Music in the project English4Family

 Music in the project English4Family

A Teacher Veronika Bílková wants to show how music can help preschoolers and younger school children from the ages of 5 to 9 learn a language with an actual curriculum. This project is realized in the city of Jihlava.

B Not all preschool children are getting adequate music instruction that could evoke real progress in their overall development, particularly their reading and writing readiness, according to the teacher. This is mainly true when speaking about children in need. “Our project has the ambition to create a model showing how music can influence overall development of children in preschools and primary schools and help classroom teachers present music activities in these institutions,” Veronika, teacher of Social College in Jihlava says.

C Veronika’s project appears at this time when some schools are deciding to cut music out of their curriculum, and some do not present music adequately. “When we lose the opportunity to introduce music to children at such a formative age, it might have a very negative impact,” the teacher says. But the situation can be even worse for preschool and younger-school children because Veronika’s project has shown that music can make young children readier to profit from classroom instruction and become better readers as well.

D Veronika has been realizing a project English4Family dealing with musical activities for three years, and has so far involved 80 students of Preschool and Extracurricular Pedagogy and 20 preschool and primary-school teachers and more than 200 pre-school and primary-school children who took part in musical activities. All involved teachers have intensive musical skills and learning strategies for conducting the musical development of young children. Children and teachers experience the music at regular music sessions where music is introduced in connection with English. “Our project includes English songs, songs that improve rhythm and rhyme, songs that support auditory discrimination, they are connected with movement, space and time development, playing and exploring simple instruments,” she explained.

E “This project develops children’s music learning, their knowledge of English,” Veronika says, “but it also professionally develops their teachers so that their future classes of children will benefit from music. This is something that both teachers and children will once appreciate and it will cultivate their whole lives.”

Adjusted to (1)

 

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 The project English4Family has involved many people

2 This project influences also teachers

3 Music supports children’s development

4 Music project in Jihlava

5 Some schools are deciding to cut music out of their curriculum

 

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What does Veronika say about influence of music education on learning abilities?

2 What is the situation concerning music in the Czech schools like?

3 What kind of project did Veronika start? Who is she?

4 What skills will be practiced?

5 How will teachers benefit from this project?

 

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 curriculum

2 reading and writing readiness

3 rhythm and rhyme

4 simple instruments

5 to professionally develop

 

Source:

ANZALONE, Charles. Music curriculum aims to nurture preschoolers' language skills. News Center University at Buffalo [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.buffalo.edu/ news/releases/2014/07/041.html