In an earlier blog, entitled Concept Mapping and Their Possibility for the Spatial Learner, this writer mentioned the need for reading specialists to collaborate with other teachers and departments in the interest of our students. One content area in which this can be done is in music. Music teachers, may be unaware of it, but they do have a unique role to assist our students, many of whom, particularly the boys, have a musical intelligence. This intelligence can find self-expression in an intellectually and emotionally nurturing classroom environment. The reading specialist in a collaborative effort with the music teacher and the students can adopt strategies that have proven to be successful in intervention programmes. Music’s influence with skill building can extend into such areas as:
i. Music spelling: learning to spell new words to music is fun and accelerates learning
ii. Teaching reading musically
iii. Improving language skills: lyrics can provide a rich source of vocabulary words that can enrich comprehension
These are only a few of the methods in which web technology can enhance our students’ musical intelligence and contribute to their reading improvement.
This writer discovered a website called Mypanyard at http://mypanyard.co.uk/Home-steel-pan-panyard.html which is part of the U. K. ‘s Department of Education thrust to encourage the learning of music in primary and secondary schools in England. This website provides a number of steelpan-based activities to encourage reading. Through the Pan in Schools Unit of the T & T. Ministry of Education, ‘web pals’ could be established. An interesting activity would be to use a graphic organizer provided by MyInspiration and compare and contrast the development of the steelpan movement in England and Trinidad. A reading of the history as presented in Mypanyard indicates some pertinent differences.
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