The first chapter of The Music and Literacy Connection by Dee Hansen, Elaine Bernstorf, and Gayle M. Stuber discusses the definition of literacy, the need for literacy in any classroom, and the connection between general auditory and visual skills and musical skills. This chapter not only prepared me for the rest of the book and gave me a good idea of what to expect and look for as I continue reading, but it also was of great encouragement to me and validated some doubts that I have been having about choosing the profession of teaching music.
In many ways, this text validated the need for a music education. The authors stated in the very first paragraph that in a music class, children learn valuable skills that are integral to becoming a literate person (Hansen, Bernstorf, & Stuber 1). Also stated later on is that "arts literacy" and "music literacy" are viable forms of literacies (Hansen, Bernstorf, & Stuber 3). Towards the very end of the chapter, they again say that after recognizing the commonalities between language development and musical development, music educators should feel validated in teaching music for its own value (Hansen, Bernstorf, & Stuber 14). These were all very encouraging thoughts to hear, as teaching music has often felt pointless to me, especially when teaching students I know will not pursue it as they grow older. I have often asked myself, "What is the point of teaching this little boy to play the violin if I know he will quit when his mom tells him he is old enough to make that decision?" However, the reality that I faced while reading this chapter was that the processes that one's mind goes through when learning music are incredibly similar to the processes one's mind goes through when learning language functions. Essentially, this means that learning music stimulates and works the mind in cognitive ways, all of which better develop the literacy of an individual.
There were a few charts that were given in this chapter. The first one dealt with auditory processes that are present when one is learning to read, along with the corresponding auditory process that occurs when one is learning music. For example, when developing one's auditory attention during the reading process, the individual will be challenged to pay attention to auditory signals, especially speech, for an extended period of time. Similarly, when developing one's auditory attention during musical processes, the individual is challenged to pay attention to auditory signals, especially in vocal or instrumental music, for an extended period of time.
The second chart dealt with visual processes. For example, a visual process that one goes through when reading is visual association, which can challenge the student to identify a sound with its visual symbol. When working with music, the student is challenged to identify musical elements, pitch, rhythm, dynamics, etc., through graphic or representations or symbols. As we can see, these processes are incredibly similar, the subject matter is simply different.
This realization added to the encouragement that I felt. Like I mentioned, I often wonder what the good is in teaching a child to play an instrument if I know they will not continue past middle school or high school. Should they be in a class that interests them more? They want to go into the medical field, so should they be taking this hour to be in an additional science course? However, I concluded that it is still just as beneficial to be teaching these students music, as learning music contributes to the growth of a student's intellectual ability in so many ways that the student does not see.
I would like to add a little bit of some personal information here. Beginning in 7th grade, my mom began homeschooling me and my four younger siblings. This meant that she was responsible for teaching my youngest sibling how to read, along with teaching 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 7th grade literacy skills. As one can imagine, this would be extremely daunting for a mom who had never homeschooled before. It was shortly after we began homeschooling that my siblings and I seriously began doing music. Today, we have a band play many different venues. The reason I share this is because I truly believe that though the five of us kids have spent more time pouring into music that we have pieces of literature, our minds are just as developed. Through our intense musical training, we have learned problem-solving, analytical, and social skills. We are constantly working our minds at dissecting musical theory, along with working with other people, both of which, I believe, have prepared us for the world in the same ways that sitting through an intense English class would have. I might even say it has been better preparation for real world experiences.
The main point that I gathered from reading this chapter was that musical education is important in one's literary knowledge, which means that teaching music is important, though we may face dealing with people who think the opposite throughout our careers. After reading through the similarities between reading and writing practices and musical practices, I am fully convinced that musical education can do just as much in developing children in a variety of analytical, problem-solving, and social skills as English education can. This chapter was a great foundation for the further, more in-depth discussion on how music education affects students.
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