuneables go to: www.thetuneables.com

The Early Years: The Best Time to Learn Music

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 08:17:00 -0700

Music learning, like language learning, must begin early in the child's life. The early years are the period of most rapid growth in brain development. This growth is "wiring" the brain to recognize, remember, and understand the sounds and patterns of music and speech. Individuals rarely develop musical capabilities later in life if their early years did not include learning that involves a rich mix of rhythmic, tonal, and performance skills.

Because music listening skills develop with those parts of the brain that also involve language learning, verbal competence increases along with music learning. Studies have also shown that music learning involving a substantive mix of rhythmic, tonal, and performance skills also enhances the development of those parts of the brain that provide memory, mathematical reasoning, and muscular control. In addition, music learning engages a large section of the brain that overlaps the parts that control general intelligence.

Young children who do not receive the many benefits of substantive music learning at this critical time suffer an irrevocable loss. Young children deprived of important early learning experiences have slowed or even halted intellectual development. This leaves the child with an unrecoverable and diminished capacity for learning important skills and concepts throughout life. This is similar to learning a second language when children, exposed early, have a much greater ability to quickly and easily use that language than those exposed to that language later in life.

For an extended discussion of early music learning, see:

Gordon, Edwin. Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children, 2003 Edition. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2003.

Resource: www.thetuneables.com

Listening to Background Music and Music Instruction in Brain Development

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:52:00 -0700

When the question arises as to whether playing recorded background music for young children provides any benefit, the answer must be, "Yes." This is a convenient and pleasurable way to introduce children to the music of their culture and allow them to become familiar with a repertoire of songs and other compositions. In addition, when the music selected for listening is sufficiently complex, like Mozart's, some benefit to increased intelligence may occur. Most importantly, these listening experiences provide the readiness for structured music instruction.

The distinction between listening to background music and purposive music instruction is the complexity of the mental activity required. When listening to background music, the mind will passively or actively process the music with some degree of understanding. However, when a child receives instruction on how to play an instrument or sing, a complex interplay and coordination of skills must occur. Fingers, hands, feet, teeth, lips, and tongue may be required to make specified movements with precise timing. Vocal chords and lungs must be engaged with the recall of pitch and rhythm to produce a song. The brain, through the eye, must recognize musical symbols and translate them into the simultaneous recall of musical patterns and expression with the muscle movements that create a musical effect.

Researchers have concluded that the multiplicity of experiences found in active music learning can lead to increased cognitive functioning in a wide range of abilities such as math, language, and spatial-temporal reasoning. These conclusions are supported by research into physiological changes in the brain as a result of music instruction and study.

Links to specific studies on music instruction and brain development:

http://www.uwosh.edu/psychology/rauscher/Ed%20Psych.pdf

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/pdf/ps/musiciq.pdf

http://www.musicianbrain.com/papers/Wan_Schlaug_MusicMaking_BrainPlasticity.pdf

For more information go to www.musicintelligenceproject.com and www.thetuneables.com.

Developing a Sense of Tonality

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 13:09:00 -0700

Developing a sense of tonality helps to improve singing in tune, playing an instrument, learning new music, and developing an appreciation of great music. Readiness for developing this sense begins as soon as very young children begin hearing and performing music.

A sense of tonality is an understanding of how the pitches in music are organized around one note of the musical scale—the tonal center. Children develop a sense of tonality as they learn the sound and names of tonal patterns, recognize those patterns in songs they sing and musical compositions they hear, and recall them when performing a new song or creating a song of their own. One common tonality is “Major,” which uses the tones “Do,” “Re,” “Mi,” “Fa,” “Sol,” “La,” and “Ti” and where “Do” is the tonal center, or home tone.

When performing and listening to music, young children become immersed in the flow of melody and harmony and develop an expectation of how the tones from the scale are used to form a song or musical composition. For example, children develop a sense that a song in major tonality sounds “right” when it ends on “Do,” the tonal center. Or, children develop a sense that certain combinations or patterns of tones, like “Do – Mi – Sol” or “Do – Ti – Do,” sound right when they appear in expected orders or places in song melodies.

Children should be given opportunities to practice hearing, performing, recognizing, and recalling common tonal patterns occurring in their music. This practice is best approached through a program of music instruction that introduces tonal patterns in a logical sequence using age-appropriate activities.

Developing the Flexible Voice

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 05:17:00 -0700

Voice flexibility is fundamental to developing a young child's singing voice. The young singer who is still learning to control the voice usually can benefit from exercises and song experiences that extend the singing range upward. Imitating small animal sounds, like birds or mice, or singing on a high note, like C or D an octave above middle C, can be helpful in getting the children to use the upper range of their singing voice.

Voice flexibility expands as singing exercises move the voice gradually down from the higher range to the lower range. For most young children, the lowest pitch of the lower voice range is around D just above middle C. To best develop voice flexibility, young children should have many singing experiences starting in their high range and moving down through the lower range before engaging in singing experiences starting in the low range and moving through the high range.

Some young children, with limited singing experience, tend to sing songs using the "talking" range of their voice and sing tones that we would say are "off key." Most of these children have not yet developed the necessary muscular flexibility and control required for "in-tune" singing. Occasionally, some children may not be able to learn to control their voice in singing, but in most cases, with proper experiences and encouragement, most children learn to sing in tune.

Learning The Beat Through Movement

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:16:00 -0700

The fundamental rhythmic understanding in music is the beat. And, the fundamental way to gain understanding of the beat is through movement. Children are usually successful performing the beats in music when the movement and the tempo (speed of the music) are appropriate for their developmental level.

Very young children are usually successful when they use the lap-pat to respond on the beat. This bi-lateral movement, performed from a seated position, requires only basic muscle coordination. The movements for both hands and arms are the same. Further, the time of impact provides precisely focused visceral (body) feedback for beat accuracy when the hands strike the knees or thighs. Other bi-lateral movements include tapping the head, shoulders and toes.

Many songs encourage clapping to the beat, but one should be aware that this motion requires moving the hands in opposition to each other, thus, presenting some difficulty for some children to perform the beat. In such cases, changing the movement to a lap-pat would be advisable.

Alternating motions, such as marching, can also be employed after children have been successful with more basic movements. However, with this motion, as with all other motions, the tempo selected will have a bearing on rhythmic accuracy. In general, music with a tempo of about 120 beats per minute will be successful for most children. Music that is too slow (less that 100 beats per minute) or too fast (more that 140 beats per minute) may be difficult for young children to perform accurately.

Why Should Young Children Listen to Mozart's Music?

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 06:34:00 -0700

Parents often ask, "What recordings should I have my children listen to?" High on the list of recommendations are compositions by Mozart and his contemporary, Haydn. Among the many reasons given for choosing these two composers, and others like them, is that their music is highly suited to stimulate brain development in young children as well as providing an excellent foundation upon which to develop basic concepts of music.

The next question naturally follows, "What is so special about the music of Mozart and Haydn?" The answer is in the rules these composers use to choose and organize the melody, harmony, and rhythm in their compositions. These rules give an order and structural clarity to these elements. This structural clarity in the music of Mozart and Haydn is what makes their music especially memorable to the young child.

When a child recognizes the structure of music, a specific part of the brain is activated, the same part of the brain that is also activated when a child recognizes the meaningful structure of words in a sentence. In this case, brain activation by listening to Mozart's music and others like it can have a positive developmental effect on language comprehension and intelligence.

Link to a specific study on musical structure and language:

http://www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/levitin/research/levmenonarea47.pdf

Children Learn Music By Imitating A Good Model

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 09:00:00 -0700

Singing in tune and performing with rhythmic accuracy are usually learned by children as they imitate a demonstration or model. The level of skill achieved depends on the accuracy of the model. If the model is accurate, that is, if the singing is in tune and the beats and rhythms are properly timed, then the child tends to imitate that performance. However, if the model is inaccurate, the child's imitation will likely be inaccurate, a well. The models that we provide can teach the whole world to sing in tune— or out of tune!

The critical understanding is that if parents can sing in tune and perform rhythms accurately, the demonstration/imitation process is the most effective means to help children learn accurate musical performance. In addition, carefully chosen recordings can extend the child's experience to additional demonstrations and models, expand their repertoire, and provide the repetition needed for lasting skill development. Most important, parents who cannot provide good musical models should not demonstrate for their children but choose other available resources.

Children usually respond well to a singing model when the tone might be described as simple and clear-a sound that the child can imitate. Also, the vocal model should be in the child's singing range. With the proper model, the parent can effectively encourage the child by saying, "Make your singing voice sound just like mine." (A good model on a recording can do this as well). Male voices— live and recorded— singing songs in the lower octave can be entertaining for children, but they do not serve as effective models for developing the singing voice.

Movement Is Essential For Music Learning

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 09:00:00 -0700

All human performance of music involves movement. We move our vocal mechanisms; expand and contract our lungs; manipulate instruments with hands, arms, lips, tongue, etc.; dance with our feet; jump, spin, sway, and bend with our bodies—all in connection with rhythms and tones of music. In addition, all movements must be precisely timed and executed for a successful music performance. The human capacity to learn and execute a large number of complex movements with split-second accuracy enables 100 musicians to perform together in a symphony orchestra, or an individual to recreate a performance of a solo piece of music over and over.

The movements required in music performance are not casually acquired, but learned after much practice. Such practice can and often involves trial and error as we learn to "remember" the combinations of muscle movements needed for a musical response. The brain becomes "wired" to send a complex set of "instructions" that cause muscles to react at precisely the correct time.

Adding to this complexity of mental activity is the need to simultaneously remember and execute movements and coordinate them with the melodies, rhythms, and harmonies of the music that is being heard or recalled. The complexity expands further when note reading is added to the process. The "wiring" movement is expanded and interconnected, also through practice, to those parts of the brain that process sounds, symbols, and feelings.

Because of its complexity, music learning, with its requirement for coordinated movement, is unique in its developmental impact on the brain. No other learning activity engages so many senses, interconnects so many parts of the brain, and provides so much enjoyment.

Music Curriculum Is Important for Young Children

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:00:00 -0700

Many young children experience music informally through such means as singing games, hearing songs sung on television, music time at preschool, and interacting with parents who feel comfortable providing music experiences for their children. Such informal encounters with music are valuable as pleasurable moments and as readiness experiences for sequential music learning.

A carefully planned and sequenced music instruction program designed for young children goes beyond the informal music play time by starting with the basic concepts of music understanding and progressing systematically into more complex knowledge that is appropriate for each child's stage in growth and maturation. Also, a well-designed program guides children through a progression of performance skills needed for more advanced musical achievement.

The benefits of early childhood music learning as an enhancer of brain development are only realized when the enjoyment of music experiences includes the expansion of skills and concepts. A carefully designed curriculum will assure that the time given to music learning helps the children learn quickly and effectively and provide for long-term musical and intellectual growth.

Knowing The Sounds Of Music: "Training" The Ear

Mon, 17 May 2010 09:00:00 -0700

An important aspect of any music learning is training the ear to know the sounds of music, or what some call the "content" of music. The two basic content areas are tonal (the pitches or tones that we sing and play) and rhythm (the place in time that we place pitches and other sounds).

Although we often refer to "ear training" when we learn the sounds of music, what really is occurring is "brain training". We are teaching the brain to remember and recognize musical patterns that make up the songs and compositions we hear. Children are taught to listen to the patterns, move to them, sing them, play them on instruments, recognize them in music, remember them, and tell them apart from other patterns—all of which is training the ear, and, thus, training the brain.

Helping children to know the sounds of music is much like helping children know the sounds of language. Knowing the shapes and sounds of individual letters is useful in language learning, but little can be communicated with that knowledge alone. Brain training in language is achieved when it processes letters into meaningful patterns to form words and when it processes words into meaningful patterns to form phrases and sentences. Likewise, we don't know much about sounds in music when we encounter individual beats or pitches. But by "training the ear" to process individual sound events into patterns and groups of patterns, we lay the foundation for achievement in music and the associated benefits to intellectual growth.

For an extended discussion of musical patterns see:

Gordon, Edwin. Learning Sequences in Music: [Skill, Content, and Patterns:] A Contemporary Music Learning Theory, 2007 Edition. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2007.

Gordon, Edwin. Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children, 2003 Edition. Chicago: GIA Publications, 2003.

The Brain Grows With Music Learning

Tue, 04 May 2010 09:00:00 -0700

As the developing child hears its native language, responds to it, and receives reinforcement for those responses, the brain forms connections, or becomes "wired," to recognize and give meaning to words and phrases in a language and to process those sounds as cognitive thought. This "wiring" of the brain is the process of developing intelligence. The more interconnections that are formed the more active the brain becomes and the better we can think.

Recent research in brain growth and development finds that music learning also affects the "wiring" of the brain. Studies have shown that music learning in the form of increasingly complex rhythmic, tonal, and performance skills, especially in young children, enhances the development of those parts of the brain that control memory, mathematical reasoning, verbal competence, and muscular control. This enhancement occurs because significant music learning is a widely distributed neural response in the brain and this distribution overlaps those brain structures that control general intelligence.

Parents have typically guided their children's intellectual development by expanding their vocabulary and complexes of phrases and sentences, along with helping them learn basic number sense. However, many parents today, understanding that brainpower is the key to the future in a competitive world, are looking for meaningful music learning experiences that also develop the brains of their pre-school children. They are on the right track when they find programs that focus on tonal and rhythmic patterns in music, work on developing the singing voice, sharpen listening skills, and provide a basic repertoire of music to love and remember.

Links to specific studies and literature on music and brain development:

http://news.softpedia.com/news/How-Music-Influences-Brain-Development-36063.shtml

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060920093024.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090316075843.htm

Does Music Make Young Children Smarter?

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 09:00:00 -0700

Engaging young children in music experiences can have a strongly positive influence on their intellectual development. But you have to be smart about choosing what experiences produce the best result. The key consideration is to make sure the children are actively involved—focused listening, singing, moving rhythmically, playing simple instruments, and forming musical concepts—all with the aim of producing a musical result and knowing that it happened.

The research shows that this multi-sensory and multi-cognitive engagement is what makes you smarter. This means that music programs for young children should actively engage children in musical activities that go beyond passive listening or observing.

Parents can be smart about their young children’s music instruction by choosing instructional materials and programs that are carefully sequenced to provide age-appropriate challenges for music learning and musical skills development. Such experiences provide the foundation for continued intellectual development in music and other cognitive areas.