~ Students who participate in the arts outperform those students who are "deficient” in the arts (Fiske, 1999).
~ Involvement in theatre and music is highly correlated to proficiency in math and reading (Fiske, 1999).
~ "The arts enhance the process of learning,” (Jensen, 2001, p. 2).
~ Music has emotional and physiological effects. The properties of music such as rhythm and melody and the emotional connections that humans have to music can enhance memory (Jensen, 2001).
~ There is a strong correlation between phonological awareness* (the ability to segment or blend the speech stream into phonemes, the smallest speech sounds) and music perception skills (the ability to identify the features of music, such as melody, harmony and rhythm), particularly distinguishing between varying pitches or musical tones (Anvari, Trainor, Woodside, & Levy, 2002).
~ This implies that children who practice music skills, such as identifying music compositions or segmenting strings of notes in a song, will also strengthen their phonological awareness skills and vice versa.
*Research shows that proficiency in phonological awareness is a good predictor of reading success in later grades (Share, Jorm, Maclean, & Matthews, 1984; Ehri & Nunes, 2002).
~ Involvement in theatre and music is highly correlated to proficiency in math and reading (Fiske, 1999).
~ "The arts enhance the process of learning,” (Jensen, 2001, p. 2).
~ Music has emotional and physiological effects. The properties of music such as rhythm and melody and the emotional connections that humans have to music can enhance memory (Jensen, 2001).
~ There is a strong correlation between phonological awareness* (the ability to segment or blend the speech stream into phonemes, the smallest speech sounds) and music perception skills (the ability to identify the features of music, such as melody, harmony and rhythm), particularly distinguishing between varying pitches or musical tones (Anvari, Trainor, Woodside, & Levy, 2002).
~ This implies that children who practice music skills, such as identifying music compositions or segmenting strings of notes in a song, will also strengthen their phonological awareness skills and vice versa.
*Research shows that proficiency in phonological awareness is a good predictor of reading success in later grades (Share, Jorm, Maclean, & Matthews, 1984; Ehri & Nunes, 2002).
References
Anvari, S. H., Trainor, L. J., Woodside, J., & Levy, B. A. (2002). Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 83(2), 111-130.
Ehri, L.C. & Nunes, S.R. (2002). The role of phonemic awareness in learning to read. In Farstrup, A.E. & Samuels, S. J. (Eds). What research has to say about reading instruction (pp. 110-139). Newark, DE: International Reading Association, Inc.
Fiske, E.B. (1999). Champions of change: The impact of the arts on learning. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED435581.pdf
Jensen, E. (2000). Arts with the brain in mind. San Diego, CA: The Brain Store.
Share, D. L., Jorm, A. F., Maclean, R., & Matthews, R. (1984). Sources of individual differences in reading acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(6), 1309-1324.
Anvari, S. H., Trainor, L. J., Woodside, J., & Levy, B. A. (2002). Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 83(2), 111-130.
Ehri, L.C. & Nunes, S.R. (2002). The role of phonemic awareness in learning to read. In Farstrup, A.E. & Samuels, S. J. (Eds). What research has to say about reading instruction (pp. 110-139). Newark, DE: International Reading Association, Inc.
Fiske, E.B. (1999). Champions of change: The impact of the arts on learning. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED435581.pdf
Jensen, E. (2000). Arts with the brain in mind. San Diego, CA: The Brain Store.
Share, D. L., Jorm, A. F., Maclean, R., & Matthews, R. (1984). Sources of individual differences in reading acquisition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(6), 1309-1324.