Sing your way to reading success - From Early Childhood Today Magazine

By Abby Margolis Newman

Are there any parents of children under 10 who haven't heard of the "Mozart Effect"? It refers to a 1993 study that showed listening to Mozart increases intelligence in babies and young children. This revelation touched off a wave of classical music purchases and spin-off products. And raised a question: Does other music, such as singing simple songs, similarly boost linguistic intelligence or language development?

Yes, says Robert A. Cutietta, dean and professor of music education at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music. "Several studies have shown convincingly that singing and language skills are interconnected," he says. The patterns of words, rhymes, rhythms and tonal qualities inherent in songs are incorporated easily and naturally by children as they learn to speak and, eventually, to read.

Elana Drell Szyfer discovered this connection almost accidentally when she started playing music for her daughter Sofia, now 3. Szyfer had read about the Mozart Effect studies on music and brain development and so tried to make music a part of Sofia's life right from the beginning. Before Sofia could talk, "she'd start imitating sounds she heard in the 'Barney' songs," says Szyfer.

As most children do, Sofia wanted to hear the same songs over and over; as many parents do, Szyfer began to cringe every time she saw the big purple dinosaur. She turned to Carole King's "Really Rosie" CD, songs her own mother had played for her. Sofia especially liked "Pierre," based on the book by Maurice Sendak.

"To hear a three year old singing lyrics like, 'Arriving home at six o'clock, his parents had a dreadful shock,' was pretty funny," Szyfer says. Now that Sofia is a bit older, she is beginning to pepper her speech with some of the words she's learned. "She'll say to me, 'Oh Mom, don't be shocked," laughs Szyfer.

Anecdotal as Szyfer's evidence might be, there are plenty of scholarly studies that show a strong relationship between singing and literacy development in preschoolers — and there is plenty you can do to help cultivate this connection.

Beyond the Alphabet Song
Linda Page Neelly, associate professor of music at the University of Connecticut, has done extensive research on the links between music and literacy development. As your child sings, she explains, he "begins to explore, sequence, and order sounds, which are critical skills for reading."

Neelly cites the familiar song, "A You're Adorable," which has been adapted as a book by Martha Alexander. While reading and singing this book, you are introducing or reinforcing letters in the alphabet. Meanwhile, your child is noticing letter/sound relationships and matching sung words with written ones.

Singing together provides a joyful way to expand your child's spoken vocabulary and creates a strong bond, says Molly McGinn, senior writer at Kindermusik International. "One of the greatest ways to encourage literacy is simply to talk to your kids," she says. "Singing takes this to the next level."

Critical to emerging literacy is "phonological awareness," the understanding that words are made from sounds, says McGinn. Three central components contribute: hearing the sounds that make up words as a precursor to spelling; singing as a way to imbue one's speaking voice with emotive qualities; and vocabulary development, which aids reading and, later, writing.

"The mental and organizational skills of singing a song and telling a story are the same — it's about sequencing, a journey from the beginning to the end," says Cutietta, who's also the author of a book called Raising Musical Kids. "Songs and books are both sequences of events, and so singing provides fundamental skills kids use in school."

Neelly also stresses what she calls "foundational" music learning and points out that as your child starts to explore sounds and put them in order, "she is engaged in a developmental behavior critical not only in musical development but also in pre-reading skills."

Tradition! Tradition!
By singing with your children, you're not just providing academic building blocks. You're also providing emotional ones. When you think of your mother, father, or favorite grandmother, does a song come to mind? For me, it's my father singing "Goodnight, Irene" on a summer night, the open window letting in cool air, the cicadas acting as backup singers. Songs have a way of implanting themselves in our brains and planting us firmly in time, whether in early childhood or at that school dance where you had your first kiss.

For Molly McGinn, the song is "Luckenbach, Texas." She remembers her father singing it to her when she was a young child — and now every year on Father's Day, she gets out her guitar, calls her dad on the phone, and sings it to him. "When you sing to your kids, you are sharing the value of loving music," McGinn says, "so try to find songs that are meaningful and enjoyable to you."

Whether that means nursery rhymes, folk tunes from the 1960's, or songs by Raffi or Dan Zanes, there's no such thing as too much singing. And if after the 16th consecutive playing of "Baby Beluga" you wish Raffi had never left Canada, remember that preschoolers love and learn through repetition.

Don't Be Shy
You can't sing, you say? Can't carry a tune to save your life? News flash: Your child doesn't care. He won't greet your singing with withering put-downs, like Simon on American Idol. "What's wonderful about kids — particularly preschoolers — is that they are your best audience!" says Jeanette Betancourt, assistant vice president of education and research at Sesame Workshop. "They're not focused on musical exactitude; they just want to be involved with you."

Our experts offer these tips on how to use songs and singing in everyday life, making music a joyful part of emerging literacy:

• Make up silly songs about everyday activities, like brushing teeth, getting dressed, or cleaning up. Use a familiar melody or invent your own.
  
  
• Explore your family's roots and traditions when looking for songs to sing.
  
  
• Go to the library to find books based on songs (e.g. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, Baby Beluga, Old McDonald), and/or music CD's based on books — then go home and sing them together.
  
  
• Have grandma or grandpa make a recording of a favorite song or book to send to your child. Preschoolers are fascinated by the sound of their voices, and this provides a memorable connection around music.
  
  
• Try these simple musical activities together.

Any exposure to music is better than none, says Cutietta. He says early music "immersion" is like growing up in a bilingual household — kids learn both languages easily and fluently. "For kids who are not exposed to music early, it will never be their native tongue," he says.