Quotes for September 12, 2007

I thought this set of readings was very interesting in the fact that speech in support of the inclusion of music into a curriculum comes straight from the children who are involved with it. The children that Ms. Campbell interviewed showed how music can be used for a multitude of developmental activities--from stimulating the imagination to becoming part of a natural sciences lesson.

"My puppets make music, when I tell them to. They need me to supply them with songs" (86). As George points out, music is stimulating his imagination when he is playing with his puppets. This development of the imagination through its use is very important for children and it seems as though the music is pushing that development. I found this quote particularly fascinating because, as Campbell had claimed through the course of the book, children play with music and this quote coming directly from a child validates that statement in that he is deliberately using music as part of an imaginary game with his puppets. Music in George's case, too, can also be seen as a motivational device as he "...really wants to make instruments [such as a flute and a slide whistle]" (89). Ramona is also inspired by music. As a second grader she said to Ms. Campbell, "Once, when i went to the bathroom last year, I went through the gym, and I saw some fifth graders playing sax. They played so pretty, that's when I knew that I would learn sax when I'm that old." (107). Again, music providing this inspiration is a very important element to have in a school as it will encourage children to succeed.

For the motivational and imagination development that music provides alone it should be included in every curriculum, however, as the next interview states, it can bring more to a curriculum. As Carrie says to the author in response to a simple question (do you like to sing?), "Yes. Because I like music in general, and because all of my friends sing with me..." (91). Not only is Carrie motivated by music (I like music in general), but it can be used to develop social skills (all of my friends sing with me). I feel that one of the primary purposes of an elementary school is to develop social skills with children and since music motivates children and builds their social skills, I feel that it is an ideal part of a curriculum.

Carrie also points out that her teacher is able to use music as a cross content lesson tool. As Carrie says in response to a song she just sang about spiders "We're studying spiders, and my teacher always likes to put a poem to a song" (92). This seems, to me, like an excellent use for music. The teacher will make up a poem about the lesson the children just had, and then will teach it to them in song. Because of their motivation to sing music (Carrie goes home and sings these songs to her family), the information in the lesson will stay with the students for a longer period as opposed to simply rote memorization of facts from a book.

I felt that this chapter was excellent as it, for lack of a better word, validated everything that Ms. Campbell had said previously. The children were telling the readers why they loved music and from that, it is very clear why music should be included in a curriculum--I feel, children think, and research has shown, that the advantages would be phenomenal.


Campbell, Patricia. Songs in Their Heads: Music and Its Meaning in Children's Lives. New York, New York: Oxford UP, Inc., 1998.

Quotes for 9/5/07--Children at Play

Of the readings for this week, the main theme that stuck out at me was the way that children use songs in play and to the different levels of complexity that they display. The first quote that jumped out from the reading was "The play activities during the noon hour were heavily laden with singsong taunts, calls and cries with definitive pitches, and a wide array of rhythms conveyed through clapping, patting, stepping, and tapping" (18). To me, this captures the essence of a child's play--music. I feel that this is important because a child's play is music and children love to play. Again, from last week, harnessing this would be extraordinarily powerful in teaching music to children.

I also found the analysis of the songs at the Horace Mann school yard fascinating. The fact that the melodies ranged from "intervals of the second, fifth, and octave" (18) to "[the production] of a rhythmic ostinato...as a background track"(19). I believe that this, again, can be a very powerful tool in the musical education of children as these musical abilities seem to be inherent in children. This makes the teacher's job simply to put these inherent musical abilities into a structured context.

The final thought, though, that I had was that this could cause problems in the education process as children have different levels of inherent musical abilities. Again, ranging from simple intervallic songs, to rhythmic songs, to full fledged songs, there are varying levels of inherent talent in school children. Thus, while the goal of an elementary teacher should be (assuming the proper support from administrators/parents/schedules/etc.) should just be to place these abilities into a context, the varying abilities could cause potential problem in planning activities. It seems, though, that careful planning and the incorporation of the idea of play into a music class will solve these problems as various activities, such as pairing, could be used to even out differences.

Campbell, Patricia. Songs in Their Heads: Music and Its Meaning in Children's Lives. New York, New York: Oxford UP, Inc., 1998.

Quotes for 8/29/07--An Introduction to Early Education

"Thus, if a very young child has no opportunity to develop a music-listening vocabulary, the cells that would have been used to establish that hearing sense will at best be directed to another sense, perhaps the visual, and the visual sense will be strengthened at the expense of the aural sense. No amount of compensatory education at a later time will be able to completely offset the handicap." (Reynolds et al., 1).

I found this quote particularly interesting and eye opening as I, like most people, had not realized the power or importance of early music education. While I do believe that early music education is important, I had previously viewed it as a stepping stone to later music appreciation and performance. I think that it is very fascinating that a child's musical aptitude can be lost without the proper stimulation before age 9. I, like most people, had felt that musical ability could be shaped by participants entering the field after age 9 to the same extent that it can with children entering the field before age 9, but the research to the contrary is compelling. On another note, too, even after reading these few short passages on this research, I have gained a much greater respect and appreciation for early music educators in that without them, I would not be fortunate enough to be in the position that I am in now--a lifelong appreciator, performer, and educator of music.

This rings true of the next quote, too, in that " Without sensitive parents, caregivers, and teachers, children are left to their own devices to develop their music potentials, and without early guidance in music, most children will never achieve the music understanding and enjoyment that is rightfully theirs" (Reynolds et al., 6). Again, even though I can not remember much of my general music education, without the dedication of those teachers and their competence in their field, I would not be able to enjoy the same musical appreciation and musical ability that I have.

One final quote that I found particularly interesting was from the MENC position statement. "Time should be made available during the day for activities in which music is the primary focus of attention for its own value" (MENC, 21). I really appreciated this quote from the position statement as I agree that music should be taught for the sake of music, especially taking into mind the fact that music aptitude drops before age 9 without proper stimulation in the form of musical play.

In all, this week, I feel that the readings have compelled me, thankfully, to gain a deeper appreciation and respect for just how important early music education actually is in the overall development of a child into a lifelong musician or music appreciator and supporter.

Alison Reynolds et al. Music Play. Chicago: GIA Publications, 1998.

MENC. MENC Position Statement on Early Childhood Education. Soundpost. Reston: MENC. Winter 1992