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How music was introduced as a learning tool
With my understanding of music as a potential learning tool we stopped using past tense worksheets and there were no more questions about irregular verb conjugations . Instead , we started ‘ free-styling ’ in class in order to see whether lyrics alone could be used a means to teach . I used a word generator to give my students five completely random words and then challenged them to freestyle using those five words . This technique eliminates the tendency to hesitate between words , and as a result contributes to developing spoken fluency .
Speaking English is one thing , but being able to understand is another - especially considering many students find it hard to understand when English is spoken too quickly , and even more so when it is spoken in a different accent or dialect . Once again , we used music to overcome this . We would play fast-paced songs by rapper Eminem and then hum the melody to one another . This step seemed bizarre at first , but we did so because of the research on how auditory and working memory work together ( Burunat et al ., 2014 ). After reciting the melody , we would then recite the bar , making sure to include any aspects of tonality or rhythm . On average , we found it easier to recite the bar when we hummed the melody beforehand . Doing this enabled us to use tone and rhythm as a guidance for the actual lyrics , allowing us to understand them more effectively . After using music by Eminem we continued the activity but with several UK drill rappers to experiment with different accents and even discover some slang .
Later in the course we began to write our own raps and showcase them with a selection of YouTube beats in the background . We aimed to use as many tenses as possible and even had a competition to see who could rap a 4-bar with the fewer words . Most of these raps were not recorded , but I received a testimony rap as a Christmas gift from one of my students , Alla . You are able to listen to it by scanning the QR code below !
Whilst trying to further develop the curriculum I came across a lot of Genome Wide Association Studies and Single Nucleotide Polymorphism studies . I found out more about the way musicality is encoded in our genes and how researchers were able to associate a single gene ( AVPR1a ) with musical ability and interpretation Ukkola- Vuoti et al ., 2011 ). Whilst the primary focus of these papers lies in genetic biology , they showcased different research methods surrounding the field or cognitive neuroscience which I adapted to create engaging , oneoff activities during lessons .
Having used music to educate people , its profound therapeutic potential becomes more and more obvious . There ’ s no doubt that music is recognised for its ability to evoke strong emotion , but having witnessed it spark change on a biological level is beyond inspiring . Aside from in education , we have seen music achieve the same effect in protests , in sport and in medicine . The way music is used amongst these sectors easily goes unnoticed , however its ubiquity alone is enough to persuade , motivate , cure and most importantly : teach .
Music holds a promising place in education , and for that reason it needs to be recognised for its remarkable potential . Removing the notion that music is an appropriate educational tool for pre-secondary children only , should be a first step . We might then discover so much more of what it has to offer .
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