MUSIC AND CHILDREN
OBJECTIVES
In this lesson, you will be able to:
1. Determine the three groups of people present in the music-making
experience;
2. Ascertain how music plays an integral part in the growth and
development of children; and
3. Develop a perception of music as an art, a language, and a science
INTRODUCTION
- Music has always been a part of man’s culture
- Throughout the history, many instance where music has a place in a man’s life
- Music also awoke our feelings, right, conduct, faith, values, and noble ideals, such
as nationalism and love of country
- To an individual, music can be a cherished personal possession – it may have a
sentimental value.
- As a collective people, the value of music may be greatly multiplied – it may unify
people toward a common goal, or it may intimidate and discourage an opposing foe.
BUT, IF WE LOOK INTO OUR CURRENT
EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM, WHY ARE
SUBJECTS SUCH AS MUSIC AND THE ARTS
ALWAYS OVERLOOKED?
WHY ARE THESE GENERALLY THE FIRST
TO BE ELIMINATED WHEN THERE ARE
BUDGET CONSTRAINTS?
THINK: MUSIC – WHY TEACH IT?
- To develop in them a love and enjoyment for music – to teach
them how to attain satisfaction whether they may be composers,
interpreters or listeners
In teaching music, we must be able to give children equal and various
opportunities for them to be able to experience music as:
COMPOSERS
We allow children, as composers, to contemplate and perceive the world
around them, and let them examine both the common and the rare
We do not expect them to write a full song or a symphony, but we give
them chances to improvise and experiment on creating musical ideas based
on what they perceive around them
INTERPRETER
S
performer: he/she is tasked to give meaning and life to the creations of
composers. Children can interpret music either by their ability to “play by
era” or by reading musical notation, both traditional and nontraditional.
A single piece of music may be interpreted uniquely. The interpreter is
usually a singer, an instrumentalist, or a conductor.
LISTENER
S
The one who “evaluate,” critique and try to understand the message being
put forth by the composer and the interpreter.
They also investigate connections between the music, the composer and
the interpreter.
They also determine through their reception of a musical piece whether it
is a success or a flop.
WHAT IS THE MOZART EFFECT?
In October 1993, researchers Dr. Gordon Shaw, Frances Rauscher and
Katherine Ky made a research exposing college students to some of Mozart’s
piano music before taking a spatial reasoning test. Students who listened to
Mozart’s music prior to the test scored significantly higher compared to those
who did not. Their research, a one-page article originally titled “Music and
Spatial task performance, “was popularized and coined by the media as the
“Mozart Effect”, hence the name.
BENEFITS OF MUSIC IN A
CHILD’S DEVELOPMENT:
Music enhances cognitive skills in reading, language development, and
proficiency
Music simultaneously activates many areas of the brain
Music improves mathematical and reasoning skills
Music helps in creative thinking
Music helps improve motor skills and coordination
MUSIC AS AN ART, A LANGUAGE,
AND A SCIENCE
To be truly effective musicians, we must have a thorough ubderstanding of
the nature of music.
Music is unique compared to other fields, in that it is an art, a language and
a science all at the same time.
MUSIC AS AN ART
As mentors, we are to guide our elementary pupils on how to develop an
aesthetic taste of music, since there are some types of music which are not
quite appropriate to be heard by young children
Ways that music can be enjoyed or experienced as an art:
a. A sense of affinity when hearing familiar music d. An awareness in the use of form
b. An emotional appeal when hearing distinct tunes e. A sense of recognition whether music is played
and how they are arranged accurately, with or without feelings
c. A certain detachment for music that is too complex f. Evokes a mental image or stirs up the imagination for
or hard to understand or relate to an idea being put across by the music
MUSIC AS A LANGUAGE
We aim for children to have the ability to use music as a means for
communication and self expression. This is achieved through?
Through activities that encourage them to compose
simple songs and tunes
Through listening experiences where they get to understand how
others express and communicate through music
MUSIC AS A SCIENCE
It is important that students/pupils, as they continually progress in their
learning, would be familiar with technical concepts, such as tonality,
compound meters, and the like.
As guides, we teachers and future teachers should ask questions like:
When does a child need to know that a key signature of three sharpa may
either be A major or F# minor?
When does this knowledge become useful for the child?
ACTIVITY:
RESEARCH:
Research for other reasons (at least three or more) why music is beneficial for
child development? Explain briefly
ASSESS:
From your perspective, what is the most important or convincing reason why
teaching music should be strengthened, especially in elementary schools?
