Reflection #8 Music- Week 1

What is music and why should it be included in the elementary classroom?

Music can be defined as the science, art, or process of putting instrumental and/or vocal sounds together to create a harmony, melody, rhythm, or other musical styling. It should be included in the classroom to open the students up to an art that is everywhere, allow opportunities for their working memories to encode information and remember it long term, and help the classroom have a lively and positive atmosphere by providing upbeat music.

So what are your goals for using music with your future students, and, So what is important in teaching music to children?

I would like to involve some element of art in every one of my lessons, whether it is just a simple warm up for the day doing some drama or a process of music and dancing with a children's book that takes up the majority of the lesson. Music is just one more element I can add to my list of possible choices to choose from in providing art activities in my classroom that meet the core standards of many subjects.

Some things that are important in teaching children music include the same factors as drama and dance. By allowing them to listen to rhythms and beats, they can coordinate their movements to such. Many psychological theories believe that coordination helps connect the left and right side and it will carry through learning other subjects. Coordination is involved with music by understanding and creating beats and rhythms. The memory's capability involved with learning lyrics is fascinating and can help students work their memories out without all the stress.

Now what do you plan to do to prepare to effectively teach and integrate music in your future classroom?

I plan to not be afraid to come up with clever jingles to help my students remember the water cycle or all the planets. I plan on integrating music not only for study aids but also for the fun it is and the beneficial addition music will be to students' schemas. I plan on using music to incorporate the auditory sense in a more lively way than a lecture. Because, the truth is that music is fun and music is everywhere. It can help students come out of their shells and it can be easily scaffolded to help the students reach new heights of learning and understanding. It is important to teach students about the world and do it by teaching new ways for them to learn things. Music can also be a familiar tool for students to feel more comfortable when learning new information.

I would like to physically prepare my classroom by having a set of bongo drums or chimes to get the students' attention without raising my voice. My voice will never be louder than 30 little voices, so I think a musical instrument would be a non-intimidating, yet clear, class management tool. I would like guests to come in and share their musical talents with the class and teach the class something they can do with basic household items to make music. I would also like to use music as a transition tool between subjects or at the start of the day and at the finish of the day.