Musical Children - Early Childhood Music and Movement Association

Transcription

In This Issue:
Musically
Motivating
Children with
Books
Musical Activities
to Promote
Phonemic
Awareness
Research Review:
Deepening
Parental
Empowerment
as Music Guides
for Their Young
Children
Book Review:
Musical Children:
Engaging
Children
in Musical
Experiences
Perspectives
Send articles, photos, and suggestions to:
Editor–Angela Barker
[email protected]
or ECMMA Administrative Office
805 Mill Avenue, Snohomish, WA 98290
360-568-5635
Journal of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association
Volume 8 Number 3, 2013
Features
1
Perspectives is the journal of the Early Childhood
Music & Movement Association, Inc.
Notable Notes
Lessons from a Dance Studio (Part 2)
By Julie Goodro
ECMMA Vice President, Editorial Chair–Diana
Dansereau; Perspectives Editor–Angela Barker;
Graphic Artist–Karen Greer. Unless otherwise noted,
photos within the publication are property of ECMMA
or are from a royalty-free stock photo service.
6 Read Aloud, Sing Along, and Move Around:
Musically Motivating Children with Books
By Karyn W. Tunks and Rebecca M. Giles
Through this journal, the ECMMA (1) provides
a network of communication, support, and
information among the members of ECMMA, (2)
encourages teacher development by fostering a
free exchange between professionals in the field
of music and other professionals in the field of
early childhood development, and (3) advocates
education of parents, classroom teachers, and
administrators.
© 2013 Early Childhood Music & Movement Association, Inc. All rights reserved. All quoted and reprinted material and music must be cleared with copyright holders before submission to this journal.
Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts that
apply to: 1) all phases of music and movement education for young children, 2) the professional needs
and best teaching practices of early childhood music and movement educators, and 3) practice-based
research topics that are relevant to early childhood
music and movement education. Send manuscripts
via email to the Perspectives Editor, Angela Barker,
([email protected]) as text in MS Word (.doc)
and all images in either .gif or .jpg format. For a detailed list of submission requirements, please refer
to the guidelines published in the print and online
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INFORMATION CHANGES: The subscription price for print Perspectives is now $30;
the cost of back issues is $7.50 per issue.
13
Musical Activities to Promote Phonemic Awareness
By Amanda Page Smith
17
Research Review
Music Play Zone II: Deepening Parental Empowerment as Music
Guides for Their Young Children
Reviewed by Diana R. Dansereau
24
Book Review
Musical Children: Engaging Children in Musical Experiences
Book by Carolynn A. Lindeman
Reviewed by Jan Boner
26
28
Submission Guidelines for Perspectives Articles
Submission Guidelines for Notable Notes
Departments
3
5
20
21
Letter from the Editor
President’s Letter
ECMMA New Members and Certifications
Research Within Reach
Lessons from a Dance Studio (Part 2)
By Julia Goodro, Virginia Tanner Fine Arts Preschool at the University of Utah
F
Julie Goodro is a music
specialist at the Virginia
Tanner Fine Arts Preschool on the University
of Utah campus. She has
taught music for over 40
years and received training in several music and
preschool methodologies.
Julie has a BA in Home
Economics Education and
holds CDA certification.
She has been serving
ECMMA since 2004.
Readers are encouraged to
reproduce and distribute
this “Notable Notes”
bulletin for educational
purposes. For more
information contact the
ECMMA Administrative
Office, 805 Mill Avenue,
Snohomish, WA 98290.
Phone: (360) 568-5635
[email protected] ~
www.ecmma.org
1—Perspectives 2013 - Vol. 8 No. 3
or over 20 years, I have taught
music classes at a fine arts preschool located in a dance studio, and
I’ve learned many valuable lessons
from the dance teachers with whom
I work. Two concepts I would like to
share are 1) anything can be taught,
and learned, through movement: the
life cycle of a butterfly or a dandelion,
fairy tales, body parts, how to wait
your turn, or how to be a friend; and
2) the language of dance can expand
one’s ideas of how, what and where
the body can move.
As an example of the first concept,
I was singing and telling the story
of the Gingerbread Boy to my students one day. I watched a wonderful
teacher take the story and instantly turn it into a dance. Each ingredient added to
the imaginary mixing bowl was a whole body expression - her body “sparkled” as
the sugar pouring into the bowl, the flour was a little heavier, and her body was
an egg cracking and plopping into the bowl. I was amazed and never told that
story the same way again.
On other days, the children added their own ingredients and we all became
those ingredients falling into the bowl each time. Some of the children became
the gingerbread cookies and were put on a large piece of tricot, which was pulled
through a space created between the rest of the children and two large black
boxes (the oven) that are convenient props in the room. The rest of the story is
easy to do with movement, but dancing the ingredients was a new idea to me.
Regarding the second concept, dance teachers use body parts in more extensive ways than I ever imagined. They don’t stir a pot with just a pretend spoon;
they use elbows, toes, and heads to stir with as well. The children quickly get the
idea and nothing is ever the same again with their suggestions. Then we laugh at
the absurdity of it all, and we have a happy and thinking-outside-the-box group.
Dance teachers are experts at managing space. I’ve watched them use chim-
neys (heavy cardboard cylinders about 8” tall), sticky mats (colorful shapes made
from the material that goes under carpets), fruit loops (lengths of tricot strips with
the ends sewn together to make various sized loops), hula hoops, the benches in
the room, and a variety of other materials to create (or the children create) varied
pathways for movement.
I’ve watched how these teachers focused on high, medium, and low shapes.
I began to incorporate these ideas in my music classes, too, helping the children
learn a little about composition and how to make movement interesting through
contrast.
Managing time and energy are other concepts that dance educators emphasize. I learned new ways to work with contrasts by watching these teachers model
with voices and bodies the time and energy elements of light/heavy, fast/slow,
sharp/sustained movements in activities they were doing with the children. Those
concepts certainly apply to music too, so I’ve had my own movement vocabulary
expanded with commonly used Laban terms, such as shape, space, effort, and
relationship, as applied to body movement potential and exploring space. Even
the “easy” movement part of the Gingerbread Boy story is very different when the
language of dance is applied.
ECMMA
Advisory Board
John Feierabend
Director
The Hartt School
University of Hartford
Donna Brink Fox
Professor
Eastman School of Music
University of Rochester
David Gerry
Registered Teacher Trainer
Suzuki Association
Edwin Gordon
Educator, Researcher, Author
School of Music
University of South Carolina
Ken Guilmartin
Composer, Author, Teacher
Developer, Music Together
Lorna Lutz Heyge
Founder, President
Musikgarten
Write for
Notable Notes!
We are looking for early childhood
music and movement educators to
write for the Notable Notes column.
Check out the submission guidelines on p. 28. Got questions or need
more information? Contact Angela
at [email protected].
Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo
Professor
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Paul Madaule
Director
The Listening Centre
Toronto, Ontario
Carol Penney
Education Director
Kindermusik International, Inc.
Carol Schroeder
Retailer, Writer
Children and the Arts
Wendy Sims
Professor
School of Music
University of Missouri
Cynthia Taggart
Professor
College of Music
Michigan State University
Sister Lorna Zemke
Director
Early Childhood & Prenatal Music
Silver Lake College
Vol. 8 No. 3 - 2013 Perspectives—2
Letter From The Editor
Angela Barker, PhD
Perspectives Editor—[email protected]
I
n this issue of Perspectives, we are excited
to feature two articles exploring ways through which
movement and active music participation connect with
children’s literacy development. As early childhood
music and movement educators, we recognize that we
teach the whole child and, though our credentials may
specify a particular area of expertise, we acknowledge
our responsibility to help children experience the curricular and everyday connections that music and movement share with other areas of knowledge and skill
development.
In their article, “Read Aloud, Sing Along, and Move
Around: Musically Motivating Children with Books,” Dr.
Karyn Tunks and Dr. Rebecca Giles offer an overview of
research supporting the integration of music, movement, and children’s literature. In addition, they provide
an annotated bibliography of picture books for music
and movement, which also includes designations for the
integrative elements inherent in each book.
Amanda Page Smith, Director of Children’s Music
at The Brick Presbyterian Church and The Brick Church
School in Manhattan, New York, reveals creative ways to
draw out phonemic awareness experiences from familiar
children’s songs. She also provides links to online video
examples of her classes engaged in select activities
mentioned in her article, “Musical Activities to Promote
Phonemic Awareness.”
Continuing her series, “Lessons from a Dance Studio,”
Julie Goodro shares her experiences as a music teacher
in a fine arts preschool. Her story is an enlightening
reminder that as specialty-area educators we need not
work in a vacuum, but can enrich our own teaching and
instruction through collaboration with our colleagues
and by keeping an open mind.
Dr. Diana Dansereau reviews an article by Dr. Lisa
H. Koops, “Music Play Zone II: Deepening Parental Empowerment as Music Guides for their Young Children,”
which describes how a social networking site designed
for parents of children involved in early childhood music
classes, helped them assume a more active role in their
children’s musical activities and development. For this
issue’s book review, Jan Boner surveys Carolynn Lindeman’s book, Musical Children: Engaging Children in Music
Experiences, bringing to light a bounty of instructional
resources, music and movement activities, and musicbased lesson plans suitable in general music classrooms.
Perhaps you’ve thought of submitting an article for
publication in Perspectives or of writing a column for Notable Notes but have been putting it off because you’re
not sure of the requirements or to whom you should
send your manuscript. You can now find our submission
guidelines online in the Table of Contents section on the
Perspectives web page (www.ecmma.org/perspectives/)
as well as in the print copy of each issue. Your professional contribution to Perspectives—perhaps a report of
new research in early childhood music and movement,
a research-based discussion of innovative ideas or best
practices–may be just the boost someone needs to improve his/her classroom practice, explore new avenues
of research, or begin training as an early childhood music
and movement educator. If you have questions or would
like more information about writing for Perspectives, feel
free to contact me at [email protected].
Angela Barker, PhD
Editor, Perspectives
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Y
our music-related business will gain wide exposure through the print version of Perspectives
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To join as a Supporting Business Member, go to www.ecmma.org/advertise and
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If you have not already done so, visit
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interactive possibilities of Perspectives
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ECMMA publications began years ago as a
modest communication tool. Throughout the
years commitment and tenacity were required
at each stage of our developing publications.
The dramatic transformation into Perspectives
today is indicative of many changes to come as
we strive to serve the needs of our members.
Members receive Perspectives online, which
is included in regular membership fees, or
choose to upgrade membership to receive the
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issues. Choose your version while signing up or
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Advantages for Members
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President’s Letter
Judy Panning
President, ECMMA—[email protected]
“Summertime, and the living is . . .”
active, relaxing, hectic, a change from the norm—
take your pick. It probably depends on whether you’re working around children’s and grandchildren’s schedules or just your own. For some the season brings a respite from teaching, while others plan summer camps or intense courses of study. For me it’s a time to catch up on my reading,
do a bit of gardening, and make some choices about professional development.
Music teachers in the state of Iowa are blessed with excellent opportunities for continuing
education. We have active Orff and Kodály chapters, a strong state Music Education Association
(IMEA), and universities that take the idea of professional growth very seriously. Some months of
the year, a workshop is offered every weekend with presenters from all over the country. Summer
courses offer one-day workshops, week-long or two-week courses, and online options. This year
the IMEA Board has asked me to set up an early childhood class at a local community college in
the fall. With more public schools offering preschool classes, music teachers are being asked to
extend their duties to include these young students. It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring early
childhood resources to a new group of teachers in a brand new way.
ECMMA also takes its responsibility for professional development seriously. There are informative conferences scheduled around the country this year. The Southwest and Northeast Region
Conferences are planned for the fall, so it’s not too late to register! Check the website www.ecmma.org for details. In addition, the biennial international convention is scheduled for June 2014
in Atlanta with a very impressive slate of speakers representing nearly all the published curricula
in addition to a full line-up of research and music therapy sessions. Plan now to attend!
Behind the scenes, the ECMMA Board of Directors and staff have put in many hours this winter
to upgrade our membership management system. That means fewer technical difficulties for
members, and more efficient data storage and retrieval for Torie Stratton, our Office Administrator.
Many thanks for their hours of work! If you haven’t updated your password, please take a moment
to do that now. We’ve also made significant progress toward a fully functioning Strategic Plan, and
will soon be actively searching for new Board members to implement the Plan. Consider how you
might fit into the picture!
So, here’s to the wonder of summer, the activities with friends and family, the chance to get
away from the grind of the school year, the time for rejuvenation. Best wishes for a fall semester of
stimulating teaching experiences, but for now, enjoy your days in the sun!
Judy Panning
ECMMA President
Read Aloud, Sing Along, and Move Around:
Musically Motivating Children with Books
Karyn W. Tunks and Rebecca M. Giles
University of South Alabama
Introduction
I
Karyn W. Tunks, PhD, is
Associate Professor of
Elementary Education at
the University of South
Alabama where she teaches
courses and publishes
materials on early literacy
and children’s literature.
Rebecca M. Giles PhD, is
Professor of Elementary
Education and program
coordinator for K-6 Education and Early Childhood
Studies at the University of
South Alabama. Tunks and
Giles are co-authors of the
book Write Now! Publishing
with Young Authors, PreKGrade 2.
ntegrating curricular content areas in preschool and primary classrooms has
had a long history of success. This practice is based on an understanding
that children learn through play and other meaningful experiences that mimic
real life. The arbitrary categories of curriculum determined by adults do not
necessarily make sense to children. Dividing up the school day and designating a specific amount of time for each
curricular area can cause confusion and
frustration. Instead, children benefit
from rich, authentic, logically integrated experiences (Casper & Theilheimer,
2009). These may include activities
that involve the senses, challenge their
thinking, and give them opportunities
to communicate with others. Throughout the evolution of early childhood
education, educators who observed
and truly understood the nature of
young children have advocated for
The practice of integrating
integration, rather than separation, of
literature, music, and
curriculum (Roopnarine & Johnson,
movement has been found to
2012).
be an effective approach for
Integrating content areas in the
teaching young children.
early years is advocated by the National
Association for the Education of Young
Children (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009) and the Council on Physical Education for
Children (COPEC, 2000). The practice of integrating literature, music, and movement has been found to be an effective approach for teaching young children
(Davies, 2000). These three areas allow for a logical and smooth integration of
learning opportunities. Literature and music share important features: both
• are based on symbolism and symbolic systems, such as letters and musical
notes
• introduce new vocabulary
• provide opportunities to learn key concepts
• offer various forms of communication
• naturally encourage oral language development and listening skills.
Incorporating movement into literature-based music
activities makes learning more dynamic by increasing active engagement along with enjoyment. Adding
physical movement strengthens children’s understanding of concepts and promotes learning (Pica, 2004). In
this article, we highlight the many benefits of children’s
literature as a logical connection to music and movement. Recommended picture books, and those provided
in the following discussion, are included in Figure 1.
Books for Singing
Reading aloud to children in group settings is a
regular part of the classroom routine in early childhood.
Introducing lyrics to a new song by reading aloud an
illustrated picture book is a natural way to incorporate
music. Illustrated versions of songs are known as song
picture books (Jalongo & Ribblett, 1997). This type of
literature familiarizes children with lyrics before adding melodic material. Illustrations in picture books help
children gain a deeper understanding of the story or
song (Sawyer, 2011). Song picture books also encourage
children to depict the actions suggested by the lyrics as
the story is read aloud.
Conversely, after the melody is taught and children
When children learn to sing the songs
first, they are familiar with and
easily recognize the written word, which
makes reading come more naturally.
have memorized the lyrics through repetition, they can
follow along with the text in the song picture book. This
builds reading fluency because familiarity allows the
child to avoid having to stop and decipher unknown
words. Song picture books also strengthen children’s
knowledge of print concepts and their book handling
skills. When children learn to sing the songs first, they are
familiar with and easily recognize the written word, which
makes reading come more naturally (James, 2000).
Traditional favorites, as well as contemporary song
picture books, entertain and educate young children. Examples of song books with classic lyrics include Twinkle,
Twinkle, Little Star and On Top of Spaghetti. More contemporary selections include such titles as Up! Up! Up! and
Baby Beluga. Old or new, song picture books introduce
new concepts and aid reading fluency.
Children can be introduced to parodies through
picture books. These variations on well-known songs
entertain children while building on prior knowledge.
Examples include Old MacDonald Had a Workshop,
Croaky Pokey, and The Seals on the Bus. The wide range
of themes that have been used as parodies for I Know an
Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly can be introduced around
major holidays. Creating parodies of songs gives children an opportunity to write their own lyrics. Such activities serve as motivation for emergent literacy learners
(Tunks & Giles, 2007). Teachers can begin by asking for
substitutions in songs such as “If you’re happy and you
know it____.” Children can add their own creative movements and perform them when singing the song.
Books with a Beat
B
eat is the unchanging tempo or “heartbeat” of a
piece. Tapping, clapping, or using simple instruments to mark the beat of a story as the book is read
aloud helps children develop temporal awareness.
Rhythm is the pattern in which the parts of the piece
move. Rhythm may sometimes be confused with beat,
since the beat is also the rhythm in some cases. Beat,
however, must be constant, while rhythm is variable
(Flohr & Trollinger, 2010). Increasing children’s attention
to the beat and rhythm of literary works helps them to
internalize the tempo and pace as they hear or read a
story (Block, 2001). Children may also respond to a text
with a strong beat by marching in place or saying the
rhythmic words in unison without a song. For example,
when hearing Jim Aylesworth’s retelling of the popular
folktale The Gingerbread Man, children chime in with the
Gingerbread Man’s rhythmic, repetitive response to his
pursuers: “No! No! I won’t come back! I’d rather run/Than
be your snack!”
Integrating chants with read-alouds improves
language and literacy development in young children
(Bolduc, 2006; Bolduc & Montesinos-Gilet, 2005; Gromko, 2005) while making the experience more pleasurable. For years, children and adults alike have delighted
in reciting the repeated question in Brown Bear, Brown
Bear, What Do You See? and the main character’s name in
Tikki Tikki Tembo. The lively predictable beat of repetitive
words or phrases has many benefits including improving
memory of concepts and words (Buchoff, 1994), developing rhyming acuity, improving auditory perception,
increasing understanding of story sequence, and expanding phonological awareness (Bolduc & MontesinosGilet, 2005; Kouri & Telander, 2008), which significantly
contributes to their invented spelling abilities. Chants
also provide opportunities for young children to learn
the pronunciation of unfamiliar words that they may
encounter while reading (Neuman, 2006). Word recognition is increased as a word’s meaning is demonstrated
through voice (loud, softly, quickly) or movement
(stomp, pounce, slither) and results in comprehension
that is both immediate and long-lasting (Pica, 2004).
storyline. They can also retell stories by acting out their
own interpretation. The physical movement involved
helps children remember the sequence and details of
the story.
One example of a book that naturally promotes
movement is Mortimer by Robert Munsch. The story provides the backdrop for children to walk “up the stairs” (by
walking in place), walk “down the stairs,” and shake their
finger while saying, “Mortimer, be quiet,” in the voices
of the various characters. Folktales are good choices for
dramatization because students quickly become familiar
with the storyline, and there are often repetitive movements. The Three Billy Goats Gruff requires each character
to tromp across the bridge while The Three Pigs provides
repeated opportunities to huff and puff.
Integrating Singing, Rhythm, and
Movement
W
ith maturation and experience, young children
gradually develop cognitive and motor skills
that enable them to perform more complex behaviors
simultaneously. The National Association for Sport and
Physical Education (Council on Physical Education for
Books for Dramatizing
M
ovement, like reading and singing, is a form of
communication (Pica, 2004). The sequencing of
movements to correspond with a story “accesses many
learning modes: visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic,
rhythmic, vocal, mnemonic (long- and short-term
memory), and creative” (Block, 2001, p. 44). Acting out
stories also improves comprehension and recall of order
of events (Rowen, 1982). Children can dramatize the
story as it is read, while listening to an audio recording,
or from memory once they become familiar with the
Children, 2000) endorses learning environments that
provide “movement tasks with multiple levels of complexity and difficulty” (p. 6). Opportunities to coordinate
movements with singing and rhythm strengthen children’s ability to execute complex behaviors.
Many of the books recommended here promote the
use of complex responses because they display the characteristics of more than one category. For example, The
Wheels on the Bus is a song picture book to sing with motions. Similarly, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt encourages
children to chant and move as they accompany a family
across a field of tall, wavy grass (“Swishy swashy!”), into a
deep, cold river (“Splash splosh!”), through swampy mud
(“Squelch squerch!”) and other amusing obstacles on
their bear hunting adventure. Children respond to Cat
Goes Fiddle-I-Fee by reciting the cumulative rhyme, while
moving and making the sounds of barnyard animals.
Figure 2 provides a cross-referenced list to aid teachers in choosing appropriate books for desired activities.
Experiences with stories, songs, and movement are
deeply satisfying and extremely memorable for young
children. As a result, teachers who provide integrated
opportunities for reading, singing, and moving enrich all
learning that takes place in the classroom.
Figure 1.
Annotated Bibliography of Picture Books for Music and Movement
situation is loaded with silly words and onomatopoeia.
S – Books to Sing
B – Books with a Beat
D – Books to Dramatize
P – Parody of Classic Song/Rhyme
A You’re Adorable Illustrated by Martha Alexander. (Candlewick, 1996)
S —Sing along to the lyrics of a 1940s musical hit popularized by Perry
Como as a charming alternative to the standard ABC song.
Baby Beluga by Raffi. (Crown Books for Young Readers, 1992) S B —This
song is about a small, white whale and uses rhythm and rhyme to provide
a meaningful lesson on caring for the natural world.
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. (Puffin, May 20, 1992)
B P —This cumulative rhyming tale shares the story of how an ingenious
boy, Ki-pat, brings rain to the arid Kapiti Plain using the same rhythm and
repetition as The House That Jack Built.
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. Illustrated by
Eric Carle. (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 1996). B —The winning
combination of rhyme, rhythm, and repetition make this book a classic
read-aloud. Martin and Carle provide equally appealing stories in Polar
Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 1997) and Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? (Henry Holt &
Company, 2003).
Bubblegum, Bubblegum by Lisa Wheeler. Illustrated by Harriet Kasak Portfolio and Laura Huliska-Beith. (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2004)
B —This fast-paced, rhyming story describing a group of animals’ sticky
References
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Bolduc, J. (2006). Effects of a music training program on kindergartners’ literacy skills. International
Journal of Music Education, 27(1), 37-47.
Bolduc, J., & Montesinos-Gelet, I. (2005). Pitch awareness and phonological awareness. Psychomusicology, 19, 3-14.
Buchoff, R. (1994). Joyful voices: Facilitating language growth through the rhythmic response to chants.
Young Children, 49(4), 26-29.
Casper, V. & Theilheimer, R. (2009). Early childhood education: Learning together. New York: McGraw Hill.
Council on Physical Education for Children (2000). Appropriate practices in movement programs for young
children ages 3-5: A position statement of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.
Reston, VA: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs
serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: National Association for the Education
of Young Children.
Davies, N. L. (2000). Learning…the beat goes on. Childhood Education, 7(3), 148-153.
Flohr, J. W. & Trollinger, V. L. (2010). Music in Elementary Education. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.
Gromko, J. (2005). The effect of music instruction on phonemic awareness in beginning readers. Journal
of Research in Music Education, 53(3), 199-209.
Jalongo, M., & Ribblett, D. (1997). Using song picture books to support emergent literacy. Childhood
Education, 74 (1), 15-22.
James, A. R. (2000). When I listen to music. Young Children, 55(3), 36-37.
Kouri, T., & Telander, K. (2008). Children’s reading comprehension and narrative recalling in sung and
spoken story context. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 24(3), 329–349
Neuman, S. (October, 2006). N is for nonsensical. Educational Leadership, 64(2), 28-31.
Pica, R. (2004). Experiences in movement: Birth to age eight. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.
Roopnarine, J. L., & Johnson, J. E. (2012). Approaches to Early Childhood Education (6th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Rowen, B. (1982). Learning through movement. New York: Teachers College.
Sawyer, J. (2011). Growing up with literature. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.
Tunks, K. W., & Giles, R. M. (2007). Write now! Publishing with young authors: Pre-K through grade 2. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee by Paul Galdone. (Sandpiper, 1988) S B —Children are
introduced to a variety of barnyard animals and their animal sounds through
this humorous, Old English cumulative rhyme.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault. Illustrated by Lois Ehlert. (Simon and Schuster, 1989) B —This alphabet
adventure told in lively rhyme is sure to have children chanting along
with fun-to-say phrases like “skit skat skoodle doot.”
Clap Your Hands by Lorinda Bryan Cauley. (FBApowersetup, 1997) D
—This lively read-aloud instructs children to act along with a wide variety
of movement tasks.
Croaky Pokey by Ethan Long. (Holiday House, 2011) S B D P —Children
will love to sing and dance this version of the traditional Hokey Pokey
with an amphibian flare.
Down by the Bay by Raffi. Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. (Crown
Books for Young Readers, 1988) S B —Children delight in each cheerful,
nonsense verse describing various wacky sights seen “down by the bay.”
The melody line with chords marked is provided.
Down by the Station by Will Hillenbrand. (Sandpiper, 2002) S B —Amusing
interpretation of a familiar tune, which adds a cumulative refrain, takes
readers on a train ride through a children’s zoo.
The Farmer in the Dell by John O’Brien. (Boyds Mills Press, 2000). S D
—His wife, nurse, cat, and the rat all come running to help rescue the
farmer who is stuck in the dell.
Five Little Ducks by Raffi. Illustrated by Jose Aurego and Ariane Dewey.
(Crown Books for Young Readers, 1988) S D —Bright, colorful pictures
depict this traditional tale of mother duck losing her ducklings one by
one only to be reunited for a happy ending. Music included.
Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani. (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2007) S —The
Christmas favorite, which includes both music and lyrics, takes readers on
a sleigh ride as they visit Mexico, Sweden, the Philippines, Poland, Italy,
Kenya, and the United States on a winter night.
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileene Christelow. (Clarion
Books, 2006). S D —Just like the well-loved song, five little monkeys start
to jump on their bed, fall off one by one, and bump their heads.
Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond by Mary Quattlebaum. Illustrated by Laura J.
Bryant. Dawn Publishers, 2011). S —The familiar tune encourages children to join in as Jo explores the pond on her grandfather’s farm.
The Fox Went out on a Chilly Night by Peter Spier. (Dragonfly Books, 1994)
S B —Using alternating full color and black and white illustrations, this
story of the old folk song by the same name tells of a fox foraging for
food to deliver to his family. This Caldecott Honor book ends with the
music and lyrics.
The Lady with the Alligator Purse by Nadine Bernard Westcott. (Little,
Brown Books for Young Readers, 1990) S B —Playful adaptation of a
jump rope rhyme chronicling the zany misadventures of Tiny Tim.
How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? by Iza Trapani and Bob Merrill.
(Charlesbridge Publishing, 2004) S —The song is used to tell a heart-felt
story of a little boy and the waggedy-tailed dog he longs to own.
If You’re Happy and You Know It by Jan Ormerod. Illustrated by Lindsey
Gardiner. (Star Bright Books, 2003). S D —This book puts a fun-filled twist
on the familiar song as eight members of the animal kingdom each add
their own original verse requiring tail wagging, ear flapping, and teeth
snapping merriment. Also consider If You’re Happy and You Know It by
Jane Cabrera (SRA/McGraw-Hill, 2008) where the giraffe nods her head,
the lion roars, the hippo goes kiss-kiss, the mouse says squeak-squeak,
the bird flaps her arms, the frog jumps around, and they all spin around.
I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly by Anne Hoberman. Illustrated by
Nadine Bernard Westcott. (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1980)
S B —In this cumulative folk song, each attempt to solve the problem
makes things worse. Other versions depict an old lady who swallowed a
pie, chick, rose, shell, snow, leaves, bell, books, bat, and trout.
I’m a Little Teapot by Iza Trapani. (Whispering Coyote Press, 1998) S D
—The familiar lyrics of this classic tune take on new meaning as a king,
queen, and evil sorcerer add action and adventure to this tale of a birthday tea party.
In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming. (Henry Holt Books for Young
Readers, 1998) B —Children are provided with a peek into seasonal changes
around a pond through succinct rhyming text and bright, bold illustrations
for which the book received a Caldecott Honor.
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring by Kin Eagle. Illustrated by Rob Gilbert. (Charlesbride Publishing, 1997) S D —This expanded version of the classic
nursery rhyme tells the story of an old man who snores through all kinds
of weather.
The Itsy Bitsy Spider by Iza Trapani. (Charlesbride Publishing, 1997) S D
—This childhood favorite chronicles a spider’s journey up a water spout
as the rain comes, making the spider fall, and the sun shines as the
spider reaches its goal at the top of water spout. Another version of The
Itsy Bitsy Spider adapted by Mary Hoberman and illustrated by Nadine
Bernard Westcott (Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2003) includes a
diagram of hand and arm gestures for children to perform while singing
along with added stanzas of the spider involved in everyday scenarios
with her insect neighbors.
Jamberry by Bruce Degen. (HarperCollins, Reprint edition, May 8, 1985) S
B D —This book recounts the berry-picking exploits of a boy and a bear,
using silly rhymes with a musical beat perfect for dancing.
Little Bunny Foo Foo: Told and Sung by the Good Fairy by Paul Brett Johnson. (Scholastic, 2004) S D —Woodchucks, foxes, and grizzly bears join
the field mice in this account of Little Bunny Foo Foo’s mischievous antics.
The Little Red Hen (HarperCollins, 1993) and The Three Bears (HarperFestival, 1991) by Byron Barton. S B D —Simplified versions of these wellknown tales with bold, bright illustrations.
Miss Mary Mack: A Hand-Clapping Rhyme adapted by Mary Hoberman.
Illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott. (Little Brown Books for Young
Readers, 2003). S B D —The antics of Miss Mary Mack, her silver button,
and her elephant friend, complete with music and hand instructions, will
have children chanting, clapping, and laughing along.
Mortimer by Robert N. Munsch. Illustrated by Michael Martchenko. (Annick Press,1985) D —Mortimer attempts to postpone bedtime by singing
a rowdy song with the refrain “Clang clang, rattle bing bang, Gonna make
my noise all day,” which practically begs for an instrumental accompaniment.
Oh, A Hunting We Will Go by John Langstaff. Illustrated by Nancy Winslow
Parker. (Aladdin, 1991). S B D —Children hunt through the stanzas of this
rollicking folk song as they attempt to apprehend a fox, skunk, and even
a brontosaurs.
Old MacDonald Had a Dragon by Ken Baker. Illustrated by Christopher
Santoro. (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012). S P —After using traditional verse to introduce assorted farm animals, Old McDonald acquires a
dragon adding unexpected excitement on the farm.
Old Macdonald Had A Farm by Pam Adams Childs Play Intl Ltd; PAP/
COM edition. (April 2007) S —This well-known and well-loved song is
enhanced with die cut pages that encourage children’s interaction with
and mimicking of a menagerie of animals, insects, and birds.
Old MacDonald had a Woodshop by Lisa Shuman. Illustrated by Ashley
Wolff. (Puffin, 2004). S P —In an interesting twist to a familiar song, Ms.
McDonald (an endearing sheep) is joined by her animal neighbors using
various tools in her woodshop.
One Duck Stuck by Phyllis Root. Illustrated by Jane Chapman. (Candlewick, 2003). B —In this counting book filled with fun-to-say sounds
(“splish, clomp, pleep, plop, plunk, sloosh, slosh, slink, zing”), rhythmic
text describes the sticky predicament of various marsh animals.
One Gray Mouse by Katherine Burton. Illustrated by Kim Fernandes. (Kids
Can Press, 1996) B —This book introduces animals, colors, and counting
(1-10) using rhyming text which motivates readers to chant along.
On Top of Spaghetti: A Silly Song Book by Gene Barretta. (Piggy Toes Press,
2004) S —A whimsically illustrated version of this silly song includes
flaps to lift on each page.
with this musical celebration of America’s national pastime.
Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes. Illustrated
by Jeanette Canyon. (Dawn Publications, 2007). B D P —Set to the tune
of Over in the Meadow, kids will sing, clap, and count their way through
the rainforest with monkeys that hoot, ocelots that pounce, parrots that
squawk, and boas that squeeze.
There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish by Jennifer Ward. Illustrated
by Steve Gray. (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012). S P —This hilarious
spin-off provides a modern version of a traditional favorite sure to entertain. Other options by same author-illustrator duo include There Was an
Old Monkey Who Swallowed a Frog (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2010)
and There Was an Odd Princess Who Swallowed a Pea (Amazon Children’s
Publishing, 2011).
Over in the Meadow by Jill McDonald. (Barefoot Books, 2012) S B
—Children can count through the meadow meeting a variety of busy
animal families in this colorful version of the traditional counting rhyme.
There were Monkeys in my Kitchen by Sheree Fitch and Mark Mongeau.
(Doubleday of Canada, 1992). B —Monkey-created chaos presented in a
sing-song rhythm.
Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes. Illustrated by
Jeanette Canyon. (Dawn Publications, 2004). B D P —In this adaptation of
Over in the Meadow, children are provided with a fun introduction to the
coral reef habitat while counting from 1 to 10.
There Were Ten in the Bed by Annie Kubler. (Child’s Play International,
2001) S D —An interactive version of a nursery counting song (complete
with spinning wheel) sure to encourage rolling and laughter.
Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme by Nadine Bernard Westcott. (Puffin,
1992) S B D —In this illustrated version of a simple, popular rhyme, two
children, some elephants, and a baker work together to create this favorite childhood sandwich giant-sized.
The Piggy in the Puddle (Aladdin, 1989). B —Silly story of a pig family’s
escapades told in irresistibly catchy verse.
The Roly-Poly Spider by Jill Sardegna. Illustrated by Tedd Arnold. (Scholastic, 1994). S D P —Read or sung to the tune of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider, this is
the funny story of a spider who eats all her friends and gets too fat.
Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Iza Trapani. (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2002)
S —Watercolor illustrations accompany the words of this simple song to
tell the story of a bear family’s picnic voyage.
The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort. Illustrated by G. Brian Karas. (Henry
Holt Books for Young Readers 2008) S B D P —In this fun-filled adaptation of the time-honored activity song, an unsuspecting family of four is
joined by seven successive sets of animals (seals, geese, rabbits, monkeys,
vipers, sheep, and skunks) on their bus ride to a local fair.
Shake the Sillies Out by Raffi. Illustrated by David Allender. (Crown Books
for Young Readers, 1988) S B D —Children join various woodland animals
and a host of silly campers as they shake, clap, jump, waggle, and, finally,
yawn the night away. The melody line and chords are provided.
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain by Jonathan Emmett. Illustrated
by Deborah Allwright. (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2007) S D
P —This Old West adaptation of the American folk song with its pink
pajama wearing main character is sure to delight. She’ll be Coming Round
the Mountain by Anne Owen and Sandra D’Antonio (Picture Window
Books, 2003) offers the more traditional words to six verses of the folk
song along with simple instructions for making a musical instrument and
adding actions and sounds.
Silly Sally by Audrey Wood. (Harcourt Children’s Books, 1992). B D
—Children will enjoy parading to town in a most unusual way—dancing
a jig with a pig, playing leapfrog with a dog, and even singing a tune with
a loon—as they join Sally’s journey.
Take Me Out to the Ball Game by Jack Norworth. Illustrated by Alec Gillman. (Aladdin, 1999). S —Even non-baseball fans will enjoy singing along
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone. (Sandpiper, 2006) D
—The three goat brothers outwit a troll in this classic fairy tale.
The Three Little Pigs by Marie-Louise Gay. (Groundwood Books, 2004) D
—A classic retelling of a favorite childhood tale about three pig brothers
and the big, bad wolf.
This Jazz Man by Karen Ehrhardt. Illustrated by R.G. Roth. (Harcourt, 2006)
S B P —Read or sung to the tune of This Old Man, this book introduces
jazz music and some of the more popular jazz musicians. The book has a
rhythm that children will love to chant along with and a rhyme scheme
that is fun.
Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel. Illustrated by Blair Lent. (Scholastic,
1968). B —For decades, the favorite part of this story about a young Chinese boy who falls in the well has been saying his great long name aloud,
“Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo.”
Today is Monday by Eric Carle. (Puffin, 1997) S B —Children will be compelled to sing along with each verse as animals parade across the page
and through the week eating their favorite foods.
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star by Iza Trapani. (Whispering Coyote Press, 1997)
S —This classic nursery rhyme introduces a story about a shooting star
in the sky. It has a rhyme and repetition that can be sung to a tune. It is a
soothing story that often is sung at bedtime to calm young children.
Up! Up! Up! by Susan Reed. Illustrated by Rachel Oldfield. (Barefoot Books,
2011) S —Use the accompanying CD to sing along as three children as
they journey by hot air balloon.
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. (Alladin, 2003) S B D —Join this family of five (a father and his four
children) on a fantastic, fun-filled journey of sights and sounds before
they are chased back home after sighting a bear.
The Wheels on the Bus: Go Round and Round by Annie Kubler. (Childs Play
International, 2007) S B D —Read and sing along with this vividly illustrated version of the classic action song.
The Wheels on the Race Car by Alex Zane. Illustrated by James Warhola.
(Orchard, 2005) S P —In this action-packed take on The Wheels on the Bus,
animal drivers “zizz-zizz-zizz,”“glug-glug-glug,”“vroom-vroom-vroom,” and
“swish-swish-swish” around the track in colorful cars.
Figure 2. Picture Books by Type
Title
Sing
A You’re Adorable
*
Baby Beluga
*
Beat
Drama Parody
Title
Sing
The Piggy in the Puddle
*
*
The Roly-Poly Spider
*
Row, Row, Row Your Boat
*
The Seals on the Bus
*
Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
*
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do
You See?
*
Shake the Sillies Out
*
Bubblegum, Bubblegum
*
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
*
*
Silly Sally
Cat Goes Fiddle-I-Fee
*
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
*
*
Clap Your Hands
*
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
*
There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish
*
*
*
Down by the Bay
*
*
There were Monkeys in my Kitchen
Down by the Station
*
*
There Were Ten in the Bed
The Farmer in the Dell
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The Fox Went out on a Chilly Night
*
How Much Is That Doggie in the
Window?
*
If You’re Happy and You Know It
*
I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed
a Fly
*
I’m a Little Teapot
*
This Jazz Man
*
Tikki Tikki Tembo
*
*
*
*
*
It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
*
*
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
*
*
Jamberry
*
Jingle Bells
*
Jo MacDonald Saw a Pond
*
The Lady with the Alligator Purse
*
Little Bunny Foo Foo: Told and Sung by
the Good Fairy
*
The Little Red Hen
*
*
*
Miss Mary Mack: A Hand-Clapping
Rhyme
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Today is Monday
*
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
*
Up! Up! Up!
*
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
*
*
*
The Wheels on the Bus: Go Round and
Round
*
*
*
The Wheels on the Race Car
*
*
*
*
*
*
Mortimer
*
Oh, A Hunting We Will Go
*
Old MacDonald Had a Dragon
*
Old Macdonald Had A Farm
*
Old MacDonald had a Woodshop
*
*
*
*
*
One Duck Stuck
*
One Gray Mouse
*
*
Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme
*
*
Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef
Peanut Butter and Jelly: A Play Rhyme
*
*
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the
Bed
Over in the Meadow
*
The Three Little Pigs
*
*
*
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
*
In the Small, Small Pond
*
*
Five Little Ducks
On Top of Spaghetti: A Silly Song Book
*
*
*
Croaky Pokey
*
Beat Drama Parody
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Musical Activities to Promote Phonemic Awareness
Amanda Page Smith
Director of Children’s Music
The Brick Presbyterian Church & The Brick Church School
Manhattan, New York
P
honemic awareness is the understanding that language is composed
of small sounds called phonemes (Adams, Foorman, Lundberg, & Beeler,
2010). Research shows that a preschool child’s awareness of phonemes “holds
singular predictive power, statistically accounting for as much as 50% of the
variance in their reading proficiency at the end of first grade” (Adams, 2010).
Before children learn to read, they must be able to identify the sounds within
words.
Musical activities can serve as valuable tools in the discrimination of
sounds. Songs contain meter and often rhyme, making them a natural canvas
for the exploration and manipulation of phonemes. Children at the preschool
level love to engage in language and sound play. Several studies show that
music aptitude and musical training are positively associated with reading
development (Rauscher & Hinton, 2011; Tsang & Conrad, 2011). Further, children who participate in music programs that address listening skills for both
music and phonological ability perform better on tests of phonological awareness compared to children in a standard music program (Bolduc, 2009). In
this article, I will offer musical activities that support phonemic awareness for
children ages 3, 4, and 5.
Marilyn Jager Adams, one of the scholars most closely associated with research on phonemic awareness, identifies five main components of phonemic
awareness (as cited in Blevins, 1997): 1) rhyme and alliteration, 2) oddity tasks,
3) blending words and splitting syllables, 4) orally segmenting words, and 5)
phonemic manipulation tasks. The following addresses each of these five areas
and offers musical activities within each area.
Rhyme and Alliteration
M
Amanda Smith, BM, St.
Olaf College; MME Westminster Choir College; is
the Director of Children’s
Music at The Brick Presbyterian Church and The Brick
Church School in Manhattan.
ost songs and chants include rhyme. Exposure to rhyming songs and
chants tunes children’s listening to the nuance of rhyme. As the songs
are presented, educators should be careful to use excellent diction and pure
vowels to help children hear the rhymes.
I have observed children as young as 3 years identify and begin to produce
rhyme, especially when it occurs in the context of a rhyming book or a song.
In the music classes for 3-year-olds that I teach, I often sing rhyming songs to
children using picture books. Some favorites are Shoo Fly (Trapani, 2000), Over
in the Meadow (Wadsworth & Vojtech, 2002), and Froggie Went a-courtin’ (Priceman, 2000). I show the book to the children as I sing, carefully enunciating the
words. When we reach a rhyming cadence, I will point to the picture, exagger-
ate the onset consonant, then stop before finishing the
identify which in a group does not rhyme. When chilword and let the children fill in the rest of the rhyme.
dren try to produce a rhyme and it is not a match (ex.
(ex. “Over in the meadow in a hole in a tree, lived an old
In “Down by the Bay,” a child sings, “have you ever seen
mother owl and her little owls THR….”).
a dog talking to a turtle”), an oddity task can be preChildren can further their rhyming skills through
sented. The teacher asks all of the children to cup their
simple call and response songs. The following activity,
face in their hands. The teacher then asks the children to
adapted from Phonemic Awareness Songs and Rhymes
repeat words while they feel their faces, such as dog, log,
(Jordano & Callella, 2000),
bog, frog, and turtle. Finally,
can be enjoyed by chilthe teacher asks the children ages 3through 5. For
dren to name which word
instance, the educator presfelt different in their faces.
ents several pictures within
This task gives children the
a theme, such as food, and
opportunity to hear and
lays the pictures in front of
feel successful rhymes, as
the children. In a sing-song
well as to identify the word
sol-mi pattern, he or she
that sounds and feels difsings: “If I say lumpkin, you
ferent as it is produced.
know I mean _____.” The
In preparation for oddchildren use visual cues
ity tasks, opportunities for
from the pictures to narrow
contrast identification are
the choices for the rhyme.
valuable for preschool chilIf they are presented with
dren. Contrast dances are
pictures of cereal, bread,
a fun example. The teacher
popcorn, a banana, and a
plays recorded music with
Songs contain meter and often rhyme, making
pumpkin, the image will
contrasting sections. Here
them a natural canvas for the exploration and
trigger the children to
are some suggested links
manipulation of phonemes.
rhyme with lumpkin and
for contrast dances:
they will respond by sing“Dance of the Coing “Pumpkin!” when they are cued. The educator picks
medians” from The Bartered Bride by Bedrich Smetana
up the pumpkin picture to show the children that they
(highlights fast vs. slow tempi): www.youtube.com/
guessed correctly. He or she can then set the picture
watch?v=Y7uEV7FAua8
aside, and begin the game again, substituting another
“Adventures on Earth” from the movie E.T. by John
onset consonant for a different pictured item. Children
Williams (highlights staccato vs. legato): www.youtube.
ages 5 and older who have mastered this activity may
com/watch?v=g2dJCtATZ9A
enjoy producing their own rhymes for other children to
“III Allegro” from Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) Op.
guess. In this variation of the game, each child receives a
68 by Ludwig van Beethoven (highlights staccato vs.
picture and keeps it hidden from the class. At the child’s
legato): www.youtube.com/watch?v=z05tUEbfVmE
turn, he or she is invited to produce an original rhyme.
The teacher asks the children listen to the music and
One who is holding a picture of cereal might sing: “If I
dance quickly when the tempo is fast, and slowly when
say BEREAL, you know I mean -____,” and let the other
the tempo is slow. On another day, the teacher may
children fill in the word cereal.
choose songs that are bouncy versus smooth (staccato
vs. legato) and have the children bounce and glide, acOddity Tasks
cordingly.
hen a child completes an oddity task, he or she
Blending Words and Splitting Syllables
is identifying the word or sound that does not
n example of blending words is for children to
match the others. The task may be to identify which
hear the teacher say /s/ /at/, and for the children to
word in a group begins with a different sound, or to
W
A
children to freeze when
the music stops, pausing
the recording frequently. If
a child does not freeze, the
teacher creates an “out”
space where the child can
go for one round, then
invites the child back.
The next precursor to
the ability to orally segment words is to orally
segment phrases and
sentences, identifying
each word. An activity to
promote this ability is a
variation on “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”
determine that the blended
sounds create the word sat
(Blevins, 1997). Splitting syllables lends itself to activities in the music class.
Finding the syllables in
children’s names
1. The teacher asks the
children to echo as she
says and claps a child’s
name. She should make
sure to use proper syllabic stress so that the
names do not sound
Three-year-old children delight in hearing a
robotic. The use of
familiar song presented in a “silly” way.
inflection and proper
syllabic stress aid in the
Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes
development of language skills (Pollock, 1989).
1.The teacher sings the song slowly with the children,
2. The teacher tries other ways of saying and performtouching each body part as it is sung.
ing the syllables in children’s names, such as patting
2.When the song and the actions are familiar, the
the syllables on the lap, drumming them, stepping
teacher says to the children, “Let’s THINK ‘head’ inthem, or jumping them.
stead of singing it.” She then sings the song using all
3. The teacher plays a guessing game, asking the chilof the actions, leaving out the word “head,” making
dren to echo while he claps the syllables of a child’s
sure to still touch the head while thinking it.
name without speaking the name. He then asks the
3.The next time, the teachers suggests that the
children to guess whose name was clapped.
children THINK another body part (shoulders, toes,
4. The teacher encourages the children to perform
etc.) rather than singing it, making sure to touch the
their own names by saying and clapping, drumbody part that they are thinking of.
ming, stepping, or jumping them. Body percussion
4.When the children are familiar with these variations,
or the use of rhythm instruments has been shown to
they will suggest the body parts that they would like
reinforce the child’s concept of steady beat as well as
to think, rather than sing. Some may suggest taking
word rhythms (Gromko, 2005).
away two body parts (knees AND toes, for example).
Orally Segmenting Words
A
child who can orally segment a word can identify the sounds within the word. Sat, for example,
has three sounds: /s/ /a/ /t/. This task can also include
identifying syllables and counting syllables. For young
children, a precursor to this ability is to identify when
sounds occur and when they stop. Dancelike kinesthetic
movements have been shown to help children organize
their perceptions of musical sound in time and space
(Gromko, 2005). To build this skill, the educators may
create opportunities for the children to “Freeze Dance”
to recorded music. (Quick tempos work best for small
children’s balancing abilities.) The educator asks the
Phonemic Manipulation Tasks
P
honemic manipulation tasks involve the substitution
of onset consonants, the creation of rhyme, and the
general ability to play with words and sounds. One of
the beloved activities in the classes that I teach is a variation on the song, “Skinamarink-a-dink.”
Skinamarink-a-dink-a-dink
Skinamarink-a-doo
I love you.
I love you in the morning and in the afternoon
I love you in the evening and underneath the moon
Skinamarink-a-dink-a-dink
Skinamarink-a-doo
I love you
I really mean it!
I-----love-------you!
familiar tunes. Creative Teaching Press.
Pollock, K. (1989). An acoustic analysis of young children’s productions of word stress. Papers and Reports
on Child Language Development, 28, 140-147.
Priceman, M. (2000) Froggie went a-courting: An old tale with a new twist. Boston: Little, Brown and
Company.
Rauscher, F. H., & Hinton, S. C. (2011). Music instruction and its diverse extra-musical benefits. Music
Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29(2), 215-226.
Trapani, I. (2000). Shoo fly! Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing.
Tsang, C. D., & Conrad, N. J. (2011). Music training and reading readiness. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29(2), 157-163.
Wadsworth, O., & Voitech, A. (2002). Over in the meadow. New York: Cheshire Studio.
The children sing the song with simple actions until
it is mastered. I then introduce a puppet from our set of
alphabet hand puppets, and tell the children that this
puppet likes to sing “Skinamarink” in a special way. Holding the puppet and executing the simple actions of the
song, I sing each word with the onset consonant represented by that puppet. For example, the King puppet
sings kinama-kink-a-kink-a-kink, kinama-kink-a-koo, [k]
I kove koo, etc. Three-year-old children delight in hearing a familiar song presented in a “silly” way. Four- and
five-year-old children begin to try to join in the singing,
adding a /k/ to the onset of each word or syllable. When
the children have mastered this, they ask for different
puppets, and begin to sing the song with substituted
onset consonants before the puppet even makes its
trip from the closet to the circle. A video example of a
class of three-year-olds experiencing this activity can be
viewed at https://vimeo.com/58716182.
Putting it all together
Y
oung children are fascinated by language, and are
engaged by the opportunity to hear and make
sounds that seem silly, while they are actually experiencing a rich palate of sounds to develop phonemic
awareness. I have found that incorporating a 3-5
minute phonemic awareness activity into my
preschool music classes brings joy to the children
and develops their confidence and excitement
about language. The reference list for this article
presents further reading on the topic of phonemic
awareness, as well as many ideas for language
development activities that can be adapted to the
music classroom with just a bit of creativity.
References
Adams, M. J., Foorman, B., Lundberg, I., & Beeler, T. (2010). Phonemic awareness in young
children: A classroom curriculum. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co, 1-6.
Anvari, S. H., Trainor, L. J., Woodside, J., & Levy, B. A. (2002). Relations among musical skills,
phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children. Journal of
Experimental Child Psychology, 83, 111-130.
Blevins, W. (1997). Phonemic awareness activities for early reading success. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 5-11.
Boulduc, J. (2009). Effects of a music programme on kindergarteners’ phonological awareness skills. International Journal of Music Education, 27, 37-47.
Gromko, J. E. (2005). The effect of music instruction on phonemic awareness in beginning
readers. Journal of Research in Music Education, 53(3), 199-209.
Jordano, K., & Callella, T. (2000). Fall phonemic awareness songs and rhymes: Fun lyrics sung to
Research
Review
Music Play Zone II:
Deepening parental empowerment as music guides for their young children.
Koops, L. H. (2012). Music play zone II: Deepening parental empowerment as music guides for their young children.
Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(6), 333-341. doi 10.1007/s10643-012-0513-1
Diana R. Dansereau
Boston University
T
here’s little argument that quality musical experiences in early childhood—primarily those involving
person-to-person musical interaction—are beneficial
to young children and bring them joy. The challenge,
however, lies in encouraging such experiences for all
children and overcoming obstacles that prevent their
occurrence. Such obstacles may include a lack of music in preschools and daycares, and time constraints
for parents. Those children who have access to weekly
music classes surely receive such beneficial experiences;
however, it’s unclear whether classes have an impact on
the children’s lives during the week or once the classes
are ended. Through this research study, Koops (2012)
created a private online social networking environment
designed to engage parents between weekly music
classes and reveal the musical lives of the children inside
and outside of music class. The specific purpose of the
study was to document and describe the use of this social networking site by parents. Guiding research questions were:
1.How do parents describe the experience of
building a community
of learners in an early
childhood music class
using an online social
networking interface?
2.What are the perceived benefits of participation in
the online community of learners?
3.What forms of information and types of questions
about children’s musical development do parents
share on the online social network?
4.How does the participation of the parents in the
online community affect the early childhood music
teacher’s understanding of students, delivery of instruction, and communication with parents? (p. 345)
Koops situated the teaching approach and research
inquiry in the work of Gordon (2003), particularly his
analogous treatment of music and language learning,
and emphasis on parental involvement in creating environments that allow such learning to occur.
Method
T
his was a qualitative intrinsic case study wherein
the researcher functioned as the lead teacher of
the early childhood class and parent of a child enrolled
in the class. The data sources were posts to the social
networking site and transcripts from interviews.
Diana R. Dansereau, PhD, is Assistant Professor
The primary participants
of Music Education at Boston University. She also
were six mothers who had
teaches early childhood music classes at the Rhode
children in Koops’ music
Island Philharmonic Music School.
class (which included
children ranging from 20
months to 4 years). In addition, five students from Koops’
university-level early childhood music class assisted with
the classes and helped post questions or assignments
on the networking site.
Koops taught the classes for 10 weeks and interviewed the six adult participants after all classes had
ended. In addition, parents were asked to complete
weekly assignments throughout the 10 weeks – which
involved describing the children’s music-making – and
post these on the social networking site. Koops offered a
children’s book and CD to parents who completed eight
assignments or more.
Data from the interviews and website posts were
analyzed via a coding process using internal and external
(based on literature and previous research) codes. Thirtytwo codes emerged from the interview data and 32 from
website posts, with nine codes overlapping the two data
sources. The codes were then grouped into seven emergent themes.
Results
T
hree themes emerged
solely from the site posts
(music-making outside of class,
enjoyment, and play), and two
themes emerged entirely from
the interview data (learning environment and technology). In
addition, two themes – connections and reflections – emerged
from both the website and
interview data.
Connections
Data revealed that a number of connections were made
during the 10 weeks, including
“connections to one’s own child,
to other children and parents in
class, to the university student
assistants, and to the teacher” (p.
336). In addition, “connections
from Monday classes to weekly
family life and connections from
material on the site or experiences in class to larger parenting
issues” were expressed (p. 336).
There’s little argument that quality musical
experiences in early childhood . . . are beneficial
to young children and bring them joy. The
challenge, however, lies in encouraging such
experiences for all children.
Koops reported that there was a mix of response to the
social networking site. For example, some parents felt
that the site allowed them to connect with other parents,
while others said that it did not. Several parents, though,
indicated that the site allowed them to feel more connected to the children in the class.
In general, the site allowed parents to share recommendations for music resources, parenting techniques
and suggestions that Koops could draw upon during
classes. Koops reported that the site was “invaluable in
getting to know the students, receiving tips from the
parents, and getting ideas from the parents on ways to
extend activities from class or
incorporate ideas and experiences from home” (p. 336).
Reflections
Parents used the site posts
to reflect on various aspects of
their children’s behaviors, including the ways that they exerted
control over musical activities at
home, used music for non-musical goals, and generally processed their environments. Additionally, the site posts allowed
the participants to share their
interpretations of their children’s
musical behaviors. Parents used
the interviews to reflect on their
children’s musicianship, socialization processes, and their own
participation in classes.
Play, Musicking, and
Enjoyment
Parents consistently reported
on the social networking site that
their children enjoyed musicmaking and that they enjoyed
watching their children take joy from being musical. In
addition, the site posts revealed
descriptions of adapting music to fit one’s needs,
child musical preferences, child-directed activities
at home, communication through music, creativity, engaging in different ways with the same
activity, family music making, music making in
the car, music making in the community, musical concepts, musical development, and musical
instruments. (p. 335)
Parents reported that the weekly assignments
motivated them to engage in music-making with their
children at home, so that they would have observations
to report.
The site posts also contained descriptions of children’s spontaneous and pretend play at home. Additionally, a play-specific discussion ensued after an assignment
to consider whether the parents were engaged in playenhancing and/or play-extinguishing behaviors (Berger &
Cooper, 2003).
Technology and Learning Environment
Two themes emerged solely from the interview data.
Koops’ attempt at encouraging and
documenting musical behaviors
beyond the confines of music class is a
helpful model for music educators.
First, the parents commented on the technology used
during the study. Overall, parents found the site to be
user-friendly and that using the site had benefits for their
children and themselves. Koops noted that the motivations for participating in the online community varied in
that “parents with stronger musical backgrounds identified musical benefits and motivations for participation
while those who did not identify themselves as ‘musically
inclined’ focused more on the socialization and classroom
environment” (p. 338). Parents also expressed regret that
they didn’t have more time to post to the site and some
wished that other parents had used the site more frequently.
Koops noted that the interviews also revealed a tension between wanting to foster an age-appropriate, freelearning environment during music classes and the need
to reinforce socialization behaviors expected in preschool.
Also related to music classes, participants shared mixed
opinions about whether it was valuable to invite parents
to observe class rather than participate. Toward the end
of classes, all children were participating apart from their
parents to varying results – some children who were “energetic and vocally involved during the previous spring’s
session from the security of their mother’s laps became
quiet and still”, while others “became more responsive,
active, and spontaneous” (p. 339). Parents also made a
number of suggestions during interviews, which included
providing “a picture-based schedule of activities and
allowing children to choose some of the day’s activities;
establishing individual musical and non-musical learning
goals for the children; and continuing to build in activities in which children had a chance to be ‘in control’ while
maintaining an overall atmosphere of following teacher
directions” (p. 339).
Conclusions and Discussion
I
n general, this study revealed that the use of a social
network empowered parents to take an active role
in their children’s musical activities beyond participation in music class. Koops rightly warned against the
generalization of these results given the small number
of participants involved and the homogeneous nature
of the participant group in terms of socioeconomic
status, educational background, and gender. Despite
this, Koops’ attempt at encouraging and documenting
musical behaviors beyond the confines of music class is
a helpful model for music educators. The article is also
rich with parental anecdotes about musical engagement
with children that would be interesting to read and
share with parents in order to prompt their reflections.
Finally, valuable tips for adding an online environment
to the early childhood music class experience can be
gleaned from the experiences reported in this study.
References
Berger, A. A., & Cooper, S. (2003). Musical play: A case study of preschool children and parents. Journal of
Research in Music Education, 51(2), 151–165. doi:10.2307/3345848
Gordon, E. E. (2003). A music learning theory for newborn and young children. Chicago, IL: GIA.
Koops, L. H. (2012). Music play zone II: Deepening parental empowerment as music guides for their
young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(6), 333-341.
ECMMA New Members
& Certifications
We welcome these new members and certifications
from 2/1/13 - 4/30/13
New Members
North Central:
Meryl Brown – Bloomington, IL
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Northeast:
Angela Beeler – Ithaca, NY
Kimbereley Bidell – Medina, NY
Emily Davis – Le Roy, NY
Genevieve Dougherty – Fredonia, NY
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Erin Szymanski – Fredonia, NY
Northwest:
Teresa Birch – Spokane, WA
Alexandra May – Calgary, AB Canada
Ruth Michaelis – Spokane, WA
South Central:
Natasha Kwapich – Olathe, KS
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Southeast:
Rebekah Everhart – Virginia Beach, VA
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Southwest:
Amy Compton – Roseville, CA
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Certifications
Level I - New
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Level II - Renew
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Level III - Renew
Linda Marie Codier – Mesa, AZ
Richert, R. A., Robb, M. B., & Smith
E. I. (2011). Media as social partners: The social nature of young
children’s learning from screen
media. Child Development, 82(1),
82–95. Retrieved July 6, 2013. doi:
10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01542.x
different from early learning and
developmental experiences based
on live social interaction. Additionally, preschool children’s learning
from screen media is shaped by the
parasocial (i.e., one-sided) relationships they form with media-based
characters they regularly watch;
furthermore, they demonstrate an
inability to distinguish between reliable fantasy and real world events.
Based on these conclusions, Richert, et al, offered suggestions for the
supervision, development, and appropriate uses of screen
media with young children.
The authors explored the social
and developmental impact that screen
media (television, videos, tablets) have
on the health and wellbeing of young
children, birth through 6 years. Richert,
Robb, and Smith offered two avenues for introducing and
interpreting relevant research findings in terms of what
best supports children’s development. First, the authors
surveyed what children do not learn from screen media
and the implications of those deficiencies on children’s
cognitive development. Second, they looked at what chilYoung, S. (2008). Collaboration between 3- and
dren do learn from screen media and how such informa4-year-olds in self-initiated play on instruments.
tion can be useful to parents, educators, researchers, poliInternational Journal of Educational Research, 47(1),
cymakers, and programmers. Furthermore, the authors
3-10. Retrieved September 7, 2012. doi:10.1016/j.
acknowledged that, whereas parents, teachers, siblings,
ijer.2007.11.005
and peers are considered primary components of a child’s
social, cultural, and educational upbringing, one cannot
In this study, Young considered the social and creative
ignore the increasingly
elements involved when
pivotal role that technology
two or more children play
garners in today’s teaching
together on instruments
Initially, young children’s (under 2
and learning environments.
during a self-initiated,
years) capability to learn from on-screen
Regarding very young
open-ended task. Along
models of instruction is very limited and
children (birth to 3 years),
with identifying behaviors
qualitatively different from early learning
the authors examined the
that showed evidence of
and
developmental
experiences
based
effects of screen media in
collaboration between
the areas of perception, auchildren, the researcher also
on live social interaction.
ditory perception, symbolic
inquired as to how children
representation, imitation,
working together might
and word learning. The discussion for the developing
relate to and augment each other’s musical play. From
preschooler focused on the social ideas and expectations
her observations, Young found that children’s collaboraexhibited through screen media.
tive musical play exhibited “themes” identifiable through
In their concluding section, “Raising Healthy Children:
body movements, body posture and positioning, playing
Implications for Policy and Practice,” the authors discussed
patterns, pace and dynamics of playing; all which could
two primary findings from their study. Initially, young chilbe easily imitated and shared between musical partners.
dren’s (under 2 years) capability to learn from on-screen
In particular, imitation proved to be an important sharmodels of instruction is very limited and qualitatively
ing mechanism, of which Young identified two forms:
sequential imitation (an imitated musical idea that is
repeated by the other child) and synchronized imitation
(imitation through which one child is joining in or sharing a musical idea with another child). The complexity of
young children’s shared music making, as demonstrated
in Young’s study, highlights the importance of affording
children opportunities to actively explore and creatively
expand each other’s musical play.
Rauscher, F. H., & Hinton, S. C. (2011). Music instruction and its diverse extra-musical music training and
nonmusical abilities. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, (29)2, 215-226. Retrieved July 7,
2013. doi : 10.1525/mp.2011.29.2.215
Featured in this article, Rauscher and Hinton provided
an overview of their research documenting evidence that
music instruction supports specific areas of children’s
cognitive function—spatial-temporal reasoning, numerical reasoning, and phonemic awareness. The researchers
Liao, M-Y. (2008). The effects of gesture use on
described the defining characteristics of each of these
young children’s pitch accuracy for singing tonal
cognitive functions and shared findings as they related to
patterns. International Journal of Music Educachildren in preschool and elementary grades. In a general
tion 26(3), 197-211. Retrieved April 21, 2011. doi:
summary of their conclusions, Rauscher and Hinton noted
10.1177/0255761408092525
the following: 1) the improvement of children’s cognitive
skills were related to the introduction of music instrucWorking with 5- and 6-year olds (N = 80), researcher
tion at an early age (before age seven); 2) the improved
Mei-Ying Liao examined the effectiveness of hand gescognitive skills were closely tied to the skills that had
tures in regard to 1) helping young children sing pitches
been practiced as a result of instrumental instruction; and
accurately, 2) aiding chil3) children from diverse
dren in identifying the
economic backgrounds—
Results showed that both girls’ and boys’
melodic movement (i.e.,
impoverished and middleuse of hand gestures improved their acgetting higher, getting
income—demonstrated
lower, repeating) of short
cognitive benefits from
curacy in singing pitches as well as their
music examples, and 3)
music instruction. In
singing of all melodic contour examples.
evidence of gender-based
conclusion, the authors
differences in their use. Liao
emphasized that, despite
cited several studies supporting the efficacy of children’s
the apparent beneficial albeit controversial cognitive
use of hand gestures as a means of utilizing visual, aural,
advantages of music instruction, the primary purpose
and kinesthetic learning modalities simultaneously to
and highest benefit of music instruction must remain
help develop children’s perception and accurate singing
the personal value of an individual’s participation in and
of pitches and to improve their ability to discern differencexpression through music.
es in melodic contour. The researcher developed the skillappropriate hand gestures and melodic examples used in
this study. Results showed that both girls’ and boys’ use of
hand gestures improved their accuracy in singing pitches
Rock, A. M. L., Trainor, L. J., & Addison, T. L. (1999).
as well as their singing of all melodic contour examples.
Distinctive messages in infant-directed lullabies and
Consistent with other studies, Liao also found that, with or
play songs. Developmental Psychology, 35(2), 527without gestures, the girls’ singing was generally more ac534. Retrieved October 2, 2004.
curate than the boys’ and addressed possible factors that
may account for this disparity. In closing, she maintained
Parents and caregivers singing to their babies is seemthat these outcomes can help early childhood educators
ingly a universal activity; however, the styles and types of
guide children to develop good singing techniques, as
songs adults choose for such infant-directed interactions
well as provide children with tools to aid in the accurate
characteristically vary by culture and environment. In
perception and reproduction of pitches.
this study, the researchers examined the characteristics
of mothers’ (n = 16) singing of a song as a lullaby and a
playful song to their 6-month-old children. Additionally,
the infants’ behavioral responses to their mothers’ singing were assessed for indications of inward attentiveness
toward the mother (lullaby) or outward interaction with
the environment (playful song). The research questions
guiding this study were three-fold:
1.In singing a song to an infant, can the parent or caregiver distinguish the stylistic differences between a
playful song and a lullaby and adjust his/her performance to convey these differences accurately?
2.If so, what performance modifications or stylistic
changes did the parent/caregiver use to convey the
differences between a lullaby and a playful song to
the child?
3.Finally, in the course of hearing a lullaby and a playful song, did the infants react differently to the two
types of songs; and, if so, what might be inferred
from the infants’ behavior about the inherent meaning of the song to the child based on its performance as a lullaby or a playful song?
Rock, Trainor, and Addison found that parents/caregivers do modify their style of singing to communicate
different meanings during music-based, infant-directed
interactions with their children. And, as might be expected, they also concluded that infants exhibited different
behavioral responses to lullabies versus playful songs.
ECMMA
Peer Review Board
Diana Dansereau, PhD
Boston University
Lisa Gruenhagen, PhD
Bowling Green State University
Lorna Heyge, PhD
Founder and President: Musikgarten
Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo, PhD
University of Miami
Herb Marshall, PhD
Baldwin-Wallace College
Dena Register, PhD MT-BC
University of Kansas
Joanne Rutkowski, PhD
Pennsylvania State University
Cynthia Crump Taggart, PhD
Michigan State University
Rick Townsend, PhD
Maranatha Baptist Bible College
Wendy Valerio, PhD
University of South Carolina
Book Review:
Musical Children: Engaging Children in
Musical Experiences
M
Author: Carolynn A. Lindeman
Prentice Hall, 2011 (252 pages)
Reviewed by Jan Boner
Kennesaw State University
usical Children: Engaging Children in Musical Experiences was designed for elementary education
students or teachers who teach young children during the
preschool and early elementary school years. The book is
written so that the reader, even with a limited background
in music, can be successful engaging children in musical
experiences as part of the daily classroom routine.
Overall, the book is a great resource for the primary
grades teacher with 30 music experiences in a lesson
plan format. Suggestions are given for adapting music
instruction to teach all learners, and for extending the
lesson and curricular connections to other classroom
subjects including language arts, science, social studies, math, and visual arts. There is also a section on
early childhood music activities in the areas of singing,
playing instruments and creating music, understanding
music, and moving to music. The accompanying CD is
a good source for all the songs and listening selections
used in the lessons. Major approaches for teaching
music are covered, including Orff Schulwerk, the Kodály
Concept, Dalcroze Eurhythmics, and the Gordon Music
Learning Theory.
The first section of the book focuses on music and
the young child, from infants to age four. Lindeman
encourages teachers of young children to embrace the
concept that children need a rich musical environment
in order to thrive. Teachers are challenged to provide
developmentally appropriate music experiences in a
playful environment that is child-initiated and directed.
Principles for teaching music to young children are
explained according to the National Standards for Music
Education, published by the National Association for
Music Education (NAfME). The content standards for Prekindergarten include singing and playing instruments,
reacting to music, responding to music, and understanding music. I found the graduated developmental stages
and suggested activities in each content standard area
(3 months to 5 years) especially beneficial.
The second section of the book focuses on music for
young children in the primary grades, kindergarten to
third grade. The chart of developmental characteristics
of children concisely summarizes attributes in areas of
cognitive growth, physical growth, and musical growth.
Another helpful tool is the chart relating the National
Standards for Music Education to the achievement standards and the 30 lessons featured in the book. These
music lessons are a helpful resource, detailing the correlating subjects to integrate with each musical experience. There is also a monthly planner with suggested
music activities included for holidays, celebrations, and
seasons throughout the year.
Jan Boner, MEd, MT-BC, lives in Marietta, Georgia,
and is owner and director of Musik To Grow, a music
program for children ranging from 4 months to
10 years. She is an adjunct instructor at Kennesaw
State University where she teaches a music course
for education majors. Jan is a former president of
ECMMA and currently serves as a member of the
ECMMA Editorial committee.
The third section includes 45 additional songs from
a variety of cultures with teaching suggestions and
curricular connections. Some are songs are intended to
be sung, accompanied with American Sign Language
(ASL) signs, or played as games. Generally, the songs are
traditional folk songs, which set a solid foundation of
repertoire for children.
The book is written so that the reader, even with a limited background
in music, can be successful engaging
children in musical experiences as
part of the daily classroom routine.
The final section of the book contains valuable
resources for the teacher. A common requirement in a
music education course for non-music majors is to learn
to play the recorder. Instructions are included for playing the recorder with numerous songs with three to five
different notes to learn to play this instrument. There are
also many teacher resources for lesson planning, music
software and much more. I appreciate the reference materials of music fundamentals, which include the rhythm
syllables developed by Gordon in addition to the Kodály
syllables. The appendix that lists books about music,
storybooks about songs, music software, and interactive
websites designed for children is also a helpful resource.
I am amazed at the broad scope of topics covered
and breadth of resources available in this 252-page
book. The concise format includes details needed for the
classroom teacher of primary children to have foundational understanding of music. I appreciate the simplicity of the activities and language for the non-musical
reader. In the opinion of this reviewer, the compact size
limits its usefulness. The ages addressed in the book
(infant to third grade) are often not the ages that education majors need to focus. The book would be more usable to a broader audience of readers if it included one
more section to address music for the upper elementary
child. While I currently use this book to teach a music
education course for elementary classroom teachers, I
am looking for another edition that will cover a broader
age range.
Submission Guidelines for Authors
Angela Barker, PhD - Editor, Perspectives
[email protected]
P
erspectives offers practical, research-based articles on
current topics of interest to anyone who works with
young children, pre-birth through age 7. Our readers
include music specialists, movement specialists, music
therapists, early childhood educators, childcare providers,
parents, early intervention specialists, elementary school
principals, researchers, teacher educators, students, policy
makers, and others.
Evaluative criteria for research studies
• Design of the research
• Presentation of research purpose and problem(s)
• Sound methodology
• Presentation of results/findings
• Interpretation of results/findings
• Conclusions
• Discussion and implications for the profession
The mission of Perspectives is to
Please submit articles written in a clear, concise conversational style and that avoid the use of unnecessary
jargon, technical language, and passive voice. The excessive use of long quotations from other sources is strongly
discouraged. The content of the article must be consistent
with related professional literature. Authors should avoid
personal commentary that is not relevant to the current
topic or content that promotes a specific person, performing group, institution, or product.
• provide a network of communication, support, and
information among the members of ECMMA;
• encourage teacher development by fostering a free
exchange between professionals in the field of music and professionals in the field of early childhood
development; and
• advocate for music in early childhood by supporting education of parents, classroom teachers, and
administrators.
Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts
dealing with topics relevant to early childhood music and
movement education, such as 1) all phases and areas of
music and movement education for young children, 2)
best teaching practices for educators, or 3) practice-based
research.
By submitting an article to Perspectives, the author
acknowledges that the manuscript is not previously
published and has not been simultaneously submitted for
publication elsewhere, in print or online.
The ECMMA Editorial Peer-Review Board, comprised
of practicing professionals in early childhood music and
movement, referees all manuscripts submitted to Perspectives for publication.
Evaluative criteria for general interest, research-based
articles
• Usefulness and relevance to the field of early childhood music and movement
• Consistency with work/research in the field
• Clarity of ideas
• Writing style
• Grammatical construction
Submission Deadlines: February 1, May 1, August 1,
November 1
Manuscript Requirements
The word count for articles is 800 to 3000 words
(excluding references). Each page must be numbered
and formatted with 1-inch margins, and the text doublespaced throughout (including references). Submit manuscripts via email as text documents in MS Word (.doc,
docx) or similar formats to Dr. Angela Barker, Perspectives
Editor, [email protected].
Submit images (figures, graphs, and pictures) as
separate graphic files (.tif, .gif, .bmp, .jpg) and tables as MS
Word documents (.doc). Please submit images that are
300 dpi or a minimum of 1 MB. All images and tables must
be clearly marked as to their placement in the manuscript.
Authors should follow recommendations in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
(6th ed.) for research-based manuscripts. For questions
related to publication style or manuscript submission
requirements, please contact the Perspectives Editor.
Please include the following with each manuscript
submission:
• A separate page that includes
o The author’s name, credentials, and affiliation
o Complete contact information with mailing
address and email address
o A brief, two-line biographical note (20-25 words)
• Title page
• 150- to 250-word abstract
• A list of keywords: 6 to 10 words
• Body of article
o 800-3000 words
o Double-spaced text throughout
o 10- or 12-point font
o Numbered pages
• Complete list of references and/or bibliography (APA
format, double-spaced)
Audio and Video
The web-based version of Perspectives (www.ecmma.
org/perspectives) is capable of supporting audio and
video clips with online articles. Contact the Perspectives
Editor for information on recommended file formats.
Obtaining Releases
Authors are responsible for obtaining all releases and/
or permissions necessary for the use and electronic dissemination of photographs and copyrighted materials in
Perspectives. An author’s use of photographs of children
or of children’s drawings requires signed parental consent
forms. Authors of articles that use tables, figures, and images from other copyrighted sources must provide documentation verifying that permission has been obtained.
Contact the Perspectives Editor to request appropriate
forms or to ask questions about releases and permissions.
ECMMA Staff
Managing Director
Dr. Rick Townsend - [email protected]
Office Administrator
Victoria Stratton - [email protected]
Perspectives Editor
Dr. Angela Barker - [email protected]
Webmaster
Jeremiah Calvino - [email protected]
Layout Artist
Karen Greer - [email protected]
ECMMA Local Chapters
The Chapters listed here would
enthusiastically welcome you to their group.
Please consider contacting one of
the chapters near you.
Arizona Chapter
Lyn Codier (President)
[email protected]
Edmonton Chapter (Canada)
Joelle Dressler (President)
[email protected]
Greater Atlanta Chapter (Georgia)
Louise Betsch (President)
[email protected]
Greater Chicago Chapter (Illinois)
Rekha Rajan (President)
[email protected]
Greater Madison Area Chapter (Wisconsin)
Beth Ford (President)
[email protected]
Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter
Regina (Gina) Lacy (President)
[email protected]
Illinois Chapter
Mary Ellen Newsom (President)
[email protected]
Miami-Dade Chapter
Alaina Lorenzo (President)
[email protected]
Southern California Chapter
Sharon Mello (President)
[email protected]
Submission Guidelines
N
otable Notes is a short commentary authored by
a practicing early childhood educator on a topic
related to teaching music and movement to young
children. The primary purpose of Notable Notes is to
inform parents, administrators, policymakers, and others
about the importance of music and movement activities
for the development and well-being of all children. The
topics that previous Notable Notes authors have chosen
to write about vary from general descriptions of effective teaching practices to small yet salient ways educators have used music and movement instruction to help
children grasp a better understanding of themselves
and the world in which they live. Notable Notes columns
from previous issues of Perspectives can be viewed online at www.ecmma.org/perspectives.
The word count for a Notable Notes column is 500-550
words. Please use a 10- or 12-point font for text. Pages
must be numbered and have 1-inch margins.
Authors: Please provide a brief biographical statement
(30-35 words) describing where you work, the subject
area(s) you teach, and the age group(s) you work with.
Be sure to include your first and last names and a current
mailing address.
Manuscripts must be formatted as an MS Word document (.doc, .docx) or a comparable format. Send the
document as an attachment via email to Dr. Angela
Barker, Perspectives Editor, [email protected].
Submission due dates:
February 1
May 1
August 1
November 1
Notable Notes columns submitted for publication in
ECMMA’s Perspectives are subject to copyediting by the
Perspectives Editor. The Editor reserves the right to: 1)
accept or reject a submission based on its relevance
and/or appropriateness to the needs of Perspectives and
ECMMA, 2) accept or reject a submission based on contributor’s adherence to the guidelines stated above, and
3) determine which issue of Perspectives a submission
will be featured.
Angela Barker, PhD
Editor, Perspectives
[email protected]
The Early Childhood Music & Movement Association
(ECMMA) seeks to promote the best practices in all areas
of early childhood music and movement for the good of
children, pre-birth through age seven.
805 Mill Avenue, Snohomish, WA 98290

Musical Children - Early Childhood Music and Movement Association

Transcription

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