Musical Beat Linked to Academic Skills

Keeping a Musical Beat Is Linked
to Academic Skills; In a 1994 feature in the Los Angeles Times, writer Maia Davis; describes a motor-skills class at an elementary school in Ventura,; California:; With all eyes trained on their teacher, the group of second-graders; at Ventura's Mound School tried to follow her every move as they; clapped their hands, slapped their thighs, and kicked their heels to; the tune of bluegrass music.; But some children were struggling: Their hands hit their left knees; when they should have gone to the right. Their legs flew up into; kicks at the moment that they should have hit the floor.; "It's kind of hard to get the message down to your legs as fast as; the music," 7-year-old Kerianne Hewitt said.; The elementary school launched the (motor-skills) class four years; ago based on research showing that the ability to respond; physically to a musical beat is closely linked to children's skills in; reading, writing and concentration.; "We have noticed (the class) helps kids concentrate and hold their; attention span longer. We have seen kids who have difficulty; reading and writing improve because they are able to organize their; thoughts better," said Principal Beverly McCaslin.; Teacher Joanne Bowie leads the motor-skills instruction every; Friday for each of the school's first through fifth-grade classes.; During some classes, the students clap, march, or jump rope. In; others, they recite poems to music. "I try to present it in a variety; of ways just to keep the interest up," Bowie said.; But the goal in all the class activities is to help children learn to; keep a steady one-two beat with the music.; Bowie bases her instruction mainly on workshops she has taken; from Phyllis S. Weikart, a retired physical education professor; from the University of Michigan.; A nationally recognized expert in motor-skills development for; children, Weikart maintains that children should begin to develop; an innate sense of timing when they are infants.; When care-givers pat or stroke babies to the tune of a lullaby, for; example, they are helping the children make a connection between; what they hear and what they do, Weikart said in an interview; from her Michigan home.; That "hearing-feeling connection," as Weikart calls it, is what; allows children to listen to something that is being said or watch; something that is being done and follow the directions. 'What; you're linking is action, thought and language,' she said.; And having a sense of inner timing allows children to speak or; read in whole sentences instead of just one word at a time.; But studies show the number of children with the ability to keep a; steady beat has declined in recent years, from a range of 80% to; 90% to about 10%, Weikart said.; "I feel it's probably the most fundamental of all the problems we; face in education today," she said.; (Weikart) believes that the fault lies partly with adults who; mistakenly believe hat children respond better to the rhythm of; words or syllables than to a steady beat. Many adults today, for; example, clap the hand game "Patty Cake" with children to the; rhythm of the words' syllables rather than to a steady one-two beat.; "What's happening today is that the children are receiving; movement stimulation in rhythm rather than in beat," she said.; At Mound, Bowie said she finds at the beginning of each year that; only about one-third of the students can independently keep a; steady beat. By the end of the year, the number climbs to two-; thirds.; And the children said they have become more confident about their; abilities to move to music.; "I was just really shy (at first)," 8-year-old Jordan Frye said. "It's; just really neat to see that you can dance."; Source: http://www.tcams.org/davis.htm