How+does+music+education+effect+lingual+development?

Cara Behrens Dr. Fogelmann EDC102H November 18, 2013

Question: How does music education effects lingual development?

Overall Summery: Music education can enhance a student’s abilities in other academic areas. Language and music are closely related and contribute greatly to a child’s academic success. A well-rounded student can benefit from the positive effects of the arts. Music education requires the usage of several parts of the brain. It enables children to be skilled in using different methods of thinking, and therefore assist students to have better literacy skills. Furthermore, musical skills directly correlate with language acquisition. A close observation of infant’s speech development makes this evident. Music classes at an early age can increase memorization skills, confidence, and literacy skills. Overall music education is helpful for language development in children. With the increase of standardized testing, the arts are easily pushed to the side because they are not being assessed. However, taking a close look at the correlation between music and lingual development can prove that music education is imperative for the success of students.

Music and Early Language Acquisition As more research is done, it is being proven the music education has an immense impact on the development of language. Language and music appear to innate when we take a close look at infants. The two skills acquired at the same time, suggesting that music is imperative in lingual development. Annabel J Cohen's article titled "Development, education and well-being--- Introduction to special volume on "Singing and psychomusicology," discusses the correlation between an infant acquisition of language and music. At an early age we play lullabies for infants, this is because the infants will mimic the sounds and tones they hear. Children cannot magically pick up speech. They first hear the sound level, intonation and pitch. They mimic sound before language with their cooing and babbling. Eventually they will able to put meaning behind words, however they first focus on forming sound with their lips. This lingual development begins at a small age and continues through adult hood. In early childhood education music has precedence. In Lily Chen Haftteck’s article, “Music and Language Development in Early Childhood,” she emphasizes the importance of music instruction at an early age. For example, when you walk into a preschool classroom, you will notice that there are posters with lyrics to different nursery rhymes. An entire portion of the day will always be dedicated to singing songs about different topics that are expressed in class. The reason for the posters is actually to promote early reading skills. The preschoolers sing their nursery rhyme while the poster is there to aid them in understanding that each word has meaning. These songs can also teach children about rhyming, develop vocabulary, and phonetic awareness. Students who read music are expert in eye-tracking, a technique that can only further increase reading skills. Language and music advance at a similar pace in early childhood. The music can help young students understand new concepts with easy.

Chen‐Hafteck, Lily. “Music and Language Development in Early Childhood: Integrating Past Research in the Two Domains.” //Early Child Development and Care// 130, no. 1 (January 1997): 85–97. doi:10.1080/0300443971300109.

Cohen, Annabel J. “Research on Singing: Development, Education and well-being—Introduction to the Special Volume on ‘singing and Psychomusicology’.” //Psychomusicology: Music, Mind and Brain// 21, no. 1–2 (2011): 1–5. doi:10.1037/h0093998.

Understanding How Music Utilizes the Brain

Music promotes a remarkable process known as divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the heavy usage of the right and left frontal cortex. According to Bradely Foley’s research in the article //Brain and Cognition// “Musicians may be particularly good at efficiently accessing and integrating competing information from both hemispheres. Instrumental musicians often integrated different melodic lines with both hands into a single musical piece, and they have to be very good at simultaneously reading the musical symbols, which are like left hemisphere-based language, and integrating the written music with their own interpretation, which has been linked to the right hemisphere” (Foley). This ability to utilize different sides of the brain can further strengthen a student’s ability to utilize different portions of the brain. In regards to literacy and lingual skills, the right hemisphere of the brain must be engaged. The ability to use both sides however, can aid students in tasks such as reading comprehension, analysis and problem solving. Although literacy skills traditionally translate to subjects such as English language arts, these skills can also aid in math and science. A child’s ability to successful read a question and identify the problem at hand is imperative.

Musicians Use Both Sides of Their Brains More Frequently Than Average People.” Accessed November 18, 2013.[].

The Correlation Between Music Education and Test Scores Richard J. Deasy reported in a survey regards to the association between SAT scores a music education . The survey indicated that students who took more art and or music classes had higher composite scores than those who didn't. The strongest scores came from students who had four or more years of music education. Music theory and Music history has the strongest impact on math scores. However, theater and music performance had the strongest impact on verbal scores. However, a limitation of this study was that students who can afford a strong art program usually also have money for tutoring and review sessions.

Deasy, Richard J. "Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development." //Points of View Reference Center//. EBSCO, 2002. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

The Importance of Music Education with High Stakes Testing

Beth Baker’s Article “ // Does Art Training Improve Social and Academic Skills // ?” Discusses how art and music are in danger with current policy. “Some researchers suggest high-quality arts education helps improve test scores and reduce tardiness and truancy. Others argue that even without such benefits, the arts are inherently good because they help children grow into creative, problem-solving adults with skills necessary for the 21st-century economy. But arts education — on the decline for more than two decades — is now threatened by shrinking school budgets and a narrowing of the curriculum because of federal and state testing and accountability mandates. (Baker)” Baker’s point is crucial when considering the fate of our schools. For the reasons stated in other articles, Music education can be exetremely beneficial for other academic areas. Furthermore, if children enjoy music programs, they will have a more positive attitude to school. If we eliminate this aspect, we will be losing a great deal of creativity and limiting our students to only learning subjects that are being tested. To be a good student, one must be well rounded. Music education enables students to be well rounded, involved, and big thinkers.

Baker, Beth. "Art Education: Does Art Training Improve Social And Academic Skills?"//CQ Researcher Online//. CQ Press, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <[]>.

Works cited Chen‐Hafteck, Lily. “Music and Language Development in Early Childhood: Integrating Past Research in the Two Domains.” // Early Child Development and Care // 130, no. 1 (January 1997): 85–97. doi:10.1080/0300443971300109.

Cohen, Annabel J. “Research on Singing: Development, Education and well-being—Introduction to the Special Volume on ‘singing and Psychomusicology’.” // Psychomusicology: Music, Mind and Brain // 21, no. 1–2 (2011): 1–5. doi:10.1037/h0093998.

“Musicians Use Both Sides of Their Brains More Frequently Than Average People.” Accessed November 18, 2013. [].

Baker, Beth. "Art Education: Does Art Training Improve Social And Academic Skills?"//CQ Researcher Online//. CQ Press, 16 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. <[]>.

Folgieri, Raffaella, and Matteo Zichella. “A BCI-based Application in Music: Conscious Playing of Single Notes by Brainwaves.” // Computers in Entertainment // 10, no. 3 (November 1, 2012): 1–10. doi:10.1145/2381876.2381877.