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Music, Rhythm, Rhyme, & Rap


By: MeUssa Davis
Main Ideas:
Background music and Mozart: When problem-solving and brainstorming Beethoven and
Mozart come in very handy because their music stimulates beta waves in the brain and help students.
In addition, background music sets the emotional environment for class if you have it playing when
class starts. If you have a busy day play upbeat music with a faster beat (100 to 140 beats per
minute), if, however, you want the students in a calmer place for class aim for music with 40 to 55
beats per minute (Tate, 2010).
Music and Memory: When music is associated with specific content it helps the content go
into the students' long-term memory. It does this through association, and when the music is brought
back to mind, the content is as well and this retrieval process is what helps it go into long-term
memory (Ormand, 2008).
An important element for improving students' special skills is rhythm. In addition, students at
all grades improve when rhymes are made about the content either by the teacher or the students
themselves (Tate, 2010).
Music is an exceptional tool for ESL students to learn language skills through. Some examples
from Kristen Lems are to use songs in your language instruction:
• Most pop songs have a lot of common language terms ("94% of the songs had a first person,
I, referent and are written at about a fifth-grade level") and the lyrics are often sung at a
slower rate than when listening to people speak, plus they usually have more pauses and a lot
of repetition of vocabulary and structures.
• Ask students to formulate a response to the song. According to Lems this activity is most
enjoyed by older students.
• Compare and contrast songs or themes in songs.
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Music and rhymes can help out in any subject and any grade. Here are some websites and
resources to help you find specific content for your grade and subject.
Website Resources:
Rhythm Games for Elementary Education and Activities for Toddlers:
http://www.suitel 01 .com/content/rhythm-games-for-elementary-education-and-activities-for-
toddlers-a258396
Use Educational Rap to Teach. We create songs so teachers don't have to choose between teaching to
the test or promoting engagement and memorization: http://www.educationalrap.com/
The Children's Music Web's Resources for Teachers (and it has a ton of resources and websites
Usted): http://www.childrensmusic.org/rteachers.html
References:
Campabello, N., De Carlo, M.J., O'Neil, J., Vacek, M.J. (2002). Music enhances learning. (Masters
Thesis). Saint Xavier University, Chicago, II. Retrieval from Dept. of Education: ED 471 580.

Lems, K. (2001). Using music in the adult ESL classroom. National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy
Education Washington DC. ERIC Identifier: ED459634.

Orrarod, I.E. (2008). Educational psychology developing learners (6* Ed.). Upper Saddle River, New
Jersey: Pearson. ^

Savan, A. (2009). The Effect of background music on learning. International Handbook ofEducation for
Spirituality, Care and Wellbeing V3, pp. 1029-1039. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-9018-9_56

Stevens, C. (2010). Thirty days has September, cool ways to remember stuff. Broadway, New York:
Scholastic Inc.

Tate, M.L. (2010). Worksheets don't grow dendrites {l""^ ^6.). Thousand Oaks, Cahfomia: Corwin.

Music compiled from Beethoven; Horton, Bobby, and Music Recall V. 1 & 2.

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