Music language reading

BABIES’ COGNITION: THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN LANGUAGE AND READING

Eliane Leao and Edna A. C. Vieira

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this research was to investigate music as a stimulus in acquiring language and in the starting point of learning how to read in very young subjects. Four subjects from zero to twelve months were studied. The musical learning was also observed. The instruments for data collecting were: sessions/lessons, audio tape recordings, video recordings and interviews with the mothers. The data analysis indicates strong evidence of language comprehension, pseudo-reading, reading, musical preference and perception shown by the babies. The influence of music in the acquisition of language and reading was assessed in the studied subjects.

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INTRODUCTION: This research investigated music as a stimulus in the acquisition of language and in the starting point of learning how to read in subjects at an early age. Four subjects were studied. The research was based on studies by Ortiz (1999), Figueiredo (1996), Herschkowitz & Herschkowitz (2004), Vieira & Leão (2004) among others, all of which assess the effects of music in cognition and also what upholds the development of spoken language and, eventually, of reading. It is based on the hypothesis that the child at an early age is apt to read. Reading involves words, gestures, sounds, dialects, idioms, signs, styles and expression. Vocal, instrumental, electronic or mechanic music involves an order of tones and sounds at a certain pace, using different combinations of rhythm, melody and harmony. Its influence promotes the process of learning how to read (Vieira, 2004), favors the transition from pre-verbal to verbal language (Ortiz, 1999) and the cognitive process (Vieira; Leão, 2004). T

The researchers above mentioned presuppose that there are countless advantages in educating the child with music, since language and music are acquired and developed abilities that can promote the equilibrium of the human being. In this research, the subjects’ processes for learning ludic activities and also ones of body-movement (imitation), songs, stories and children’s books are extremely visible.

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METHODOLOGY: The experiment began in February of 2004. Four subjects from zero to twelve months were studied. The subjects had music lessons twice a week with duration of one hour per lesson with rhythmic, sound-related and melodic activities followed by reading. The sessions/lessons were filmed and photographed. The mothers played music and performed readings daily for their babies. The reading sessions/lessons did not follow thoroughly the instructions proposed by Doman (1996). The material utilized for reading was made with sulfite paper nº 60 and size A4. The words at first were written with a red atomic marker and typed in the computer and printed in black ink. The babies were stimulated musically and with children’s literature since the first month of life.

At six months of age, the introduction to reading words began. The words were classified in categories and shown several times a day to the baby according to the suppositions by Doman (1996). The words followed the sequence: the baby’s name and that of people close to him/her, body parts, animals and objects. When reached ten months of age, the words and phrases were introduced accordingly with the subjects’ interests. In order to identify kids’ books, participants’ names and the learning of colors and numbers, lyrics of folk songs (and/or songs adapted by the researcher) were applied. The body-movement activities, along with toys and games were performed with music. The motor movements used to stimulate writing began also at six months of age.

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RESULTS: The babies demonstrate preferences, interests and learning through musical activities. They set the music’s pace whenever the researcher sings a song, and accompany her by playing percussion instruments (rattle, clave, drums and others). The transition from pre-verbal to verbal language according to the table by Herschkowitz & Herschkowitz (2004), was assessed earlier in some subjects. Pseudo-reading, the starting point of actual reading, silenced reading and writing prove themselves visible in all subjects studied. The subjects identify a total of 100 (one hundred) written words, certain phrases, colors, their own names and those of colleagues along with numbers from zero to ten. They play structuring wooden blocks, say hello spontaneously using handshakes whenever they meet someone, communicate among themselves and with nearby people.

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CONCLUSION: This experiment is, up until now, considered to promote results that might contribute to learning how to read and write. Based upon concepts gathered from Figueiredo (1996) and Doman (1996), in which babies can and should read, the present research demonstrates possibilities for reassuring this hypothesis. Coming from the reality of our country regarding illiteracy, and taken into account the anxiety that the child presents in learning the lettered adult world, which in most cases happens around six and seven years of age, this research is relevant and can be used as a resource for diminishing and/or avoiding illiteracy. This study will continue to be developed collecting data from the results of the reading constructed by the subjects, until literacy can be observed and assessed.

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BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

DOMAN, Glenn. Os bebês podem e devem ler. 6ª ed. Porto Alegre: Artes e ofícios, 1996. [Translation: Babies can read]

FIGUEIREDO, Eliane Leão . Um desafio à alfabetização: os bebês podem e devem ler. 3ª ed. São Paulo: Pioneira, 1996. [Babies can (and did!) Read, now available in English in our website]

HERSCHKOWITZ, Norbert, HERSCHKOWITZ , Elionore Charman. A good start in life: understanding your child’s brain and behavior from birth to age 6. 2ª ed. New York: Dana Press, 2004.

VIEIRA, Edna Aparecida Costa; LEÃO, Eliane; PRADO, Antônio Carlos. Música: um estímulo à cognição de bebês. 56ª SBPC, Cuiabá, julho/2004. [Music: a stimulus for cognition in babies, at the BRazilian Society for Scientific Research (SBPC) 56th Annual Meeting]

VIEIRA, Edna Aparecida Costa. Música: sua influência na leitura no período pré-escolar. Dissertação de Mestrado. UFG: Goiânia-Go, 2004. [Music: Its influence on reading in preschool children; Master's Thesis, at the Federal University of Goias (UFG), Brazil]

Keywords: cognition, music, reading.

2007 Music language reading