Surprising Insights: Literacy and Music?

1. Surprising Insights: Literacy and Music? Music Across the Curriculum Darlene M. Michener, Ph.D. - CSULA Holly A. Reed, M.Ed., Vista School District

2. When the economy slows, many districtscutpieces of the Curriculum. Quick Fix? Poor Solution? You decide. ..

3. Let’s examine - research…1of those “pieces” often cutfrom the curriculum…“Music” Literacy & Music “I.Q. Test” We’ll use a Fun Little

4. Water Music Jot down your answers to the following Questions… (Handel) • Does music increase the power of the Brain? • Music can’t really increase Reading Achievement Test Scores…or can it? • Can Music contribute to increasing the literacy skills of At-Risk students? • Can music help studentsReadbetter? • Does music help students - learn language, and assist with - second language acquisition?

5. Music in the schools increases Attendance(thereby enhancing literacy). --True or False? • Can learning through music increase achievement in Other Curricular areas? • Is there any evidence that increased literacy through music, helps more students get into and do better inCollege? ------------------------------------------- Bonus Question Which is proper? “Egg yolks is white” “Egg yolks are white”

6. 1. Does Music increasethe Power of the Brain? “Think” You better think (think) think about what you're trying to do to me. Yeah, think (think, think), let your mind go, let yourself be free.

7. Latest Brain Research …beginning to show… • Music Education increases “Neuroplasticity” (….“changes in neural pathways and synapses” ) (~ Piaget’s Assimilation and Accommodation) …actually “Physically” increasesBrainDevelopment(Wesson, 2003) For example - Section of the Brainresponsible for Planning, Coordination, (the front of the corpus callosum that connects the two sides of the prefrontal cortex) Substantially Largerfor musicians(Begley, 2000) …Musicians become more efficient at - Organizing - Multi-tasking(Ratey, 2001) …important for balancing Reading Skills -Decoding, -Comprehension

8. Latest Brain Research • Multi-SensoryExperiences(like Music) - Create Additional Linkageswith the “sub-cortical”brainstructures(~inner part of an orange) responsible for basic reflex processes - circulation, movement) - Strengthen Brain Connectionsthroughout the whole “cerebral cortex”(Wesson, 2009) (~skin of an orange) deeply folded 6-layer neural tissue sheet, divided into left and right hemispheres - memory, paying attention, thinking, language… - and Speeds Up the brain’s network of activity …whichIncreasesIntelligence(van den Heuvel, 2009) ------------- …the Neurological Explanationfor …that Famous Study from the ‘80’s(Royer, 1987) - “Addition ofMusic Education RaisedI.Q.scoresfor 2nd graders”

9. Latest Brain Research --beginning to show… • Students who begin musicbefore age 7 have thickerCorpus Callosums …the bundle of nerve fibers that connects (and helps with communication between) the two brain hemispheres(Ester, 2009)

10. …the more Connections through the Corpus Callosum …by something affecting both sides of the brain (ex. multisensory experiences like Music) • Left - Language • Right - distinguishing Musical Intonations …the more integratedthe information becomes in a person’s memory, …better Learned, and better Retained(Campbell,1992)

11. 2. Music can’t really increase Reading Achievement Test Scores…or can it? Research example… • 3-year study- Univ. of Washington …5thgradersWith music, surpassed5th graders Without music “Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills” (CTBS)(Holmes, 1989)

12. In fact… In 1999, the College Board documented a 100pointgapin SAT scores • students who hadmusic instruction in their earlyelementaryschool years • students who did not …The longer students studied music, the greaterthegap in scores! (U.S. House of Representatives Education Caucus Testimony, July 1999) ..Life…twins!

13. Research Shows that “Students of the Arts” • Develop essential Test Taking skills • Memory • Concentration (Demorest & Morrison, 2000; Fujioka, et. al., 2006) • Learn to Think Creatively …and Become Better Problem-Solvers • by imaginingvarioussolutions • and rejecting outdatedassumptions(Phillips, 2009)

14. Research also shows that Music can help increase Scores for • Reading • Fluency • Vocabulary • - Comprehension • …Reading with Expression • …How to Read “Poetry” • (stopping at end of sentence, not end of line…) • …etc. • OtherCurricularStandards

15. So, let’s take a look at how Music can enhance… ReadingFluency…a major focus in current curriculum standards The best way to develop Reading Fluency is - Readingand Re-Reading familiar material ReadingSong Lyrics …is perfect! >>>>>>>

16. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong) I see trees of green, Red Roses too. I see them bloom For me and you. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue, And clouds of white. The bright blessed day, dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world. The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the skyAre also on the faces, of people going byI see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?"They're really sayin', "I love you"I hear babies cryin', I watch them growThey'll learn much more, than I'll ever knowAnd I think to myselfWhat a wonderful worldYes, I think to myselfWhat a wonderful worldOh yeah

17. Using a Popular (or obsure) song your kids will like: • Full Group– • Sing the Song • Reading the lyrics as they sing (Karaoke style) …from an overhead, powerpoint, or chart. • Small Groups– • Re-read verses …to practice Fluency • Discuss their opinions about the meanings behind the lyrics …vocabulary; comprehension

18. Group Share– • Share their group discussionhighlights • Individuals – • Individual students Re-ReadPartsof the Lyrics ….until all lyrics are read. • Mini-lesson– • Reading Lyrics • as Poetry …stopping at ends of sentences rather than at breaks in lyrics/rhythm • with Expression

19. Generic Follow-Up Ideas • Small Groups/Individuals– • Write and Perform …a new verse (See Handout)

20. Language Arts – …find a Song that exemplifies a language arts focus (grammar/punctuation/spelling…) • Students • re-read lyrics silently • search for examples of that object ive ex. search for adjectives in the song, discuss compound words, find –ing endings or prepositions… • Map Reading Skills Reinforcement – …asong to reinforce map locations (ex. “…Route 66”) • invent a make-believe travelogue • Comprehension– (5th grade)   …ex. Analyze the words of “Star Spangled Banner”

21. Vocabulary– …find a Songwhere the words from the song include vocabulary words • Comprehension/Vocabulary/Art– …illustrate a picture/collage/painting using the words from the song • Spelling – …“Making Words” with letter tiles for song word(s) ex. Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious -- How many words can you make out of the letters of that word? • Poetry – …using a song such as “De Colores” read the song text as a poem

22. Writing– …write a script that would lead up to the song, or would come after the song and perform it as a Reader’s Theater (ex. “Day- O”) …This would also allow the students to learn the aspects of script writing. • Anticipatory Setof a Lesson - …songs can be a great “engagement”for a new lesson • Social Studies – …students learn 50 Nifty United States to have students learn names of all the states …and putting them in alphabetical order

23. Characterization, Setting… – …discuss attributes; characteristics; historical setting (ex. Oh, Susanna) • Music – …read a story …then use instruments to represent the characters (as in “Peter and the Wolf”) • Drama –– …sing the words to a story as a song to a familiar tune (such as “Mary Had a Little Lamb” melody) • Vocal Music Performance – …listen to / read / sing the same song by different artists • Math– …draw a Venn diagram …compare two or more versions of the song

24. 3. Can Music contribute to Increasing the Literacy Skills of At-Risk students? Listen to a little bit of“The Climb” (Miley Cyrus) I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming, but There's a voice inside my head saying You'll never reach it. Every step I'm takin' Every move I make Feels lost with no direction, My faith is shakin‘ But I, I gotta keep tryin'Gottakeep my head held high…

25. At-Risk students who participate in music show significantincreasesin Self-Concept (Barry, 1992) …There’s a +.35Correlationbetween Self-Concept & Reading Ability …Music Education teachers, …Mentorsame students, Over SeveralAcademicYears, …Consistently enhancing students’ self-esteem

26. Research with At-Risk Students also shows… • Lower Dropout rates Ensemble Performance ExperienceDropout Rate • 0years experience =7.4% dropout • 1-2 years = 1% dropout (Chute, 1998) • LowerArrest records Criminal Records, Rhode Island residents (birth – 30) • the more music involvement, the lower the arrest record(Gardiner, 1996) • Students are Less Disruptive • in Totalstudent Population = 12.14% • in Musicstudent Population= 8.08% (National Data Resource Center -Aleman, et al., 2003)

27. Music students less likely • drugs • alcohol & tobacco • involved with Gangs(ex. H. Con. Res. 266, US Senate, June 13, 2000) • (Rural and Urban Inner-City schools) --Music and Arts Program Students - better at Critical-Thinking - better Problem-Solving skills (Stevenson & Deasy, 2006) • 7 studiesconsistently show Music Education • HelpsStudents “disengaged from school” more effectively Connect with Peers(Champions of Change - Fiske, 1999)

28. 4. Can Music help students Readbetter? Let’s Listen to a little bit of this one… • What song is this? “ABC…” (“Twinkle Twinkle”)

29. Dr. Joyce Bales (Former Superintendent -Vista Unified School District ) Email Correspondence, 8/1/09 “I believe you are right about the connection between musicand literacy. Most of us learned tosingour ABCs at a very young age.”

30. There appears to be “Cross-disciplinary Learning” • decoding “musical notes” • and decoding “symbols” (The College Board, 2001) ---------------------------------------------------------- Music= orderedandpredictablesequencesof sounds and symbols Reading= orderedandpredictable sequencesof sounds and symbols too! ---------------------------------------------------------- Decodingsound and symbol patternsin music, sets up Electrical&ChemicalPathways(“synapses”) in the Brain ~ a Roadmap for DecodingSymbol Patternsin Reading(Elliott, 1995)

31. Music Training… • helps “Hearing” – to distinguishprecise acoustics • (Phonemic Awareness) • teachesHow to Transpose those sounds, into symbols • (Phonics) • and How to Translate those Symbols, “in context” • into “auditory images” • (Reading) • --------------------------------------------- • … and conversely, the reversal, “Encoding” • (Writing) • (Madaule, 1997; Milley et. al., 1983)

32. More Physical Evidence… • The BRAIN’s “PlanumTemporale”(tem-pə-ˈrā-lē) region • …auditory region of the left cerebral cortex related to language skills: Speaking, Reading, Writing, Spelling… • is Larger in musicians (Pantev et al., 1998) • …and they show increases in reading achievement • ------------------------------------------- • that same“PlanumTemporale”(tem-pə-ˈrā-lē) region • is Smallerin students with “dyslexia” • (a brain related reading difficulty) (Sherman, 2009)

33. Research with Rhythm Training… • Students with ADHDgiven rhythm training • improve in “Focus” • and in - Math • - Language • - Spelling • - Reading (Shaffer et al., 2001) • Students who can perform complexRhythms… • make fasterand more precise “Corrections” • in many academic situations • …that agilityappears to assist music students achieve • more accurate “Comprehension”

34. Visualize …to the tune of “Jingle Bells” Visualize, visualize I can visualize! Words make pictures in my head, of all that I’ve just read! Visualize, visualize I can visualize! People, places come alive, when I visualize! Questioning …to the tune of “Are you Sleeping?” I ask questions, I ask quesitons, As I read- As I read- Who… what, where, when and why Who… what, where, when and why I’ll find answers. Comprehension Strategy Songsfrom Capo Unified School District

35. Monitor and Clarify …to the tune of “This Old Man” Monitor, Clarify, When you’re reading you must try… To decode a word, that you haven’t read before. Look for clues, and you’ll learn more! Making Connections …to the tune of “La Cucaracha” Make a connection, make a connection, To things I already know. It’s happened to me. or I read it be-fore, Then I want to read some more!

36. Predicting (to the tune of “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”) What will happen next? I wonder what will be? I think I’ll predict and then, I’ll read and I will see… Was I right or wrong? Now I will confirm. Predicting helps me understand, All that I have learned. Summarize (to the the of “Jingle Bells”) Summarize, summarize I can summarize! Retell the parts that I just read, Remember what I read! Summarize, summarize I can summarize The story makes a lot more sense When I summarize! (repeat)

37. 5. Does Music help students LearnLanguage,and even Assist with Second Language Acquisition? • “Vocabulary” in the songs is great “context” and also …the related “background information” can lead to great discussions! Example: “Star Spangled Banner” Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light, What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming? …

38. Music is • the “Universal Language” • one of the MultipleIntelligences identified by Howard Gardner (1983) • one of the Core Academic Subjects in No Child Left Behind act (2002)

39. Music and Language • are “Linkedin the Brain” fromthe earlieststagesofinfancy! (…as the infant processes sounds of voices) (Garifias, 1990) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Music is linked to a greater capacityto process All Sounds …including Speech (Aleman et al., 2003)

40. Music students – are trained to listenprecisely …which contributes significantly to ability for • language acquisition • communicationin school (Madaule, 1998; Tucker, 1981) • 2 year Swiss Study – • 1,200 children • in 50 schools - better at Languages - learned to Readmore easily - had LowerStresslevels(Weber et al., 1993 in Phillips, 2009)

41. Krashen’s“Affective Filter Hypothesis” (Krashen, 1985) Music (primarilyRight side of the Brain…which involves Emotion) • facilitates Concentration and Relaxation • reduces Stressof Second Language Learning

42. 6. Music in the schools IncreasesAttendancethereby Enhancing Literacy. --True or False? Day O Harry Belafonte Day-o, day-ay-ay-o Daylight come and he wan' go home. Day, he say day, he say day, he say day, he say day, he say day-ay-ay-o. Daylight come and he wan' go home.

43. Research has discovered - music helps • math • criticalthinking • Reading • SAT scores • self-discipline and…SchoolAttendance! That’s right, a summary of studies revealed (Critical Links, 2006) …a connection between “The Arts” and • increased student Motivation • improved School “Attendance” • and “HigherEducation”Aspirations!

44. Students involved in music have SignificantlyHigherAttendancerates than their comparison groups …due to increasedinterest in learning(Aschbache & Herman, 1991) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • 2006 Harris Poll • 96% of PrincipalsAgree music education encourages and motivates students to stay in school • 89%of PrincipalsAgree music contributes to schools’ higher graduation rates! (Harris, 2006)

45. Students failing - in other subjects often find they can be successful in Music …so they suddenly become moremotivatedto succeed in reading, math, and all of their subjects! ---------------------------------------- However, Dr. Kenneth Wesson (expert on brain & learning) points out an interestingparadox:

46. “Unfortunately schools spend an inordinateamount of Time identifying AcademicDeficiencies and devote even greater numbers of hours to subsequentRemediation by concentrating on a student’s ProblemAreas. ---------------------------------------- Instead schools should focus on furtherCultivationof a student’s Strengths …that indicate the presence of Healthy, Efficiently workingNeural Networks.” (e.g., Clifton & Anderson, 2002; Kovalik & Olsen, 2001) “This focus will result in far moreCognitiveResourcesto work with in any plan for …skill level enhancements in the classroom.” (Wesson, 2009, p. 6).

47. The Causal relationship discovered Music and Spatial Intelligence… also helps students • formMental Picturesof things • solveAdvanced Mathematics Problems • visualize Elementsthat should “Go Together” (Cutietta & Booth, 1996) ----- …which also helps students pack up a book-bagwitheverythingtheyneed …for eachof those “extra days” theyattendschool!!! (Droscher, 2006; Rauscher et al., 1997; Ratey, 2001)

48. 7. Can learning through Music Increase Achievement in OtherCurricular Areas? Research study- how many of the United States 5th grade “music students” could identify • Pretest- identified an average of 24of the 50 • After learning the song “50 Nifty United States” by Ray Charles (a song remembered from own 5th grade) • Posttest - able to write down and recall on average 47of the 50 • …most in alphabetical order • …in less than 5 minutes! (Reed, 2007)

49. “50 Nifty United States”by Ray Charles • 50 Nifty United States, from 13 original colonies; • 50 Nifty stars in the flag, that billows so beautifully in the breeze. • Each individual state contributes a quality, that is great. • Each individual state deserves a bow (deserves a bow), let’s salute them now (salute them now). • 50 Nifty United States, from 13 original colonies, • Shout 'em, scout 'em, tell all about 'em, • One by one, ‘til we've given a name to every state, • that’s in the USA, in the USA, in the USA (…hold out all the A's for 3 beats)

50. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, • California, Colorado, Connecticut • Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, • Idaho, Illinois, Indiana • Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, • Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan. • Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, • Nebraska, Nevada, • New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, • North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, • Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, • South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, • Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming