Summary of the Overall Findings
The most significant finding was the fact that there is a strong relationship between music and literacy. Music is a potential tool for helping build successful readers. Music can motivate children to read. Children are naturally drawn to the rhythm, rhyme, and tempo of music. Language naturally has a rhythm as well. Shared reading with music is an effective way to help children connect the rhythm of music with the rhythm of language. Music is fun. The singing/reading connection helps children to learn to read as well as fosters a love for reading. Book concepts, sight vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, concepts of print, sense of story and sequence, phonemic awareness, phonics, background knowledge and vocabulary, basic spelling patterns, letter names and sounds, and decoding can all be taught through music.
The children who were in the group with the music were more enthusiastic and more motivated to learn than the children who were in the group without the music. The addition of the djembe drum was the greatest motivating factor. The children enjoyed the addition of the beat of the drum while reading. The children looked forward to having their turn to play the drum while the others read the book. The drum was not a distraction, but rather an attraction to the reading. It helped establish one-to-one correspondence for many children. It also helped the children read together as a group (maintaining the unity of the group). The singing and chanting was not as much of a motivating factor. The children in the group with the music did learn the sight words a little sooner than the children in the group without music.
Summary of the Findings for Each Student Pre & Post (type & feature)
Baseline data indicated that all of the students except for one were non-readers.
Music Group
Student #1: Student #1 began as a non-reader and is now an emergent reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read and saw reading as a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding of the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist were in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading most of the sight words identified in the baseline data.
Student #2: Student #2 began as a non-reader and continued to be a non-reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was becoming interested in reading, but preferred other activities such as music. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding of the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was not yet established. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was not reading the sight words identified in the baseline data.
Student #3: Student #3 began as a non-reader and is now an emergent reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read and saw reading in a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding of the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading most of the sight words identified in the baseline data.
Student #4: Student #4 began as a reader . Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read and saw reading in a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding about the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading all of the sight words indicated in the baseline data.
Non-Music Group:
Student #1: Student #1 began as a non-reader and is now an emergent reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read and saw reading in a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding about the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading most of the sight words indicated in the baseline data.
Student #2: Student #2 began as a non-reader and is now an emergent reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read and that the student saw reading in a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding about the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading all of the sight words indicated in the baseline data.
Student #3: Student #3 began as a non-reader and is now an emergent reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read an saw reading in a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding of the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading most of the sight words indicated in the baseline data.
Student #4: Student #4 began as a non-reader and is now an emergent reader. Interaction with the student revealed that the student was motivated to read and saw reading in a positive way. Observation of the student revealed that an understanding of the various concepts about print indicated on the checklist was in place. Performance analysis of the student revealed that the student was reading most of the sight words indicated in the baseline data.
