Well, surprise surprise, the arts are important for academic success

Robyn Ewing, an academic from Sydney University, has recently been quoted in  the Sydney Morning Herald.  She says research shows that school-children benefit in many different ways from exposure to the arts.

It improves their academic performance, increases their level of engagement and heightens their self esteem.  Yet in many schools around the country, the arts are treated as an afterthought in the curriculum.  NAPLAN is focusing our attention towards "the basics" of literacy and maths, but encouraging a very narrow view of education.

The choir at my son's school is a great example of the value of the arts in the curriculum for everyone, not just a select few.  This year, instead of holding rehearsals at lunch-time, we offered them during class time.  Instantly the choir went from about 25 children to about 100 children, and many more boys turned up.  Some of the kids who came were regarded as "troublemakers" in their class.  Others had learning difficulties.

These are kids who would not usually be willing to participate in group singing, and certainly wouldn't spend their lunch-time in this way. When they first arrived I was pretty daunted by the behaviour issues.  Then a teacher commented that she had never seen a certain group of boys so focused and engaged with the learning process.  Music was a 'way in' to learning that had not yet been explored.

Creative arts can offer a new perspective from which to begin other learning.

Really useful song collections

Taking your young child to music classes?  Do the songs and rhymes go out of your head when you walk out the door?  I remember the same problem. 

There are loads of great resources to help remind you of the words and music.   Three of my favourite books containing early childhood repertoire are:

1. Catch a Song - Deanna Hoermann & Dooreen Bridges

A beautifully organised collection of mostly traditional songs, with words, music, analysis and suggestions for activities.  Fantastic for teachers and parents.

2. Merrily Merrily - Nursing Mothers' Association of Australia (now the Australian Breastfeeding Association)  

In 1976 the Association's newsletter asked members to submit suggestions for children's songs and rhymes, to be included in an Australian collection, and this is the result.  There was also a record produced (now a CD) to go with the collection.

3. First Steps in Music (and many other titles) - Dr John Feierabend.

John Feierabend's collection is based on research in America.  It is brilliant and well worth having.  He's produced a large number of books.  One series of books relates to different stages in child development.  Another slices things a different way, with a book for tickle rhymes and songs, one for circle games, etc.  Dr Feierabend is continually adapting his materials in response to the latest research, so look for recent editions.

These resources are available online through many retailers including Amazon, VOSA,  John Feierabend's website and the Music Works Magic website. You can sometimes also find these titles on Ebay.

Picture: 'Jen Reads' by Jen Waller, http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenwaller/2741703385/

Musical presents from Santa?

How can Santa help with your child's the musical development? He could give:

- musical instruments
- rhyming or singing books
- recorded music
- puppets.

In this post I'll look at some ideas for musical instruments.

Please, please check the sound produced by the instrument. Is it a rich, interesting, satisfying sound, or is it a tinny, grating or electronic sound? Is the sound authentic? If it is a tuned instrument, such as a xylophone, is the pitch correct? Some of them are really woeful, so be careful.

Ideas for presents include:

- slide whistle
- kazoo (good for encouraging them to vocalise)
- maracas
- African percussion instruments
- claves (tapping sticks)
- guiro
- finger cymbals
- drum (authentic)
- bells (choking hazard)
- castanets (the wooden ones make the best sound but the plastic ones don't get chewed!)

For older kids (6-7 years plus):
- marimba
- recorder
- ukelele

I believe the sound quality should not be less just because the instrument is for a child. As a general rule, I avoid anything that needs to be plugged in or needs batteries. The rellies will probably provide enough of those kinds of noise-making devices without Santa adding to the problem!

For nice sounding instruments, the local music shop is often a better bet than the toy shop.

Is This Love

Here's a clip from Isingonthecake's recent gig at the Friend in Hand Pub in Glebe.



Arrangement by Stuart Davis.

Silver Bells

Love the PS22 Chorus - absolute magic. Merry Christmas.

Womb for Learning

According to the QI elves, babies can recognise tunes they have heard in the womb.  I went to a lot of choir rehearsals for Ising On the Cake when I was pregnant, so this means my kids know a lot of 60's and 70's numbers.  But maybe just the alto part.

During one such rehearsal, when I was very pregnant, there were two little bumps on either side of my tummy.  Elbows, perhaps, someone suggested.  Maybe the baby had his fingers in his ears!

Our annual end-of-year bash

 

Very limited tickets - email kerryn.cooper@gmail.com

Update: we raised $4276 for the orphanages.

latest gig for Ising On the Cake - Glebe

"Isingonthecake" busking at Eveleigh Markets

Here's a vid of us at the food markets, busking to raise money for the Cambodia Children's Trust (that's what Stuart has taped to his back).  It was a little vocally taxing to sing above the noise of the markets, but great fun.



Lots of kids came to watch and it was funny to see their reactions.  The kid in the blue cap looked completely mesmerised, as if he'd never seen anything like us before.  He followed us around to all the different spots.  Another little girl really got into it, dancing around.

We raised $415 for the Trust.

Early counting - start with your baby!

In my primary teaching studies, I'm constantly gobsmacked by the amount that children learn before they ever see the inside of a classroom.  So often we seem to take this learning for granted, and only notice it when it's not there.

Today we were shown a video of a young school-aged child who did not yet know how to count.  He knew the names of some numbers, but he didn't know that numbers always come in the same order, and he didn't know that when you count, you point to each item as you say the next number, counting each item only once.

Counting is a fundamental skill - kids have to know how to do this before they will be able to move on to other maths operations. For adults, counting is so automatic that we sometimes forget that our kids need to learn it.  I'm not saying your baby needs to be a maths wizz, but it's great if they know how to count up to 10 when they start school.



How can you help your little one start to count?

• Model the counting behaviour when the situation arises.
• Count everyday items at the shops, in their toybox, on their dinner plate.  Count the steps as you go up or down.
• Start with small amounts, eg the numbers from 1 to 3 or 1 to 5.
• Get them to join in and make it fun.  Maintain an attitude of play. Of course, you know I'm going to say that music can play a huge part in helping young children start counting. 

Some examples of number songs and rhymes for the very young:

• 3 Pink Jellyfish
• 5 Little Ducks
• 2 Little Dickie Birds
• 3 Cheeky Monkeys
• Round and Round the Garden
• Here is the Beehive
• Jean, Jean, Dressed in Green
• Five Currant Buns

The list goes on.  For preschoolers, you can start using songs that deal with the numbers up to 10.  For example:

• This Old Man
• 10 Green Bottles
• Going Over the Sea
• 10 Little Fingers
• 1,2,3,4,5, Once I Caught a Fish Alive.

Some of these songs (eg 3 Pink Jellyfish) actually encourage both forwards and backwards counting.  As usual, there is so much going on when we sing a simple traditional song.  They are choc-full of incredible learning opportunities. Happy counting!

Some real "little drummer boys"

Shake your maracas........or not...

Children's music classes traditionally include some activities with percussion instruments, but new studies suggest a re-think.

Some researchers believe that little children need to feel the beat on their bodies to develop beat-competency, and learn the "feel" of music with different time signatures.

Instruments may hinder this type of learning, providing an unnatural extension of children's bodies, and robbing them of the feel of the beat on their skin.

Of course, instruments are fun, and will probably always feature in children's music classes. This latest research just warns us not to overdo it, and not to underestimate the value of really feeling the beat.

We have always known that some instruments are more suited to early childhood than others. For example, triangles are just too difficult and quite unsatisfying for little ones.

I had always thought that maracas were great for kids because they were easy to grasp. At a workshop recently the conductor made an interesting point. When you shake a maraca, there is a lag between the movement you make and the noise of the beads inside catching up. It's actually quite tricky to keep the beat with this instrument. Of course they are enormous fun, but I won't be using them for early beat-keeping activities in my classes.

Percussion instruments are still fantastic for experiencing different timbre (tone quality) and encouraging children to experiment with sound and really listen. They are also a great motivational device. We just have to be careful how we use them.

Image: 'Play and Music'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96973845@N00/3629719915

Beth Bolton talks about the benefits of early childhood music.

Beth Bolton's CDs are available from the VOSA website (see the links in the side bar). Her lovely song collections expose children to music in different tonalities (modes) and metres (time signatures).

Granny had the right idea

When you were a child, who sang to you? Was it your Mum or Dad? Was it your Grandma?

Dr John Feierabend, the US the psychologist and music educator, has made a disturbing finding. He has interviewed people of different ages, and asked them what songs they sing to children. The older the person interviewed, the more songs they remembered. With each generation, we are losing repertoire. The art of singing and rhyming with children is dying out.

When it came to music, we used to be a participation culture. We sang around the piano, danced together, and used singing and rhyming in games with children.

These days, we prefer to watch other people singing and dancing. We are moving from a participation culture to an audience culture. As for the kids, we think we can out-source all that to "childrens' entertainers".

Parents are told that certain CDs and DVDs are "educational", but Feierabend found that they are actually making our children dumber. Rather than stimulating the brain and turning our babies into famous scientists (as one product seems to imply) they cause the viewer's brain to enter a zombie-like state.

What can we do? It wouldn't be a bad start to ask Nanna what songs she used to sing as a child. Encourage her to pass them on to your children. These valuable "heritage" songs link the generations.

Music and intelligence

We all know that babies are learning a phenomenal amount in the early years.   They learn a whole language, for a start.

In his article Music and Intelligence in the Early Years, Dr John Feierabend graphically illustrates just how important early learning is.  Most neurological pathways are built within the first two years of life, and atrophy if they are not maintained.

We talk and read with children to help them learn our language, and Feierabend believes we also need to be singing, rhyming and dancing with them, to help them learn to be musical.

We cannot wait for the school years.  As the child learns to communicate, talk and walk, they also need quality music education.

It is unrealistic to wait until a child is seven and then throw them into lessons on an instrument, without any preparation.  If they cannot keep the beat, sing tunefully and appreciate the beauty of music, their playing will only ever be mechanical and sub-standard.  A baby needs to grow up knowing music.  As Feierabend so often says, a musical child is tuneful, beatful and artful.  These are the prerequisites for a rich musical life.

Even though music improves many other aspects of a child's learning, musical intelligence is a goal in its own right, and one well worth pursuing. It's a great article.

Concert for Stepping Stones

Our choir's big annual gig is on Sept 19th, and as usual all proceeds go to a great cause - this time it's Stepping Stones Nigeria and we want to try to raise $10,000.

All of Stuart's choirs perform, the Woolaware High concert band is really brilliant, and there's usually a mass choir at the end. It's always a great night.

Tickets are $25 and $15 concession.
Email for your tickets: kerryn.cooper@gmail.com

One Love

A great clip from YouTube - As usual the Africans are the best singers.

Bobby Goes Pentatonic

This is a great vid - you may need to wait a while for it to upload. Bobby McFerrin (the "Don't Worry, Be Happy" guy) is making the point that the pentatonic scale is universal and innate. The pentatonic scale is do re mi so la.

I wish the audience had gone with him when he tried them on a harmony - ah well!

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Bobby does all kinds of great stuff - check the video bar on the right of this blog - it sometimes has his version of Ave Maria.

Who Stopped the Music?

Last Sunday there was an excellent program on ABC Radio National, which reported on the sorry state of music in our public schools in Australia, compared to the situation in many other countries.

Hosted by Stephen Crittenden, the program explores the many reasons for including music in the primary school curriculum, the way this was done in the past, and the way it has been eroded. It also includes some inspirational interviews from people such as Deborah Nicholson from The Song Room.

School music has fared badly in the wake of the recent "back to basics" movement in Australia. This is a seriously backward step. The radio program includes details of recent research which shows that if children do not have music before the age of 7, a critical period for learning is missed.

A hundred years ago our teachers were better equipped in this area than they are today.

You can read the transcript or play back the audio from here.

Image: 'So happy =)'
www.flickr.com/photos/97831130@N00/1066368855

PS22 - Forever Young

Check this out - these guys use contemporary songs, but have avoided all the usual pitfalls (eg inappropriate lyrics for kids, singing too low or too loud). They sing from the heart and they sing in tune with harmonies.