A sound investment

emily
Originally uploaded by Jessi Hagood

"State leaders who have invested in high-quality pre-k for 3- and 4-year-olds understand that it will yield significant returns for their state. States that choose not to invest may find that their children and their economies are not prepared to compete."

Pre-K Momentum Climbs to an All-Time High

State shortfalls shouldn't affect school budgets

"Fifteen states have reported deficits or projected lower-than-expected revenues for fiscal 2008, largely because of the nationwide slowdown in the housing market. But elementary and secondary school budgets will likely be spared from harm unless economic conditions worsen considerably, leaders of NGA and NASBO said at a press conference here today."

Education Week

The new reader

What Makes a Shadow
Originally uploaded by xtinalamb

"We’re just not going to be reading for text anymore,” said Andread Saveri, the Institute for the Future researcher.

“We’re going to be ‘reading’ for movies, graphics, images, digital stories, symbols,” she says. “You may say young people aren’t reading the classics, but 20 years from now, there might be some classic multimedia pieces with video, with hyperlinks. That’s the new edge of literacy.”

Saveri suggests parents blog with their kids, make a YouTube video, jump into the new media - and take books along. “We’ve got to get over our nostalgia,” she says. “Denying your child a rich media world is doing your child a disservice.”

Do books still matter?

If this holds true, in a child's new school world they'll have to learn to comprehend ideas, stories, and concepts through a variety of sources. Multi-sensory learning, where nearly every available ability in a child is opened and taking in information, is a well-known method for permanent learning.

Think of ABC Music & Me as a multi-media language and pre-literacy immersion program. In class, we use a variety of materials to engage a child's learning abilities. Children use instruments to help tell the stories, they listen to audio stories, they contribute ideas, and they retell the stories through pretend-play.

These activities, plus a practical print component in the take home materials works like the bed-time story and reinforces the same literature based activities in class. Each of these components work together to literally engage every available learning ability in a child's developing mind.

Makes me wish I was in preschool again.

The difference is the teacher

Linda's graduation
Originally uploaded by nomad with rebel

"Teachers who received targeted training and technical assistance were able to improve young children’s development of language skills, according to a federal report.

“When it’s paired with mentoring, training in language and literacy can help teachers change the way they teach so they are more focused on helping children improve their language skills,” said HHS Assistant Secretary for Children and Families Wade F. Horn, Ph.D.

“This study also shows that quality training and a good curriculum can make a difference regardless of teacher credentials when it comes to helping children develop critical early language and literacy skills.”

Read more here.

Better teachers = better students. That's why ABC Music & Me includes a monthly teacher training DVD. Each one is designed to show teachers how to instruct that month's language and pre-literacy activities. For example, how to hand out the class instruments and manage on-the-spot conflicts; how to honor each child's contribution and incorporate it, on the spot, into each lesson.

How to use music to help with transitions, clean up throughout the day, and more. The tips are manageable and learnable because the curriculum was created in a preschool classroom, with preschool problems, and expert solutions.

And it shows. I recently spoke with a woman who leads the student teaching lab at Cal Poly Universtiy in California. She said the teachers actually want to prep for the lessons because they feel supported by the training.

Here's what she had to say in her own words:

“The student-teachers in this class feel supported by the training DVDs in the Teacher’s Guides, and they feel that what they’re being asked to do is doable, so they’re willing to put more time into it. And I think a lot of teachers felt they couldn’t do it because they’re not musical, but they can do it …. and they’re very happy about it.”

Dr. Margaret Berrio
Cal Poly Lab Director in San Luis Obispo
PhD in Child Development, Masters in Early Childhood Music

Watch a class

In this 3-minute clip you'll see children develop the following developmental domains:

Language/Literacy
Sound awareness
Listening and attention skills
Oral skills
Expressive language
Vocabulary development
Rhythmic speaking
Labeling
Auditory Sequencing

Social/Emotional
Sharing and taking turns
Experiencing the joy of making music
Building self-esteem
Cooperative team

Cognitive
Pattern awareness
Following auditory directions
Sequence development
Memory

Physical
Gross motor
Fine motor
Rhythm and coordination

Elena Palmeri, Osceola County, Florida

“The more I learn about this program, the more excited I am to be on the ground level for implementing it in our classes here in Osceola County. As a Speech/Language Pathologist, I am well aware of the importance of the development of communication skills, which ultimately enables improved behaviors.

“I am confident that all of our children will achieve their own levels of success through the ABC Music & Me program, and this success will further enhance a solid foundation for receiving and developing pre-academic skills.”

Elena Palmeri
Pre-K ESE Program Specialist
Osceola County Schools, FL

International Reading Literacy Study released

Un país de lectores
Originally uploaded by Arantxata

Results indicate that our strong commitment to academic excellence is more important than ever.

You read music like you read letters

Negative of My Score
Originally uploaded by abbyladybug

The music and letter connection

Jukebox
Originally uploaded by anonymouscollectiveme

The music and letter connection

DSC_0007.jpg
Originally uploaded by tom bland

Speaking in the key of "E"

Originally uploaded by Marcus M

1. The fifth letter of the modern English alphabet.

2. Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter e.

3. The fifth in a series.

4. Something shaped like the letter E.

5. E A grade that indicates failing status.

6. Music.
a. The third tone in the scale of C major or the fifth tone in the relative minor scale.
b. A key or scale in which E is the tonic.
c. A written or printed note representing this tone.
d. A string, key, or pipe tuned to the pitch of this tone.

7. e Mathematics. The base of the natural system of logarithms, having a numerical value of approximately 2.71828.

Why we should invest in public pre-K

Born Free...
Originally uploaded by carf

Children who participate in high quality early childhood education develop better language skills, score higher in school-readiness tests and have better social skills and fewer behavioral problems once they enter school. The Children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go To School. NICHD, June 1999 and Investing in Our Children: What We Know and Don’t Know About the Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions. RAND, 1998.

Children with high quality early learning experiences are 40% less likely to need special education or be held back a grade. Long-term Effects of Early Childhood Intervention on Education Achievement and Juvenile Arrest. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001.

Children from low-income families who participate in high quality early childhood education programs show the most benefits. They repeat fewer grades and learn at higher levels. The Children of the Cost, Quality, and Outcomes Study Go To School. NICHD, June 1999, and Investing in Our Children: What We Know and Don’t Know About the Costs and Benefits of Early Childhood Interventions. RAND, 1998.

A child who enters school reading below grade level has only a one in eight chance of catching up. Learning to Read and Write: A Longitudinal Study of 54 Children from First through Fourth Grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1988.

Kindergarten teachers in Georgia , the first state with voluntary, universal pre-K for four-year olds, report that children who participated in pre-K were better prepared for kindergarten, especially in the areas of pre-reading, pre-math and social skills. Kindergarten: The Overlooked School Year. The Foundation for Child Development, October, 2001.

Adults who participate in high quality early childhood education programs during their preschool years are more likely to be literate and enrolled in post-secondary education and are less likely to be school dropouts, dependent on welfare or arrested for criminal activity. Long-term Effects of Early Childhood Intervention on Education Achievement and Juvenile Arrest. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001.

Kansas Early Learning Standards

Early learning standards for preschoolers in Kansas.

"C" is for cookies

Here's a snap of pre-K specialist Candy Banks, "greeting clients with a plate of cookies, with my sales letter on top, to read while eating a cookie!"

Smart girl. Can I have one?

It may look like a Starter Set, but the things inside the box will help us make sure that every child--regardless of social or economic background--is ready for preschool.

Carol Stripling

I've watched Carol shine in so many different ways over the last few years. She's helped so many children benefit from a Kindermusik style of learning by providing books and music to her local public schools. A Kindermusik Maestro, and last year, Inspiration Award recipient at the 2006 Do-Re-Me & You! conference. The award is given to the woman who most embodies the spirit of Do-Re-Me & You!

Carol, we are so looking forward to watching you grow with ABC Music & Me, too.

"I have definitely become a CHILD ADVOCATE after teaching 28 music classes a week for 19 years.

"The top picture includes a few of the 160+ children I taught every week, and the bottom picture shows part of our PDNAEYC (Paso Del Norte National Assoc. for the Education of Young Children) board of directors on the Texas Capitol steps. We wore '3 ½ to 1' ( for every $1 invested in high quality pre-k yields at least $3.50 to Texas communities) buttons, and met with legislators.

"I moved out of the classroom a few months ago, and I have found MANY NEEDS for Kindermusik curricula and products in our schools. I am looking forward to continue as a consultant for school districts in the Southwest. "

Simone Velez

When Simone sent in her pictures, she wasn't sure which photo to choose. There's a professional side to her, and a playful one. Quite frankly I couldn't decide either. I'm fairly sure that she's a good balance of both.

Simone, all of us will be cheering you on next week at the Florida conference!

"I am most proud of my family. My husband, Nelson, and I have been together for 17 years, married 11, and we have two amazing children. Serena, 8 years old, plays the piano beautifully and is so caring with animals and all nature. Xavier, 5 years old, is a true gentleman, with a solid sense of justice and diplomacy and an incredibly gentle and loving nature; he is also a T-ball star. My husband, Nelson, shares my passion for family and outside of his regular work day, volunteers his time teaching parenting classes. We also have Peaches, our 16 year old cat, and Fin, our 3 year old toy poodle.

"One of my favorite songs is They Dance Alone by Sting.

"One thing I will do with my 1st commission check is sign up for a local Advanced Life Mastery workshop I have been longing to take."

Karen Schanerberger

Psst. Hey Karen. Ever been to the live gaming concerts, like this one? So. Tell me. Are you an Xbox or PlayStation kind of girl?

"I have a degree in classical music, but dream of running away from home to join a rock band. I'm also into PC gaming (adventure, not action), cryptic crosswords and other word puzzles, and fantasy & mystery fiction.

"I love children and animals and am owned by a cat. I've been married 23 years and have 2 boys - ages 10 and 18 (because God has a sense of humor) . I am active in my church and am in charge of the PTA website for my son's school.

"I don't have a favorite song - depends on my mood. I've attached a picture from the Myst games because it looks like someplace I'd really love to be. I'm very proud to be a Kindermusik Maestro and to be somewhat successful at raising my two boys.

"Dealing with my interesting children has helped me be a better teacher."

Karen Schanerberger

Keys to early reading

Preschoolers who were given music keyboard lessons improved their spatial-temporal reasoning. A peer group, who were given computer lessons, showed no improvement. Spatial-temporal reasoning is the abstract reasoning that is used for understanding relationships between objects such as calculating a proportion or playing chess. Spatial-temporal reasoning is important in subjects such as mathematics and science.

source: Educational Leadership, November, 1998, p.39Association for Supervision and Curriculum Developmentarticle: The Music in Our Minds Norman M. Weinberger, Professor of Psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, referencing research of F.H. Rauscher, G.L. Shaw et al, 1997, Neurological Research , 19, 2-8

First graders who received instruction in music listening had significantly higher reading scores than those first graders who did not receive the instruction but were similar in age, IQ and socioeconomic status. The same teacher taught reading to all the students. Those given music instruction were taught for 40 minutes a day for 7 months and learned to recognize melodic and rhythmic elements in folk songs. They scored in the 88th percentile for reading performance and the non-instructed control group scored in the 72nd percentile.

source: Educational Leadership, November, 1998, p.38 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development article: The Music in Our Minds Norman M. Weinberger, Professor of Psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, referencing research of Hurwitz et al, 1975, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 8, 45-51

Elements of music and reading are highly related in first graders. Students were tested on various elements of music and reading and a strong relationship was found between a student's awareness of pitch and their ability to sound out material in reading--material that included standard language and phonetic material.

source: Educational Leadership, November, 1998, p.39 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development article: The Music in Our Minds Norman M. Weinberger, Professor of Psychobiology at the University of California, Irvine, referencing research of S.J. Lamb and A.H. Gregory, 1993, Educational Psychology, 13, 19-26

For more, visit Americans for the Arts

Music Ink

Kindermusik Educator Olivia Richardson.

Candy is dancing with the stars

*Dancing With the Stars* -- for the up and coming sales star ... Candy Banks.

"I went to the stage show when they toured here, it was so great. I love the photo and it brought having star status to mind."

Report card on No Child Left Behind

A little something for your hip pocket: ABC Music & Me can strengthen the failing grades recently given to No Child Left Behind by an ABC News study.

"Many critics say the program results in empty "teaching to the test." But ABC News spent months on an investigation to see how No Child Left Behind is doing, and found something critics may be surprised to learn — in a lot of places, it's working."

ABC News gave No Child Left Behind's central element — testing students to meet standards — an A-.
The standards themselves got a C. They are inconsistent — usually set too low by the individual states, critics say.
Equal money to schools got a D. Most states still spend more of their money on the wealthy schools.
Improving teacher quality earned a C. Teacher standards are rare — and talented teachers have no incentive to go to struggling schools.
The handling of special needs and non-English speaking students got a C. Those students are forced to take the same tests, often skewing results.
Rescue plans for failing schools got a D. Right now the plans are a band-aid fix, like extra tutoring.

Hat tip: Kindermusik's Marketing Director, Lisa Rowell

Overlooked benefits of pre-K education

"High-quality prekindergarten can better prepare children for school, increase their chances of academic success, and even enable them to avoid welfare and crime later in life. These studies also suggest that prekindergarten can strengthen a child's commitment and attitude toward school, enhance the parenting skills of children's parents, and have positive impacts on family relationships."

NIEER.org

School Tree

Get to the root of contacts in your school district areas on School Tree.

For this cute coffee table, go to www.becausewecan.org

Core content areas

In an email about ABC Music & Me for Schools, someone asked, what "content areas" did this program cover? I found this page from the Teacher's Guide, and you can use it to help answer similar questions.