In This Issue - Early Childhood Music and Movement Association

Transcription

ISSN 2375-3374 (PRINT)
ISSN 2375-3382 (ONLINE)
Volume 10, Number 2 - 2015
In This Issue
“Space is a Really Big Place”:
Life Cycle of a Song
Making Music With Joy!
Active Listening, Singing,
Playing and
Dancing with Children
Research Review
Rhythmic Engagement with
Music in Early Childhood:
A Replication and Extension.
Journal of Research in
Music Education.
Book Review
Original Mind: Uncovering
Your Natural Brilliance
Research
Within Reach
805 Mill Avenue, Snohomish, WA 98290
Southwest Regional Conference
June 12 – 13
North Central Regional Conference
August 8
Pasadena, California
Keynote Presenter: Mary Louise Wilson
Other Presenters Include:
Diane Plaster, Thom Borden, and Rachael Doudrick
Chicago, Illinois
Presenters Include: Kim Schefelbein, Erin Flynn,
Sara Stambaugh, Ellyzabeth Adler, Mary Sue
Miller and Kathryn Humphreys
Northeast Regional Conference
June 12 – 13
Northwest Regional Conference
October 16 – 17
Buffalo, New York
Keynote Presenter: Jill Hannagan
Featured Research Session: Donna Brink Fox, PhD
Alexia Buono, Kary Dobbs and Holley Haynes
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Keynote Presenters: Catherine Glaser-Climie
and Jennifer Buchanan
Amoriza Gunnink, Alexandra May,
Janet Runnals and Holly Hykawy
Southeast Regional Conference
July 24 -25
South Central Regional Conference
October 24 – 25
Miami, Florida
Keynote Presenter: Joy Galliford
Rachele Obregon, Leslie Cooper and Suzanne Suris
Wichita, Kansas
Keynote Presenter: Jo Kirk
Perspectives
Send articles, photos, and suggestions to
Editor—Beatriz Ilari
bilari@ecmma.org
or ECMMA Administrative Office
805 Mill Avenue, Snohomish, WA 98290
360-568-5635
Journal of the Early Childhood Music & Movement Association
Volume 10 Number 2, 2015
Features
3
Perspectives is the journal of the Early Childhood
Music & Movement Association, Inc.
“Space is a Really Big Place”:
Life Cycle of a Song
By Amanda Niland
ECMMA Vice President, Editorial Chair–Diana
Dansereau; Perspectives Editor – Beatriz Ilari; Graphic
Artist–Margaret Perrin. Unless otherwise noted,
photos within the publication are property of
ECMMA or are from a royalty-free stock photo service.
10
Making Music With Joy! Active Listening, Singing, Playing
and Dancing with Children
By Graça Boal Palheiros
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.
18
Research Review
Rhythmic Engagement with Music in Early Childhood:
A Replication and Extention. Journal of Research in Music
Education.
Reviewed by Judith A. Sullivan
24
Book Review
Original Mind: Uncovering Your Natural Brilliance
by D.J. Coulter
Reviewed by Leilani Miranda
26
28
Submission Guidelines for Perspectives Articles
© 2014 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, Beatriz Ilari,
at bilari@ecmma.org 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
versions of Perspectives. All submissions must include the author’s name, address, phone number,
and email address. All articles are reviewed by the
ECMMA Editorial Review Board and are subject to
editing for size and content by the Editor.
For current non-member subscription rates, back
issues and reprints contact adminoffice@ecmma.
org.
Six weeks notice required for change of address.
Copies misdirected due to failure to provide timely
change of address information will not be replaced.
Postmaster, please send address changes to:
Early Childhood Music & Movement Association
Victoria Stratton, Office Administrator
805 Mill Avenue, Snohomish, WA 98290 USA
Phone/fax: 360-568-5635
adminoffice@ecmma.org
INFORMATION CHANGES: The subscription price for print Perspectives is now $30;
the cost of back issues is $7.50 per issue.
Submission Guidelines for Notable Notes
Departments
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2
25
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Letter from the Editor
President’s Letter
ECMMA New Members & Certifications
Research Within Reach
klmnon
Letter from the Editor
Beatriz Ilari, PhD
Perspectives Editor—bilari@ecmma.org
Welcome to the Spring 2015 issue of Perspectives!
I like to think of an editor as a puzzle maker. Each issue of a journal is a different puzzle that the
editor puts together. But the puzzle could never be completed if it weren’t for its “pieces”, or the many
people that make it exist. That is, editing a journal offers many opportunities for one to learn about the
profession while meeting some wonderful colleagues – authors, reviewers, proofreaders, translators, editorial assistants of all kinds, and graphic designers, to name a few.
Aside from learning the ropes of the job, in the past few months I have been working closely
with the Chair of the Editorial Committee, Dr. Diana Dansereau, to implement changes to Perspectives, as
our journal continues to grow. The first important change that we have implemented refers to our peer
review board, which has been expanded. Please join me in welcoming Drs. Elizabeth Andang’o, Angela
Barker, Lily Chen-Hafteck, Claudia Gluschankof, Lisa Koops and Diane Persellin to our team of reviewers.
They bring with them expertise in different subareas of early childhood music education, as well as different worldviews, which will enrich our journal. And please stay tuned for more changes in the forthcoming
months!
This issue of Perspectives brings forward two articles on the theme “Music for, with and by young
children”. In the first featured article, Dr. Amanda Niland, Chair of ISME’s Early Childhood Music Education
Commission and lecturer in the Institute of Early Childhood of Macquarie University in Australia, discusses
the life cycle of songs in early childhood. The second featured article, by Dr. Graça Boal Palheiros from the
Escola Superior de Educação of the Instituto Politécnico do Porto, Portugal, celebrates the work of Belgian
music educator, Jos Wuytack, who, in his lifetime, has taught more than 1000 workshops and courses for
music educators, spanning more than 50 countries. Jos Wuytack has influenced an entire generation of
music educators across the globe, and many of his ideas can be applied to the education of young children. I am certain that fellow early childhood music educators will find some worthwhile ideas in the article that can be adapted and applied into their own teaching. Diana Greene invites us to ponder the “difficult child” in early childhood music education in her inspiring Notable Notes. In research review, Judith
Sullivan discusses a recent study on rhythmic entrainment in infancy and toddlerhood. Angela Barker,
reviews 3 recent studies on young children’s perception and production of music, and Leilani Miranda
shares her impressions of Original Mind by Dee Coulter.
I look forward to many more excellent papers on a wide range of topics flowing in over the next
few months. Please remember that your work is vital as we assemble these “puzzles” in the near future.
Beatriz Ilari
Editor, Perspectives
ISSN 2375-3374 (PRINT)
ISSN 2375-3382 (ONLINE)
1—Perspectives 2015 - Vol. 10 No. 2
President’s Letter
Jennie Mulqueen
President, ECMMA—jmulqueen@ecmma.org
Dear ECMMA Friends,
I cannot remember a time when I have been so grateful for spring’s re-awakening.
It is has been a long, hard winter for many of us in New England; in my town alone, we got
150” of snow. As truly “snowpressive” as it was, I can’t help but noticed some good come of it.
Perhaps it was that life slowed just enough for us to gain some perspective on the
slow life and its advantages. Insistent on resisting the lure of extra screen time for our kids
and for ourselves, I turned to board games, reading, journaling, and music to fill the space in
a way they are not able to do when we are living “crazy busy” lives. Suddenly, I heard my kids
singing in the shower with gusto. Suddenly, my son began noodling just a bit more on the
piano. Boredom brought time and inclination to truly play musically and otherwise.
And I am realizing it was a gift, this snowpressive slowness that began at the end of
January and did not let up until the end of February. Life changed. I was blessed to reconnect
with my family in a simple, primal way, blessed to pause and take note of personalities
emerging inside the cocoon of home.
As teachers of early childhood music and movement, we can spread this music Gospel,
this good news about how families can share one of life’s greatest gifts - music - in the sanctity
and simplicity of their homes. I urge you all to take a look at the new web page announcing
regional conferences in your area. Do carve the time to connect with colleagues and renew
your spirit with fresh ideas, then go home and stay there for a while, giving yourselves the
time to process and play. Growth and learning need not be harried. Everyone needs snow
days, all year long.
Jennie Mulqueen
ECMMA President
“SPACE IS A REALLY BIG PLACE”:
LIFE CYCLE OF A SONG
Amanda Niland
Introduction
Amanda Niland is an early
childhood music educator
and researcher. She has
taught in early childhood
and school classrooms
for more than 20 years, as
both a generalist teacher
and music specialist.
Amanda is a lecturer at the
Institute of Early Childhood,
Macquarie University,
Sydney, Australia, and
also works with children
with disabilities in several
Early Intervention services.
She has presented at
national and international
conferences, and has
published her work in peer
reviewed journals. Her
research focuses on role of
music, particularly singing,
in the lives and identities
of young children, and the
value of music for social
inclusion. Amanda is the
current chair of the Early
Childhood commission of
the International Society for
Music Education. Amanda
enjoys writing songs,
poems and picture books
for young children and
has published two picture
books.
During many years of singing with children as an early childhood educator, I
have experienced the process through which songs become part of the life and
musical culture of an early childhood setting. In recent years, as a songwriter, I
have gained a new perspective on this process, seeing it as a form of life cycle,
and a song as something that only truly ‘lives’ when it is sung and shared. This
insight inspired me to undertake doctoral research to investigate the lives of a
group of my songs within the musical culture of one early childhood setting.
My research was aimed at developing a deeper understanding of how songs
are born, develop and bloom in the context of relationships – between songwriters, songs and singers. These musical relationships in turn exist within multilayered social and cultural relationships. I sought to explore all these connections,
to enrich my musical relationships and practice with children as a music educator
and songwriter. My doctoral thesis focused on six of my original songs. Four were
written prior to the research, and two were written collaboratively with children
during the research. This article explores the ‘life cycle’ of one of the songs that
was written with children.
Background
Music and children seem to go together. Anyone who spends time with young
children will attest to their interest in singing, dancing and exploring musical instruments. Music, including songs, has been a part of cultures throughout history
(Blacking, 1976). It is now widely argued that humans are innately musical and
that music is a necessary part of life (Dissanayake, 2006; Malloch & Trevarthen,
2009). Recent study of mother/infant communication supports this, as it shows
the inherently musical nature of these interactions (Cross, 2003; Malloch & Trevarthen). Young children’s innate musicality is often expressed through singing
(Campbell, 1998) and their songs generally play a role in the cultures of early
childhood educational settings. Songs are central to early childhood music education, and can be used in many different ways and for many different purposes
(Barrett, 2003). Though styles and contexts vary, songs are an integral part of
most young children’s days.
Theoretical framework
The literature that informed the research came from a range of traditions,
including early childhood, music education, music psychology, ethnomusicology,
sociology and creative arts. The innately communicative and interactive nature
of singing made the theory of communicative musicality (Malloch & Trevarthen,
2009) central. Although Malloch and Trevarthen developed their theory through
research with infant/adult dyads, the instinctive musical synchronisation of rhythm
narratives, arguably continues to underpin children’s singing as they grow.
-
Vol. 10 No. 2 - 2015 Perspectives—3
munities, local and global digital media, is evident in
the musical cultures of any early childhood setting.
Ethnomusicologist Slobin (1993) argues that musical
cultures exist at macro and micro levels: for example
across large geographic or ethnic regions, as well as
in villages, families or even educational settings. In his
A variety of musical cultures underpin the singing and
music-making of the children in my research setting.
The social interactions and peer social cultures of children are very important in shaping their responses to
songs. William Corsaro, a key contributor to the sociology of childhood (2005), showed in his research that
children are not passive recipients of culture, but actively shape their social cultures through a process he
termed interpretive reproduction. This is where children
share their existing cultural understandings and together explore and elaborate on these to create their own
supporting each other’s empowerment in their social
environments. Corsaro’s work provided a valuable perspective in my research for interpreting the children’s
responses to my songs as these became integrated
into their collective musical culture.
In keeping with the sociology of childhood (Corsaro, 2005), my theoretical framework was informed
by a view of children as not only inherently musical,
but also capable and resourceful (Clark & Moss, 2005;
Nutbrown & Clough, 2009; UN, 1989), with voices to be
heard and the right to take part in decision-making that
affects their lives. Thus I
drew on research literature on participatory approaches to researching with young children in developing
the methodology and design (Clark & Moss; O’Kane,
2000).
these I also drew on portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Hoffman
Davies, 1997), a form of narrative research with similarities to
ethnography, as both seek deep understanding of a particular context. The researcher, the portraitist, creates a portrait in
words, using creative writing techniques such as metaphor to
create aesthetic resonance. In my research I chose from the
outset to explore the lives of my songs through the metaphor
of a human life cycle (see table 1), in keeping with my aim of
studying the creation and the sharing of the songs. The metaphorical life cycle stages formed a frame for both data generation and analysis. In this article I present a portrait of the life
cycle of one of the six songs whose lives were investigated in
the larger research project.
While writing the songs I was simultaneously researcher
and participant, analyzing my creative decisions and the emerging melodies and lyrics. My knowledge of early childhood pedamy song writing. I continually shifted perspectives or “changed
hats” - from creative artist to educator to researcher - during
“pre-birth” stages of the song life cycles.
For the conception and gestation stages, I documented my
song writing by journaling. I used this to both formulate and
analyze my creative decisions about lyrics and melodies. My
notes explored the way in which I used my knowledge of young
children’s musical development in selecting appropriate keys
and creating “singable” melodies, for example with repeated
melodic phrases and limited pitch ranges (Hedden, 2012). They
ests and support their language and literacy development in the
song lyrics, as well as to conceptualize the songs to incorporate
opportunities for children’s creativity and play (Barrett, 2003).
months of twice-weekly visits to the Eager Beavers’ room, a
Methodology and design
The design of this research into the lives of my composed songs was derived from ethnography (Chambers, 2002), participatory research with children as
mentioned above, and arts-informed research (Barrett,
2007). My research question was “how do new songs
become part of children’s existing musical cultures?”
(Niland, 2012). The research had two strands: writing songs and singing them with children. To integrate
Table 1: The life of songs
playroom for children aged between three and six years
in a child care center in the outer suburbs of an Australian city. Data generated included journal notes, written
observations, scribed conversations, audio- and videorecordings, photos and children’s drawings.
ting was that of participant observer (Macionis & Plummer, 2005). I became a temporary member of the ‘Eager
Beavers’ community, interacting with the children during
play, routines and group times. On most visits I led singing sessions. I had several identities at the center: researcher, songwriter, singer and (in the eyes of children)
teractions was needed. My training and experience as an
The portrait shows many instances of interpretive reproduction (Corsaro, 2005): children collaboratively using knowledge and ideas from their lives to adapt and extend the
song. Several themes generally dominated the children’s
singing, and were evident in the life cycle of “Space is a Really Big Place”.
relation to this song, in the form of an aesthetic narrative,
framed metaphorically as the stages of a life cycle. The
stages were also used as a tool for narrative analysis of
data (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Hoffman Davies, 1997) (See
table 1). Aspects of the children’s musical, social and playful engagement responses were used to categorise data in
the ‘post-birth’ stages of the life cycle. The portrait covers a
and skills in interacting with the children. In order to involve them as active participants in the research, and to
spectives and wishes, I adopted a least adult role (Corsaro & Molinari, 2000; Mandell, 1991). This involved waiting for children to approach me before interacting with
them, and generally allowing them to lead interactions.
Maintaining this role was challenging. Overall however,
it proved a valuable research strategy and enabled me
to gain a new perspective on interacting with young children. The least adult role (Corsaro & Molinari; Mandell)
involves changing the power dynamic in favour of the
I normally held in my interactions with children, and how
valuable it is to relinquish some of this.
Findings
In the next section I use portraiture (Lawrence-Lightfoot & Hoffman Davis, 1997) to trace the life cycle of one
song: “Space is a really big place”. This portrait provides
examples of children’s innate communicative musicality
(Malloch & Trevarthen, 2009) through their synchronization of pitch and vocal quality with each other and their
creation of shared narratives around the song. Features
of the musical culture of the center – an intercultural blend
derived from family, community and media (Slobin, 1993)
- were evident in the children’s styles of engagement with
the song. These were: an interest in social interaction, in
loud and fast music, in performance to an audience, in
energetic physical movement and in mass market, adult
pop-style, recorded music for children. Peer interactions
Conception
The opportunity to write a song for or with the Eager
Beavers was something I hoped would arise, so I was always looking out for topics of interest to the children. One
taken the day before of several of the oldest children playing in a huge box, pretending it was a rocket. Apparently this
had been a fascinating scenario, and educators Dana and
Jeannie were keen to build on the children’s interest. The
enthusiasm of many children for space that I observed over
my next few visits was obvious in their pretend play scenarios as well as their artwork. These inspired me to start
writing a space song. The drawings below reveal how much
information about space the children had gleaned from
sources such as books, TV or conversations with adults,
and how they had used their imaginations to pose ideas or
theories about space. The themes evident in the children’s
play, conversations and drawings over several weeks were
clear examples of their use of interpretive reproduction (Corsaro, 2005) as together they extended their understandings
about space through conversations and social play interactions.
Gestation
As I gathered ideas for a space song from children’s
play, drawings and conversations, some dominant interests
emerged: the size of space, the special equipment needed
by astronauts, travel by rocket, stars and planets. Because
the children showed such imaginative fascination with what
they saw as super-natural features, I decided to use expressive
their interest in numbers, I incorporated mathematical language
space is a really big place”. “Space is a really big place” is repeated in the song. The internal rhyme in this line is also effective, making it easy to remember and musically satisfying.
The song’s melody is in major tonality and can be sung in
the keys of either C or D to accommodate young children’s vocal range (Hedden, 2012). I chose a major key to create a feeling of wonder and excitement at the thought of space travel. The
verse has repeated lines and a ternary structure. The bridge
section, a narrative of dramatized space travel leading to a
countdown, differs rhythmically and melodically from the verse,
involving repeated notes that climb stepwise, to build tension in
anticipation of an imaginary lift off. The song concludes with an
Figure 2
Figure 3
Birth
Journal extract
Figure 1
It was a cool, showery day, so the children stayed indoors. Ethan suggested to Cory that they build a rocket.
They moved to the block area and got started. This play
lasted quite a long time. Phil and Kai joined them to ‘travel’ to space. Dana, noticing, fetched a parachute, which
she pretended was a space ship. All the children sat on
it and Dana led them on an exciting voyage into space.
She asked many open-ended questions so that the children
guided their journey, which several did with great enthusiasm. “Look I can see Mars! I can see Jupiter! I can see
aliens!” Space conversations continued through lunch
and excitement was so palpable that it seemed a good day
to introduce a new song about space.
After lunch I led our usual sing-along. Following a
few requests for familiar favorites I began to sing my new
space song. Because it is quite repetitive several older children memorized it quickly and joined in. I sang the verse
I had written and then asked the children what else we
might see in space. “Planets,” said Ethan. “Moons,” said
Gemma. So the second verse became “There are planets
and moons, in space, ‘cause space is a really big place”.
where the children can dramatize setting out into space. There was
lots of noisy enthusiasm about this: “10! 9! 8!....”
Infancy
The second time I led the children in singing my space
song (the following week), quite a few of them remembered
it and joined in singing from the beginning. The line “space is
a really big place” seemed easy to remember, so their singthat I had written many of the songs we sang, and a few of
them asked me where I “got” my songs. “She made them
up,” was Gemma’s answer. A few children, such as Ethan,
showed an interest in making up songs too.
Journal extract
On my arrival today, the children were all seated around
Dana. Ethan was standing next to her, holding the karaoke microphone that lives in the room. “Ethan has made up a space song,”
Dana told me, and taking the microphone she announced dramatically: “Here is Ethan, singing his space song!” The children
clapped and some staff members cheered, as did Cory. My audio
recorder caught the song, although the recording wasn’t very
clear. Some of his lyrics were as follows:
“There was an astronaut.
He went to heaps of planets.
He didn’t just go to planets; he went to the sun and the moon.
He went up and down, up and down.
And that rocket ship went to Jupiter.
…..stars like diamonds in the sky…”
Ethan was chanting rather than singing, but there was a sense of
beat and 4/4 metre in his rendition. I was interested to hear the line
about stars like diamonds in the sky, an example of Ethan using
ideas from a known song in creating his spontaneous song (Barrett, 2006).
At group sing-along that day, I asked the children if they’d
like to sing the space song. “Yes” said Gemma emphatically,
lions of stars….”, “planets and moons….”) and the children
had more suggestions about what else might be in space.
“The sun” called Madeleine, “it’s really hot”. So a third verse
was created (“there’s a really hot sun, in space...”).
Childhood
my absence, the children’s interest in space continued, culminating in a family space night. However when I resumed
back, and the children gathered around with enthusiasm,
arguing about which songs to choose. After several requests, which didn’t include “Space is a really big place”,
I started singing it. Gemma, Ethan and Kai joined in with
great enthusiasm and several other children chimed in
with “space is a really big place”. There was a feeling of
familiarity in the way the children participated in the actions and snippets of singing.
Over the next few weeks I waited to see if anyone
would request the space song. Eventually, about three
up with interest and joined in. Several of the oldest chilrocket ships?”
“What else is in space that we could sing about?” I
mic structure of the song. Kai thought for a moment: “Astronauts. They go in the rocket ships”. So we sang “There
are astronauts in rocket ships, in space”.
I asked the children what else is in space, and Cory
said: “There are hundreds of satellites”, which became
the start of another verse. Although we didn’t sing “Space
is a really big place” very often after this occasion, the
children who had been most involved in space investigations retained a keen interest in the song.
Journal extract
Ethan, noticing me using my voice recorder, asked if he
could sing his own songs into my ‘space recorder’. I agreed
and also told him I’d made a CD of my songs for all the children. “What songs are on it?” he asked, “is the space song?
That’s my favorite.”
“Space is a really big place” didn’t develop beyond
song for Ethan as it inspired him to create his own songs.
Refcections: Songs for,
with or by children?
The songs children sing can be divided into three categories: songs for children, with children or by children
(Barrett, 2003). As an early childhood educator who believes that children play an active role in co-constructing
learning through relationships (Vygotsky, 1978), I have
sought to write songs that have potential to be more than
simply songs for children. I concur with Barrett’s view that
children’s musical development is best served by songs
that provide opportunities for children to be active and
Corsaro’s conceptualization of children as active agents
in the creation of their peer cultures (2005). Therefore
it was valuable for me as a researcher, songwriter and
educator, to analyze my songs in relation to the three categories outlined by Barrett.
The lyrics of “Space is a Really Big Place” incorporated ideas provided by the children, although I created
veloped with the children. The song was especially signif-
composed songs for children in their lives, cultures and
music education. While there is considerable rich and
valuable research into improvised song and traditional
singing games that links music education with ethnomusicology and sociology, there is little research into the
writing of songs for children.
This research brought new songs, opportunities for
musical and social creativity, and increased pleasure in
singing to a group of children. This was resoundingly
conveyed to me by Ethan’s greeting one morning:
Journal extract
inspired Ethan to create his own space song. Analysis of
provides a way of viewing songs from the perspective
of children’s engagement with them. It is relevant to an
exploration of the way new songs become part of existing musical cultures as this integration happens through
interactive processes. Songs that have the potential for
music making with and by children are those which invite active engagement, allowing children not just to sing
along, but to interact creatively with the song and each
other.
Conclusion
Singing and songs add richness to our lives, whether
through listening or participation. Contemporary research
into the foundations of musicality (Cross & Morley, 2009;
Dissanayake, 2009; Malloch & Trevarthen, 2009), as well
as research in ethnomusicology (Blacking, 1976) and
music therapy (Baker & Wigram, 2005), show that music
is a necessary part of life. The exploration of the life of
one song in this article presents an alternative perspective on children’s engagement with songs to that often
taken by music educators. Rather than concentrating on
musical aspects of children’s development it focuses holistically on children’s interactions and meaning-making
(Barrett, 2003) around a song. It provides evidence of
the centrality of communication, relationships and play
to young children’s singing, and by implication, the centrality of singing and music to their lives. The research
focus on these aspects of children’s singing can hopefully inspire music educators, as well as those who write
songs for children, to be responsive to children’s creativity and their competence as communicators, creators of
their social cultures and musical beings. It will perhaps
also show the need for further research into the place of
After a little while Ethan came running up, draped his
arms around my neck and placed his chin on my shoulder.
“Did you bring your guitar today?” he murmured in my ear,
“because I REALLY need to sing a song.”
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MAKING MUSIC WITH JOY! ACTIVE LISTENING,
SINGING, PLAYING AND DANCING WITH
CHILDREN
Graça Boal Palheiros
Graça Boal Palheiros is Adjunct-Professor at the Porto
Polytechnic School of Education (Portugal), where she
teaches both graduate and
master courses and coordinates the Master in Music Education. She received a PhD in Music
Psychology (University of Surrey,
London), an MA in Music Education (University of London Institute
of Education), and degrees in Music
Pedagogy (University of Louvain,
Belgium) and Psychology (University of Porto, Portugal).
Co-chair of the Research Commission of the International Society for
Music Education (2010-2016), previous member of the ISME Board and
Executive (2008-2012), president of
the APEM - Portuguese Association
of Music Education and editor of
the APEM Journal (2006-2012). Cofounder and president of the Wuytack Association of Music Pedagogy, she coordinates both its Teacher
Education Centre and editorial and
musical projects.
She is a member of Research Centers CIPEM/ INET-md (Porto Polytechnic) and CIEC (University of
Minho), and serves in Editorial
Boards of international journals. Her
research includes children’s music
listening, music teacher education
and social inclusion. She has published in several countries and presents regularly at Portuguese and
international conferences. She has
taught at universities in Brazil, Canada and recently in Japan, invited by
the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.
Introduction
In recent decades, extensive research has been carried out into musical development suggesting not only that humans are born with strong music potential but
also that, from early childhood onwards, they display remarkable musical abilities and
competences that are similar to those of adults (Trehub, 2006). Children’s musical
development occurs through acculturation, or, regular exposure to the music of their
culture, but also involves training (Sloboda, 1985). Music educators and researchers
alike have emphasized the importance of offering children the best possible music
education during their early years. Children’s learning potential proves very high (Gordon, 2000) and their musical development may be accelerated by practice. Singing
nursery rhymes, songs with actions, moving, and playing musical games develop
language, motor co-ordination, and communication skills. Numerous studies show
abilities (Rauscher, 2009; Schellenberg, 2003). Other studies emphasize its impact
on the development of concentration, creativity, emotional sensitivity, self-discipline,
tellectual, personal and social development as well as to their physical development,
health and well-being (Hallam, 2010).
There are many different pedagogies and teaching strategies in music education. This paper presents the Wuytack music pedagogy, its pedagogical principles,
methodologies, and teaching strategies for a music education based on activity, creativity and community. The examples suggested are designed for children about 4 to
8 years-old but may easily be adapted to younger children.
The Wuytack music pedagogy
Based on the ideas of the Orff-Schulwerk, the Wuytack music pedagogy has
been developed by Belgium composer and music educator Jos Wuytack in more than
States, Portugal and Spain (Boal-Palheiros, 1998). As a premise, music education
should be accessible to all children rather than just to the most gifted. Children learn
music better when making music with joy, actively and creatively and in community.
Wuytack (1993) departs from both the Ancient Greek concept of Musikae, representing the unity of word, sound and movement, and from Carl Orff’s elemental music
(Orff, 1964), which combines movement, dance, and language to involve children as
participants. Wuytack’s (1982) music education integrates three forms of artistic expression: verbal (poetry, theatre, drama), musical – vocal and instrumental (singing,
playing, creating, improvising) and bodily expression (movement, mime, and dance).
Children’s voice and body prove natural instruments, and therefore, correspondingly, their primary means of musical expression. Musical instruments are an extension
of the body not intended to replace but rather to enrich vocal expression (Wuytack,
1970). The model for Orff ensembles stemmed from Orff’s knowledge of the Gamelan
(Dolloff, 1993). Orff instruments (glockenspiel, xylophone,
metallophone and unpitched percussion – metal, wood and
membranes) represent a useful resource in the classroom
alongside other instruments or sound objects. They seem
particularly appropriate to children because they are small,
relatively easy to play, possess interesting timbres, and
form a ‘multicultural’ classroom ensemble, which evokes
traditional instruments from diverse world cultures (Wuytack, 1993).
Pedagogical principles
in music education
Wuytack proposes a set of pedagogical principles for
teaching music to children coupled with very clear methodologies for guiding music teachers (Wuytack, 1993). They
are as follows:
Activity is a key word for any musical and learning experience. Through activity, children participate in musical
practice, and develop concentration and attention skills.
Learning clearly proves more effective when children are
actively engaged in the learning process.
Creativity develops children’s imagination and understanding. Creative thinking in music occurs at various different levels, from the spontaneous songs of young children
to the works of great composers (Webster, 2002). Children
can create music using their voice, body and instruments
in order both to express themselves musically and to communicate through music.
Community music implies social participation (Blacking,
1995; Small, 1999). Group music making is encouraged by
including all children in all musical activities regardless of
their different abilities. Ensemble music promotes inclusive
education insofar that all children contribute to the group,
learn from each other and develop social skills (Wuytack,
1993).
Adaptation is essential in teaching as well as in learnchanging the lesson plan according to the circumstances.
Teachers need to adapt the musical repertoire to children’s
ages, interests, abilities, development levels and whichever
musical cultures coexist in the classroom. They also need
texts, which are part of the broader educational, cultural,
and social systems.
Imitation is the reproduction of an act similar to that
performed by a model. Infants imitate the expressive movements of others and much human behaviour is learned
through observing and imitating other people. Imitation is
applied widely in musical learning as a basis for musical
performance and creativity.
Totality is relevant when learning a musical piece. Its
different parts and musical elements are better learned
when related to its whole. Totality also holds relevance in
music lessons. At the end of lessons, a ‘TV concert’ integrating the lesson’s activities proves highly motivating
for both the children and their teachers (Wuytack, 1993).
Wuytack also proposes other aspects that enhance music
teaching and learning:
Emotion is fundamental in music. The enjoyment of
music contributes to emotional development. Children’s
emotional responses to music are culturally learned and
can be educated and thus helping them understand the
character of music.
Balance between mind and body implies relating cognitive awareness to motor co-ordination. Neurological research has pointed to the error of separating mind and
body (Damásio, 1994). Psychomotor and cognitive development, focusing on the body and the mind, contribute to
children’s global development.
Movement is indispensable to learning, thinking, and
mental processing (Blakemore, 2003). Dalcroze explored
body movements in musical learning. Infants respond to
music with bodily movements and children enjoy movement,
either improvised or associated to singing, playing and dancing (Wuytack, 1993).
Arts are important in their own right for education and music itself contributes to children’s sensitivity and expressiveness (Winner et al, 2013). Other arts (theatre, drama, mime,
dance, painting or literature) are welcome as they also enrich
children’s artistic education.
Figure 1: A child’s drawing: the four animals playing musical instruments: A
lion playing the trombone, a giraffe playing the violin, a zebra playing the
xylophone and an elephant playing the sopranio recorder. Image courtesy of
Graça Boal-Palheiro.
Master of Music in Music Education–
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and Workshop Options
Faculty includes Dr. John Feierabend,
Dr. Frank Gallo, Dr. Donna Gallo,
Dr. Brent Gault, Sister Lorna Zemke,
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Sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity
The pleasure of learning,
the joy of making music
an ancient Chinese thought, attributed to one of Confusius’
disciples, and which he practices during his courses for music teachers:
Figure 2:
Jos Wuytack.
Image courtesy
of Graça
Boal Palheiros
and Jos Wuytack.
Tell me, I forget
Show me, I remember
Involve me, I understand
This idea synthesizes Wuytack’s way of teaching and involving learners. For example, when teaching a
Should only the explanation be provided, they will likely forget it. Secondly, the teacher shows how to dance it, and the
children observe the movement and think. The visual demonstration becomes better remembered. Thirdly, the children dance, becoming independent from the teacher. They
do not only know how to dance but they can dance as they
have learned it well, are conscious of it and fully involved in
it.
After learning the dance, children perform it several
times both to improve it and to enjoy it. Educators fostering the best possible quality here take on the greatest of
importance. This develops children musically while giving
them the satisfaction of achieving good results and having
positive experiences. After training the technical aspects,
children perform the piece time and again in order to fully
enjoy it. The attitudes of educators are also crucial: far more
than transmitting knowledge about music, they need to love
music, understand children and communicate to them the
pleasure of making and appreciating music. In order to develop musical understanding, starting with musical experience is
essential, getting involved with music actively and creatively, learning in group, and making music with joy!
teaching strategies are deployed. Being active (involved, with
intentional and focused listening) increases concentration on
the music (Boal-Palheiros & Wuytack, 2006). Visual materials
and bodily movement also serve to enhance musical appreciation (Geringer et al., 1997; Shiobara, 1994).
Active music listening through recourse to the Musicochildren to listen to classical music. His approach demands
children’s physical and mental participation with visual perception serving to enhance musical perception. This undergoes
development in the following phases:
1) Children learn the musical materials before listening through
performing them. While listening, they recognize those musical
materials and may also simultaneously perform them.
2) Children focus their attention on the music by following the
teacher's indications on a musicogram – a visual representation of the totality of the musical form.
3) Children listen again whilst simultaneously indicating on
their own small musicograms and thereby demonstrating their
understanding of the music.
system does adapt to early childhood as it incorporates learning the music through performance (e.g. moving, singing, playing or dancing).
Active music listening
ly to the “classical” Western repertoire because of both its
musical complexity and their unfamiliarity with it (Boal-Palheiros & Hargreaves, 2001). Music unfolds in time, and its
totality is therefore hard to perceive. Visual perception of art,
conversely, takes place in a given moment and thus making
it easier to perceive its totality (Wuytack, 1971). Children
Figure 3: Jos Wuytack’s Musicogram of G. Bizet’s “The Doll”
from Children’s Games Image courtesy of Jos Wuytack.
understand and enjoy classical music far better when active
Teaching strategies
Selecting the musical repertoire. The most suitable is instrumental music with a regular meter and a
clear structure. Obviously, other genres and styles are
also welcome but they might be approached with different strategies (Wuytack & Boal Palheiros, 2009). Among
the rich variety of orchestral music, short fragments are
recommended (about one to three minutes) in order to
facilitate children’s concentration. The repertoire may include works for or about children (e.g. Ravel’s Ma Mère
l’Oye, Kabalevsky’s The Comediants).
Teaching the musical materials. Introducing the
music may include verbal, vocal, instrumental or bodily
expression: singing themes; playing rhythms; moving
or dancing to the music. In order to facilitate learning,
these performances should be correct and expressive.
To keep children active, they are always given a task.
Strategies are selected according to the music and to
the children’s age: for example, movement is particularly suitable for young children. Teachers may increase
the children’s motivation by introducing the music and
the composer (e.g. its story, the historical context or biographical data).
Listening to the music at least three times. Research has emphasised the effects of repetition and
familiarity upon children’s responses to music. Nicolas
(1971) also recommends listening to the music at least
get a general impression, then they recognize its musical materials, and later, they understand and enjoy the
music.
A sample of musical
activities and teaching
strategies
In this section, some musical activities and
teaching strategies are suggested, including verbal expression, singing, dancing and listening to music.
1) Verbal expression: rhythmic ostinato
“The train” by Jos Wuytack
Teaching strategies
- The teacher performs each ostinato; children learn the ostinati,
through imitation.
- The class is divided into three groups: each group performs its
own ostinato.
- The three ostinati are superimposed in the numbered order and
then again in the reverse order. They are performed many times,
This short piece draws interest for its capacity to develop
rhythmical abilities, vocal expression and articulation, and for experiencing different timbres, pitch, and tempos. This helps vocal development, training breathing and the diaphragm while potentially
also stimulating the creation of similar pieces by children. And last
but not least, it is fun!
2) Singing: song with motions and hand
puppets “I met to pet”
Figure 5: I met to pet by Jos Wuytack. Image courtesy of Jos
Wuytack.
Motions
An elephant: mime the elephant’s trunk
I called: point to your self
Giraffes: one arm up right mimics the giraffes’ long neck while the
hand mimes the shape of the head
I only met: shake hands
Makes me run away: make a running motion
A zebra: arms held horizontally, indicating stripes
I like to pet: stroke arm
Figure 4: The train by Jos Wuytack.
Image courtesy of Jos Wuytack.
Form
Then, they progressively substitute the words by the
respective motions: they substitute one more idea
each time they perform the song. After each version, children improvise over eighth measures on
Orff instruments in F pentatonic: 1. Glockenspiel, 2.
Xylophone, 3. Metallophone, 4. Unpitched percussion (this sequence twice), 9. Tutti. Alternatively, they
may also use bodily percussion: 1. Snap, 2. Clap, 3.
Knees, 4. Stamp, (this sequence twice), 9. Tutti.
Dramatization
Four children, each with an animal hand puppet (lion, giraffe, zebra, and elephant) hide behind the
scene (a puppet theatre). Each animal appears only
when its word is substituted in the song. For the last
complete performance, the four animals appear and
dance together.
Teaching strategies
-
Children learn the melody, phrase by phrase, imitating the teacher.
- They sing the melody on different syllables, indicating
the melodic line.
- They learn the text, saying it expressively, and sing
the song with the text.
- They learn the motions and sing the song with the
motions.
- They perform the song, alternating in the indicated
order each time with improvisation.
- They perform the whole piece with drama, using hand
puppets.
This piece integrates musical elements (rhythm, melody,
harmony, timbre, form), and follows the principles of
activity (participation), creativity (improvisation), community (group performance) and totality (vocal expression, movement and drama).
Figure 7: A puppet theatre: kindergarten children
playing with the four animals.
Figure 6: Four hand puppets: elephant, giraffe, lion, and
zebra. Image courtesy of Graça Boal-Palheiros
3) Singing: song and dance with
body percussion “I like you”
I Like you by Jos Wuytack in Figure 8. Image courtesy of Jos Wuytack.
Figure 10. “Children’s Games” by Pieter Breughel, the Elder (1525-1569)
(Public domain, Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Children.jpg)
Children’s Games is also the title of an oil-on-panel
Figure 9. Kindergarten children clapping hands.
Teaching strategies
- Children learn the song, phrase by phrase, imitating the
teacher.
- They learn the body percussion and perform it individually.
- They sing the song and perform the body percussion
with a partner.
- They improvise movement individually to the music improvised by the teacher during eight measures. On the
eighth measure, they stop in front of a new partner and
the game starts over.
This piece develops motor coordination (singing and
moving), creativity (improvisation), and sociability (meeting different partners), and the concept of form (two parts:
song with body percussion, and improvised movement).
4) Active music listening –
G. Bizet’s “Children’s Games”
Children’s Games is a collection of twelve short
pieces by Georges Bizet (1838-1875) for piano (4 hands)
composed in 1871. These pieces describe different children’s games, and, therefore, evoke childhood. Five of
them were also orchestrated and grouped under the
name Petite Suite.
painted in 1560 by Pieter Breughel, the Elder, a Flemish renaissance artist. The painting depicts children, from toddlers
to adolescents, riding hobby-horses, playing with dolls and engaged in leap-frog from among eighty games that have been
Teaching strategies
- Introduction to the music: children learn and sing the melody
of the lullaby ‘The doll’ (transposed to F Major), while gently
balancing the body. Like most lullabies, this one has a soft
melody and slow tempo.
Figure 11. “The doll” by G. Bizet
- First listening: children listen to the piano version of ‘The Doll’, while gently rocking their
real or imaginary doll.
- Second listening: children listen again and recognize the timbre of the piano.
- Information about the music: the teacher explains the title of
this work and the title of this movement.
- Children observe Breughel’s painting, and try to identify
some games (e.g. children playing with dolls inside a house,
below left).
- Third listening: children listen to the orchestral version of ‘The
Doll’, and try to recognize the instruments and their timbres while
‘miming’ them in imitation of the teacher.
- Fourth listening: children listen again while visualizing and ‘playing’ the main instruments in their order of appearance.
Suggestions for further
activities
- Listen to The top or Soap bubbles while performing the typical
movements of these games.
- Invent your own movements while listening to other pieces in
this work.
- Observe the painting Boy blowing bubbles (1869) by French artist Edouard Manet (1832-1883).
- Compare the way in which the two artists (painter and musician)
portray the hobby horses.
- Create your own music describing one of the games composed
by G. Bizet.
- Make your own drawings illustrating one of the games depicted
by P. Breughel.
Figure 12. Edouard Manet
(1832-1883) Boy Blowing bubbles
(Public domain source: http:/
www.wikiart.org/en/edouarmane
boy-blowing-bubbles-1869)
Conclusion
Wuytack’s active music pedagogy – active music listening, performing, and creating – requires children’s physical and
mental participation throughout the process of music learning.
His way of teaching deeply engages the children at the musical,
experiences, which improve children’s musical development. The
quality of musical experiences seems far more relevant than their
quantity. Therefore, educators need to consider the long-lasting
effects that their music teaching may have on children’s musical
learning, and the importance of achieving quality, both in school
music and in music teacher education.
References
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of Chicago Press.
Blakemore, C.L. (2003). Movement is essential to learning. Journal of
Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 74(9), 22-15.
Boal-Palheiros, G. & Hargreaves, D. J. (2001). Listening to music at
home and at school. British Journal of Music Education, 18, 103-118.
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on children’s musical perception and learning. Proceedings of the 9th
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ICMPC 2006. CD-ROM, pp. 1264-1271. http://www.marcocosta.it/icmpc2006/pdfs/542.pdf
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da Associação Portuguesa de Educação Musical, 98, 16-24.
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Calouste Gulbenkian.
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(Ed.), Orff Re-echoes (pp. 3-9). American Orff-Schulwerk Association.
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Small, C. (1999). Musicking – the meanings of performing and listening. A lecture. Music Education Research, 1(1), 9-21.
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Research Review
Ilari, B. (2015). Rhythmic engagement with music in early childhood:
A replication and extension.
Journal of Research in Music Education 62(4), 332 – 343.
DOI: 10.1177/0022329414555984
Judith A. Sullivan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor & Coordinator of Music Education
Tennessee Tech University, Cookeville, TN
not yet able to synchronize their bodily movements to
While original research is important for moving forward
the pulse they perceive. Age may play an important role
in what we know about music and children, replications of
in the development of this ability, in that entrainment is
previous research are just as informative. Through replicanot evident until the preschool years (Kirschner & Tomasello, 2009; Provasi & Bobin-Bègue, 2003). The author
ized or, perhaps it was a one-time occurrence that happened
states, though, that age may not be the single determinwith only that particular group of children. Through replicaing factor. There are other
tion we can begin to see trends or patterns of
factors to consider, such
behavior; or we can begin to verify what has
as tasks and demand,
been documented in the past. The research
Judith A. Sullivan, PhD, is an
tempo, training, culture
presented in this article not only replicates a
Associate Professor of Music
and social context.
previous study but also extends it into anothEducation and Coordinator of
There is debate
er country and culture.
Music Education at Tennessee
about when or how this
Tech University in Cookeville,
rhythmic
entrainment
Tennessee.
A focus term here is rhythmic entrainment
develops. It may be a
(Merker Madison, & Eckerdal, 2009). It refers
learned behavior, or it
to the way human beings move to the permay be innate, i.e., a huceived beat of musical stimuli. They synchronize their moveman predisposition. The study upon which this replicaments, described, also, as coordinated rhythmic movement
tion study is based found that babies 5 – 24 months old
(Phillips-Silver, Aktipis & Bryant, 2010). In the review of litresponded more spontaneously to recorded music with
erature, Ilari states that rhythmic entrainment is an important
a regular pulse than to speech sounds (Zentner & Eecomponent to collective music making, where there is “the
rola, 2010). The children were Swiss and Finnish who
synchronization of voices and body movement to the pulse
were most likely exposed to Western music—music that
of a common, repetitive acoustic and/or audiovisual pattern”
tended to have regular meters.
(p. 333).
In order to achieve rhythmic entrainment, beat induction
must occur. It brings together the auditory, visual and vestibBecause the previous research used music that
ular sensory modalities in response to rhythmic and metric
might be familiar to the infants, Ilari questioned the role of
structures in music that is heard. Babies have been shown
culture in children’s “spontaneous movement responses
to notice variations in rhythm and meter; however, they are
to rhythmic regularities in musical and speech sounds”
Review of Literature
Research question
(p. 334). Her purpose in this study, then, was to replicate
Zentner & Eerola’s 2010 study, but with babies from a nonEuropean culture—in this case, Brazilian infants—using the
same musical and speech stimuli. The results would be relevant to music education, as they would address origins of
meter perception and understanding, and the relationship of
those origins to a child’s native culture.
Method
The subjects for this study were forty-three Brazilian infants who were 5, 11 and 19 months of age. They were all
from middle-class families, with 40% of them in early childple was reduced to 30 infants; each of the three age groups
was comprised of an equal number and similarly comprised
of boys and girls.
The infants were seated in a parent’s lap, facing a computer monitor that had changing colored shapes to keep
their attention. The babies were then exposed to six different musical stimuli, played in six different orders. The parents wore earphones and listened to different stimuli so as
music lasted approximately 12 minutes.
The six stimuli included (1) a fast-paced Finnish children’s song; (2) a sample of English infant-directed speech
(motherese); (3) a 4/4 rhythm pattern played on a drum with
a timbre change part way through; (4-6) varied treatments
Carnival of the Animals. The
stimuli were also present in six different orders.
Body movements of the infants were observed and coded by three independent observers. They were to look for
movements of arms/legs, head and whole body that were
repeated “in the same form at least three times at regular
short intervals” (Zentner & Eerola, 2010). Analysis of data
was done via multiple quantitative statistical analyses.
Results
There were two stimuli that provided the greatest rethese two, therefore the two scores were averaged into a
sic composite and motherese speech; (2) rhythmic pattern
and motherese speech. The music composite and rhythmic
motherese responses.
Discussion
Findings in this replication study were similar to the
or trends in spontaneous responses found in this subject
sample. In agreement with previous studies, Ilari found
individual differences in accuracy and the infants’ abilities to synchronize their movements. The author states
that while differences in development of motor coordination and control may account for differences in these
culture needs to be considered. The culture can include
the child’s family and musical engagement at home.
Some children may be encouraged to move and participate in music more than others.
Movement to music vs motherese speech. This
comparison was a particular focus during this study. Ilari
found more spontaneous movements in response to music than to motherese speech. This was consistent with
the Zentner & Eerola (2010) study, along with other studies (Reigado, Rocha, & Rodrigues, 2011). These forms
of communication differ in their acoustical properties;
music is experienced over a longer period of time; music
has a clearer repetitive and regular pulse.
A question that deserves further consideration
the communicative and social functions of music as well
as of speech. This, again, involves the child’s culture as
the family.
Culture vs predisposition. Both European and Brazilian babies responded to variations in tempo in the Saintat an irregular stimulus. The researchers concluded that
variations in tempo are characteristic of folk music that
could have produced entrainment, which is an indication
of enculturation.
Although the results in the replication study were very
similar to the original one, the Brazilian babies exhibited
higher means for spontaneous rhythmic movements,
to Gottlieb (1991, 2007), development depends on interactions with: (1) genetic activity; (2) neural activity; (3)
behavior; and, (4) environment. Therefore it is possible
that we, as human beings, are born predisposed and
able to respond to metrically organized auditory stimuli.
In addition, it may be that as we grow and develop, we
attain rhythmic entrainment through the interactions of
our predispositions, culture, age and experience.
Impact of early childhood music programs. Zentner &
Eerola (2010) found no correlations between attendance
in early childhood music programs and spontaneous
rhythmic responses. Ilari conceded that with her sample
size, the variations in attendance, and variations in time
spent in music classes, she was unable to determine such
an association. She suggests that this is worthy of future
investigation and advises more careful controls for quantity and quality of time spent in early childhood music programs. This is due to rather transient participation of the
child and family, and the variations in curricula. She further
states that it would be interesting to observe children’s/
infants’ responses in a more naturalistic environment.
An additional suggestion for further study is to use a
longitudinal approach to seek correlations between spontaneous movements and rhythmic synchronization at different ages, from different cultures and early childhood
music programs, inside and outside of a research laboratory.
Conclusion
Ilari states that even though we, in the early childhood
music profession, recognize the importance of movement in a child’s education and music education, and we
engage in discussions of understanding rhythm, steady
beat and meter, we have not truly accepted the concept
of rhythmic entrainment. The investigation and concept of
rhythmic entrainment is quite relevant to our work and that
of anyone who works with young children.
According to Ilari (p. 339), “the study of rhythmic entrainment and its developmental course has much to
contribute to music education in that it offers new ways
to conceptualize music perception, production, and learning. Through the lens of entrainment, these processes can
be understood as integrated, embodied, and interactive”
(Clayton et al., 2004).
Something we, as musicians, have often encountered is
the feeling we experience when making music with others. We get a sense of cohesiveness and oneness with
the others in the group. This can be explained by the fact
that interaction is an important feature of rhythmic entrainment. When we entrain a steady beat, we become connected through coordinated breathing rates, heart rates,
brain waves, attention, and movements. This type of experience may encourage empathy, cooperation and social
cohesion. Entrainment may also explain why a young child
may be more accurate in playing the drum with a partner
than with a machine. This addresses the possible ways to
approach teaching steady beat with young children.
Understanding a concept such as rhythmic entrainment
provides a foundation that helps us further understand the
children we work with in a music education setting, which,
in turn, helps us to make educational and curricular deciman phenomenon. Investigation into rhythmic entrainment
can shed light on this idea and provide us with further evidence for music education advocacy.
Ilari’s final thought
in her article deserves quoting: “By understanding how humans engage with musicalsounds from very early on, we also
are granted opportunities to understand why, as a species, we
are compelled to do so” (p. 340).
References
Clayton, M., Sager, R., & Will, U. (2004). In time with the music: The conESEM
Counterpoint, 1, 1—84 .
Gottlieb, G. (1991). Experiential canalization of behavioral development:
Theory. Developmental Psychology, 1, 4—13. doi: 10.1.1.211.3410
Gottlieg, G., (2007). Probabilistic epigenesist. Developmental Science,
10, 1—11. doi: 10.111/j.1467-7687.2007.00556.x
Kirschner, S., & Tomasello, M. (2009). Joint music making promotes
prosocial behavior in 4-year-old children. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31, 354—364. doi: 10.1016/jevolhumbehav.2010.04.004.
Merker, B. H., Madison, G. S., & Eckerdal, P. (2009). On the role and origin of isochrony in human rhythmic entrainment. Cortex, 45, 4—17.
doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2008.06.011.
Phillips-Silver, J., Aktipis, C. A., & Bryant, G. A. (2010). The ecology of
entrainment: Foundations of coordinated rhythmic movement. Music
Perception, 28, 3—14. doi: 10.1525/mp.2010.28.1.3.
Provasi, J., & Bobin-Bègue, A. (2003). Spontaneous motor tempo and
rhythmical synchronisation in 2½- and 4-year-old children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, 220—231. Doi:
10.1080/01650250244000290.
Reigado, J., Rocha, A., & Rodrigues, H. (2011). Vocalizations of infants
(9-11 months old) in response to musical and linguistic stimuli.
International Journal of Music Education, 29(3), 241—256. doi:
10.1177/0255761411408507.
Zentner, M., & Eerola, T. (2010). Rhythmic engagement with music in
infancy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107,
5568—5573. doi: 10.1073/pnas.100012110.
Research Within Reach
Hedden, D. G., & Baker, V. A. (2010). Perceptual and
acoustical analyses of second graders’ pitch-matching ability in singing a cappella or with piano accompaniment. Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music
Education, 184, 35–48. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
The purpose of this study was three-fold: 1) to
determine whether children’s singing accuracy would be
affected by singing a song a cappella (without accompaniment) or with piano accompaniment, 2) to ascertain if differences in the learning conditions—learning to sing a song
a cappella vs. learning to sing a song with piano accomate the perceptual (human pitch judgments) and acoustical (measurement of frequency) analyses of the children’s
singing accuracy.
Two classes of second-grade children (N = 26)
were taught the song “America” on a neutral syllable, “loo.”
One class learned the song without accompaniment, the
other with piano accompaniment. Due to a large volume of
data analyses.
Perceptual and acoustical analyses of the children’s singing showed a higher than expected number of
singing errors: 70% and 80%, respectively. The research-
By: Angela Barker, PhD
(Goetze & Horii, 1989; Rutkowski, 1996) in whole-group settings to allow children to monitor their own voices and to
better evaluate the level of accuracy of singing. (44)
movements on children’s perception of music with
an ambiguous expressive character. PLoS ONE, 8(1),
e54682 (11p.). Retrieved April 28, 2014. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0054682
Following the basic premise of the theory of embodied music cognition (i.e., “that the perception and cognition
tion patterns associated with that music”) (Abstract). Maes
and Leman investigated the shared effects that one’s body
movements might have on others’ perceptions of music and
the nine pitches of the song. When singing conditions were
to test whether dance movements paired with expressively
difference in singing accuracy under the a cappella condition; acoustical analysis did not demonstrate this difference. (Abstract)
Hedden and Baker concluded, One might consider
that inner and outer hearing were not necessarily optimal
among the participants in this study. Overall, the degree
of inaccurate singing might suggest that pitch matching is
not yet in place for either condition. Perhaps maturation
(Boardman, 1964; Geringer, 1983; Gould, 1969; Hornbach
& Taggart, 2005; Roberts & Davies, 1976; Trollinger, 2003),
and additional musical experiences will facilitate improved
accuracy Thus, it may be important for the music educator
to include individual and small-group singing experiences
olds’ perception of musical expressiveness.
The researchers chose three classroom groups of
children (N = 46) to participate in the study, and from those
assigned two experimental groups and one control group.
The two experimental groups repeatedly performed either
happy or sad dance movements with the music. The control
group listened to music but did not see or engage in any
movement with the music.
The results of the study indicated that children’s perception of musical expressiveness was adapted to the expressive character of the dance movements they performed
to the music. Outcomes of the study supported the assertion
that a strong relationship exists between action and perception. In their concluding discussion, Maes and Leman maintained that,
[g]iven the fact that an experimental manipu
lation of music-movement associations resulted in corresponding effects on the perception of musical expreschildren’s perception and interpretation of musical expressiveness. These results seem to support the embodied cognition theory which states that movements made in response
to music can invoke an action semantics and that listening
to music appeals to this semantics as a guide for meaning
formation and the perception of musical expressiveness. (9)
Putkinen, V., Tervaniemi, M., & Huotilainen. (2013). Informal musical activities are linked to auditory discrimination and attention in 2–3-year-old children:
An event-related potential study. European Journal of
Neuroscience, 37, 654–661. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
doi:10.1111/ejn.12049
The researchers examined the relationship between
informal musical activities (i.e., singing, dancing) at home
and changes detected in the electrophysiological indices
for neural sound discrimination skills of 2- and 3-year-old
children (N = 25). Auditory event-related potentials (ERPs)
were recorded using a multi-feature paradigm that included
frequency, duration, intensity, location, and gap deviants, in
addition to attention-getting novel sounds. The paradigm involved
ries and novel sounds (probability = 0.08) alternated with
standard tones (probability = 0.50). The order of the deviant tones and novel sounds was pseudorandom (with the
restriction that two successive non-standard sounds were
never from the same category). (655)
Based on their results, Putkinen and colleagues
found that a higher overall amount of informal musical activity in the home enhanced the children’s auditory skills,
thereby making them more sensitive to temporal acoustic
changes, more mature in detecting auditory changes, and
less prone to distractibility. Furthermore, they suggested that
this kind of enhancement of auditory abilities in early childnecessary to music perception and speech processing.
WHO WE ARE
ECMMA is a collaborative
organization, representing all who
have a vested interest in early
childhood music and movement.
This includes school and studio
teachers and administrators,
higher education, researchers,
music therapists, product and
curriculum providers, performers,
composers, movement
specialists, parents and
caregivers, daycare and learning
center personnel, and a host of
other specialists in the field.
OUR MISSION
The non-profit Early Childhood
Music & Movement Association
(ECMMA) believes appropriate,
purposeful music and movement
experiences enhance early
childhood development and seeks
to support early childhood music
and movement practitioners by
providing resources, advocacy,
professional development, and
collaboration opportunities.
ECMMA
Advisory Board
Donna Brink Fox
Professor
Eastman School of Music
University of Rochester
Paul Madaule
Director
The Listening Centre
Toronto, Ontario
David Gerry
Registered Teacher Trainer
Suzuki Association
Carol Penney
Education Director
Kindermusik International, Inc.
Edwin Gordon
Educator, Researcher, Author
School of Music
University of South Carolina
Wendy Sims
Professor
School of Music
University of Missouri
Ken Guilmartin
Composer, Author, Teacher
Developer, Music Together
Cynthia Taggart
Professor
College of Music
Michigan State University
Lorna Lutz Heyge
Founder, President
Musikgarten
Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo
Professor
Frost School of Music
University of Miami
Sister Lorna Zemke
Director
Early Childhood & Prenatal Music
Silver Lake College
ECMMA Staff
Perspectives Editor
Dr. Beatriz Ilari - bilari@ecmma.org
Office Administrator
Victoria Stratton - adminoffice@ecmma.org
Webmaster
Heath Benedum - hbenedum@ecmma.org
ECMMA
Peer Review Board
Elizabeth Andang’o, PhD
Kenyatta University, Kenya
Angela Barker, PhD
Independent Researcher,
Duluth, GA
Lily Chen-Hafteck, PhD
University of California,
Los Angeles
Diana Dansereau, PhD
Boston University
Claudia Gluschankof, PhD
Levinsky College of Education,
Israel
Lisa Gruenhagen, PhD
Bowling Green State University
Lorna Heyge, PhD
Founder and President:
Musikgarten
Joyce Jordan-DeCarbo, PhD
University of Miami
Lisa Koops, PhD
Case Western Reserve University
Herb Marshall, PhD
Baldwin-Wallace College
Diane Persellin, Ed.D.
Trinity University
Dena Register, PhD MT-BC
University of Kansas
Website Content Editor
Kylie Loynd - kloynd@ecmma.org
Joanne Rutkowski, PhD
Pennsylvania State University
Graphic Artist
Margaret Perrin - mperrin@mchsi.com
Ashley Anderson - ashleyanderson91@
yahoo.com
Cynthia Crump Taggart, PhD
Michigan State University
Business Manager
Tami Biggerstaff - tbiggerstaff@ecmma.org
Rick Townsend, PhD
Maranatha Baptist Bible College
Wendy Valerio, PhD
University of South Carolina
Book Review
Coulter, D.J. (2014). Original mind:
Uncovering your natural brilliance.
Boulder, CO: Sounds True.
Reviewed by Leilani Miranda
W
hat an interesting challenge. To read and appreciate Dee Coulter’s book, Original Mind – Uncovering Your
Natural Brilliance, you have to have an “original mind” in order to open yourself to her message. At least that
was my conclusion. I am such a linear thinker, so grounded in logical, literate thinking patterns that I found myself
challenged by Dr. Coulter’s intent. I resisted the gentle advice in the opening chapter to “slow down” in order to “experience the world with the freshness of a baby doe” and rushed to the end. Only now, after 3 months of living with
my thoughts am I able to begin to see the overall arc that was there all along.
The power of her words did stay in my daily thoughts. As I went about my life and my work, heeding her
advice, I would try to slow down. I was then struck by memories of Dr. Coulter’s insights that I found myself experiencing.
My work is primarily with the very young, birth to age 7 and the adults in their lives. Dr. Coulter’s book starts
with the youngest minds at birth, “our earliest mind”. We “must set aside all we know in order to experience the
world with the freshness a baby does…pay attention simply to light, color, motion around you before you start naming what you are seeing” I recalled this advice when I was with my young students, and it brought a calm to my time
with them. It was not so important what we did with the babies as how we were with the babies, so they could relax
and take in all the sensations in their surroundings. Less adult distractions, less adult prattle….let the music work its
magic.
My work also puts me in a position of parent education as we share the music time with the babies. My atthe child needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share this awareness…” and that “the parents can
be/should be/learn to be that ‘one adult’”.…..
In her book, Dr. Coulter then begins to guide us on a journey from “Sensations to Perceptions and Back
sensory off, 2. sensory on, 3. motor off, and 4. motor on. According to her, these stages were necessary for the child
to become a successfully functioning member of society. I began to clearly see these “switches” in the behavior of
the children in my studio. I observed the babies shut down or go to sleep toward the end of the music class. This
was their “sensory off” switch enabling them to withdraw from all the stimulation of the class. The toddlers some-
times come into class distracted or they might be in an after nap stupor. But they would respond (“motor on”) to the
musical activities that were in store that day. One of the most interesting observations was to apply the “motor off”
stage to the phenomena of the exploratory toddler growing into the phase of settling down to join the class activity.
Working then with the older toddlers and preschoolers, we begin to use deliberate, expressive movements: “motor
on”…. All these stages were in front of my eyes. It is our role as the adults to facilitate the child discovering and
practicing these switches repeatedly and automatically.
But returning to the book…Next, Dr. Coulter takes off into a chapter devoted to indigenous tribes, which allows her to contrast their orally based culture and the origins and impacts of literacy (in the subsequent chapter).
from non-verbal awareness of the sensory and invisible, to a literate, sequential, logic-based, 21st century thinker.
how these years shape our 21st century mind. And from there, in the last chapter, she puts forth an invitation for us
to begin to think in new ways, thus gracefully aging and growing to become an embodiment of wisdom and to come
full circle back to the full openness of our original mind at birth.
The book is a combination of Dr. Coulter’s thought processes and her advice to the reader on how to apply
the insights she is sharing. My conclusion after my mad dash through the book, and then the passage of time for
of insights that time and effort are needed to reveal all it has to offer.
ECMMA New Members & Certifications
We welcome these new members and certifications from 11/1/14 - 1/31/15
New Members
North Central:
Christina Bloomquist-Korth – Omaha, NE
Northeast:
Anna Rita Addessi – Bologna, Italy
Barbara Castellvi – Pickering, ON, Canada
Robin DeLamater – Huntingtown, MD
Sara Thibeault – Hopewell, NJ
Northwest:
Lucy Gallantine – Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Rieko Koyama – Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
Janet Kwok – Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
South Central:
Erin Fort - Lafayette, LA
Southeast:
Katie Head - simpsonville, SC
Catherine Miller - Bradenton, FL
Southwest:
Nidya Jaurez - Watsonville, CA
Rachel Nardo - Long Beach, CA
Amelia Vitarelli - San Jose, CA
Certifications
Level I - New
Erin Fort - Lafayette, LA
Level III – New
Lianne Brewer - Laguna Hills, CA
Submission Guidelines for Authors
Beatriz Ilari, PhD - Editor, Perspectives
bilari@ecmma.org
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.
The mission of Perspectives is to
• 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
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
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.
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 double-spaced throughout
(including references). Submit manuscripts via email as text
documents in MS Word (.doc, docx) or similar formats to Dr.
Beatriz Ilari, Perspectives Editor, bilari@ecmma.org.
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 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)
lynmarieco@cox.net
Edmonton Chapter (Canada)
Joelle Dressler (President)
Joelle.Dressler@ecsd.net
Greater Atlanta Chapter (Georgia)
Louise Betsch (President)
lbetsch@att.net
Greater Chicago Chapter (Illinois)
Rekha Rajan (President)
Rekha.Rajan@nl.edu
Greater Madison Area Chapter (Wisconsin)
Beth Marshall (President)
ecmma.gmac@gmail.com
Greater Washington, D.C. Chapter
Regina (Gina) Lacy (President)
ms.ginamusicteacher@gmail.com
Illinois Chapter
Mary Ellen Newsom (President)
jusfrens@comcast.net
Miami-Dade Chapter
Alaina Lorenzo (President)
alainaglorenzo@gmail.com
Southern California Chapter
Sharon Mello (President)
smello@ecmma.org
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.
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. Beatriz Ilari, Perspectives Editor,
bilari@ecmma.org.
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.
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.
Beatriz Ilari, PhD
Editor, Perspectives
bilari@ecmma.org
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,
birth through age seven.
Virtual Convention, 2014 is available for purchase!
If you were not able to attend, or need some professional development hours for
$99.95
ECMMA
Board of Directors
OFFICERS
REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
President:
Jennie Mulqueen ~ jmulqueen@ecmma.org
Northwest Regional Representative:
Holly Hykawy ~ hhykawy@ecmma.org
President Elect; Vice-President Membership Chair:
Diana Greene ~ dgreene@ecmma.org
Southwest Regional Representative:
Lianne Brewer ~ lbrewer@ecmma.org
Vice President – Editorial Chair:
Diana Dansereau ~ ddansereau@ecmma.org
North Central Regional Representative:
Rekha Rajan ~ rrajan@ecmma.org
Vice President – Website Chair:
Sharon Mello ~ sharonmello@ecmma.org
South Central Regional Representative:
Lisa Simmelink ~ lsimmelink@ecmma.org
Secretary:
Linda Marie (Lyn) Codier ~ lcodier@ecmma.org
Northeast Regional Representative:
Elisabeth Etopio ~ betopio@ecmma.org
Treasurer:
Tami Biggerstaff ~ tbiggerstaff@ecmma.org
Southeast Regional Representative:
Suzanne Suris ~ ssuris@ecmma.org
Past President:
Judy Panning ~ jpanning@ecmma.org

In This Issue - Early Childhood Music and Movement Association

Transcription

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