Monday, 25 October 2010

Music Music Music....improve student outcomes while having fun!

 Music is fun. Music makes us feel happy. Music stimulates the brain. Music is correlated with children building a wider vocabulary, gaining improved listening skills, and can help in developing an understanding of concepts.

In many brain research studies, evidence strongly points out that children who use music and movement learn information more easily and retain it longer. "It activates three different centers of the brain at the same time: language, hearing, and rhythmic motor control." Don McMannis, an expert on children's music 

 Bus Songs – This website has many songs divided by genres. For all the songs it lists lyrics and for some they have videos and/or audio clips.

 Sites2See Why Music? -secondary programs and support resources
 Whack-A-Note- Can you identify the right note? Learn which note lands where on the staff, and click it as fast as you can! This activity is designed to help students recognize music notes as they appear on a treble clef.
treble clef with g1 quarter-noteImage via Wikipedia
 Grooveshark allows a teacher to set a playlist of songs that cannot be altered by students.
Musicovery is an interactive and customised webRadio service. Listeners can rate songs, resulting in a personalised program.
KIDiddles – This website has song lyrics and audio. Sign up for free printable lyrics sheets and  put them up on your SMART Board for the whole class to follow along.
 Image representing YouTube as depicted in Crun...Image via CrunchBase
Don't forget YouTube for great songs like: Clean It Up  The Cat in the Hat and friends sing a song to help them clean up. There are plenty to choose from.
Mama Lisa’s World  – This website has songs from around the world. The songs can be searched for by continent and the lyrics are written out in the original language and also translated into English. Some of the songs have sound clips and sheet music.
 Musica Viva In Schools Zone.
Have fun - Experimenting with sound in the studio, creating a web page, designing the ultimate concert, exploring a day in the life of a musician and investigating a large range of musical instruments.
Classroom Apps -great selection of musical tools, including some free ones.
The Music Lab- from San Francisco Symphony
 -Use the Composerizer to create your own music.

Having kids listen to music for five minutes and write about the way it makes them feel, or playing an instrumental track and encouraging them to write and sing lyrics, are just two ways to spark creative energy and engage students in the learning process. "It's natural for children to make music," says Madden, who notes that kids often sing to themselves in idle moments. "With music, you can get right to them and open their minds to the idea of learning other subject areas, of becoming learners, and of respecting their teachers."  http://www.edutopia.org/sing-sing-sing

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