Relationships in beginning music instruction and reading of words

Includes bibliographical references (pages 104-109)The purpose of this thesis is to determine related skills and concepts in beginning music instruction and beginning reading instruction. Reading is emphasized in the first grades in California public schools while music is virtually neglected. Both music and reading of words require similar perceptual and comprehensive skills. A conceptual approach utilizing the three learning modalities- aural, visual and kinesthetic - should result in a transfer and reinforcement\ud of learning. Both communication media are based on sound, hence require the ability to discriminate the characteristics of sound. Both have a general structure based on the organization of sound into meaningful units. Certain basic patterns exist which must be recognized and understood in order to be recognized and used in a new context. This necessitates an understanding of the concepts - same, similar and different - and of the relationships of parts to the whole. Comprehension is a primary goal of both. Music serves much the same purpose to a composer as words do to an author. Each attempts to communicate an idea, feeling or mood. Music experiences provide many opportunities for developing perceptual skills and word concepts. A relationship exists between the rhythms and melodies of songs and the flow of words. Each uses pitch, stress, pauses or stops. Singing can contribute to an understanding of the sounds in words, since rhythm patterns of songs are influenced by syllabication. Song texts can be used effectively for developing vocabulary and comprehension through analyzing, acting-out and dramatizing. In turn, the words can be used to verbalize an understanding of music concepts