How do children learn music?
We learn music much like we learn a language.
Think about a little baby who has not yet learned to speak her first language. As she sits in a rich environment of an assortment of sounds and language she is continually growing in her ability to process speech and language. Eventually, she learns to process the sounds, and begins to experiment with her own "dialect", perhaps mimicking the sounds that she has heard so many times before. As she continues to grow and learn, she begins to translate her thoughts into meaningful sound patterns to communicate to others. Only after she has done all of these things does the girl eventually begin to speak in full sentences and finally learn to read and write.
Just as children must first have the exposure to language before learning to speak and read and write, students must have an exposure to a large variety of music before learning to "speak" and "read" and "write" in the musical language.
CREATING A RICH MUSICAL ENVIRONMENT
Students who are exposed to rich and diverse language environment tend to grow up with a much stronger grasp on speaking and understanding their language. Students learn music in the same manner.
At Perry Elementary, we strive to create a musical environment where students are exposed to music with a variety of tonalities and meters. We want to give students the opportunity to hear and interact with as many different kinds of music as possible, so they can expand their musical vocabulary and become better musicians! Students are given the opportunity to interact with the musical language and create their own music through improvisation. Once they are able to do these things, students can begin to build upon these foundations by learning to read and write music, and eventually to play the recorder, ukulele, or other instruments.
MUSIC LEARNING THEORY
Want to know more?
The Gordon Institute for Music Learning provides a great deal more information about how children learn music. The site draws from extensive research conducted by Edwin Gordon, a prominent music teacher, researcher, author, and lecturer. Check out the site below for more information about music learning!
GIML - The Gordon Institute for Music Learning
The Gordon Institute for Music Learning provides a great deal more information about how children learn music. The site draws from extensive research conducted by Edwin Gordon, a prominent music teacher, researcher, author, and lecturer. Check out the site below for more information about music learning!
GIML - The Gordon Institute for Music Learning