MUSIC AND THE PERFORMING ARTS
dedication required to succeed, not just in music but in all aspects of school.
• Social skills – whether the musical instinct thrives alone or in a band, at its heart music is an enticing interest which naturally draws the attention of others.
• Success and a sense of achievement - learning to play or read music is a challenging task, but as students progress, so does the feeling of pride and achievement.
• Community integration – in today’s world it can be difficult for young people to feel part of a wider community. Music delivers that sense of togetherness, a great example of which being Ariana Grande’s second concert in Manchester, which bought together different cultures, backgrounds and classes to celebrate music as one community.
• Emotional growth – emotional connection is difficult to grasp from a young age. Music breaks down the barriers of emotions into different situations, which is why many SEN children learn to express themselves via music. Children who have a connection with music also tend to have higher self-esteem and are better at coping with anxiety.
• Better academic outcomes – there’s clear evidence from many research papers that children who have been influenced by music perform better on an academic level. As previously mentioned, SAT exam reporting has stated that those children with experience in music performance scored 63 points higher on verbal and 44 higher on math for students in music appreciation courses, than those who don’t.
How can teachers embrace music in classes? As the school population grows and cuts increase, further pressure is added to a teacher’s already busy and stressful role. Creating a link between home and school becomes more and more important.
Raising literacy standards is also a big issue for many schools, indeed for those with a high proportion of students with EAL it is particularly important. Reading and music supports both strategies and can be aligned with other curriculum-led activities.
Teachers can ease the burden of a busy curriculum by using visuals, supporting student discussions, and setting group task activities,
which can all be tied in to music to build cross- cultural classrooms and encourage appreciation of diversity at the same time.
This is where our Jungle Jam book series comes into play. We developed the book series to assist in filling the void at Early Years and Primary education levels. Jungle Jam is a fun, informative and educational rhyming book series about a jungle band who go on incredible musical adventures together. The series introduce young readers to different cultures, countries, music genres and musical instruments from all over the world. In addition, the books include themes that focus on skills and learning that are crucial for a child’s development, such as working together as a team, trying new things and overcoming fears, listening to and respecting others, accepting change and sharing. The book series can be used in a classroom setting for activities as well as being read at home.
In terms of embracing music as part of the classroom, here are some other useful tips:
• Teach students to embrace diversity. Tie in additional music or sound based tasks that support homework. For example, if students have written an article on a historic event, ask them to identify a song or sound that relates to that era and culture.
• Use technology that empowers your teaching. Demonstrate what you have taught in class and bring it to life? YouTube and other online platforms offer an array of content.
• Think outside the box when teaching English. Why not play a popular song and then give hand-outs of the lyrics for students to check spelling and grammar?
• Inspiration can strike at any point, outside of the classroom take in all the sights and sounds you can see. A rhythmic beating may catch your ear during a stroll down the street and re-emerge later as a base for students to build on with their own creative thinking.
• Be open to ideas. Ask the class what creative ideas they have and would like to see you develop. They may surprise you and be more engaged as a result.
Outside of the classroom, we as a society are surrounded by music, from simple advertising jingles on the TV to supermarket radio acting as the soundtrack to the big weekly shop. Losing a generation of artists as the result of increased attention on achievement scores would be a big blow as a nation renowned for its musical exports.
Music has a wider impact than just ‘listening and creative skills’ - many of the attributes that arise from music carry us through life’s challenges. Music must be kept alive in schools to facilitate this development for generations to come.
We hope that our books will help to inspire children and ignite a passion and interest in music from a young age to help them in future life.
www.jungle-jam.com November 2017
www.education-today.co.uk 27
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