Sing It, Learn It
"Canada, Atlantic Ocean, Mexico, Pacific Ocean, South Dakota (Pierre)! North Dakota (Bismarck), Minnesota (St. Paul), Iowa (Des Moines)........"
In second grade, I remember my teacher telling our class that we would all know the names of our country's bordering countries, oceans, and every state and capital by the end of the year. We were all thinking the same thing; impossible! However, we began to sing the list of states and their capitals every morning, adding a new state every couple of days. It turned out that our teacher was right (who would have thought)! All of the students in our class had memorized the states and capitals by the year's end; decades later, I still remember the song.
Music truly has "superpowers" when learning and memorizing facts. From learning the names of letters to learning multiplication facts, adding music makes learning fun, memorable, and meaningful. In an article published by Penn State Extension, it was stated that "linking music and singing to academic information helps a child to recall the material later, allowing the child to access it and put it to use." My second-grade states and capitals song was an example of that. Since I repeated the song daily, adding small increments at a time, I could easily remember what I had learned.
The article encourages educators to use music in the classroom by stating, "If teachers want children to remember things, it helps to set the ideas to music. This already happens regularly for caregiving routines like hand washing, large group gatherings, and greeting routines. Where else might music help children to remember and have success?"
Does the thought of adding music or singing in your classroom make your stomach just a bit (or a lot) upset? No problem! This website is a great place to start searching for music that could fit your curriculum. Start singing and watch them learn!
References and Resources
Claudia C. Mincemoyer, Ph.D., Penn State Extension. "Music Makes it Memorable" 2016
https://extension.psu.edu/programs/betterkidcare/news/2015/music-makes-it-memorable
Accessed August 27, 2022
Songs for Teaching: Music to Promote Learning.
https://www.songsforteaching.com/index.html
Accessed August 27, 2022
Gina Mees is an elementary school music teacher in Sioux Falls and here is her story.
I was born and raised in Huron, South Dakota and have lived in this great state for my entire life. As a toddler, I remember climbing up onto my mom’s lap as she was giving piano lessons from our home. Slightly annoyed that some of her students struggled to play every note correctly, I would often stretch my fingers out onto the keys and play the song how it should have been played. Playing piano “by ear” was a gift that I was given in the womb as my mom played piano and gave lessons. During my high school years, I was deeply involved in the orchestra as a violinist and choir and knew that I wanted to continue music into college. At the University of South Dakota, I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Music Education and later earned a Master of Science degree in Technology for Teaching and Training.