Music In Curriculum To Improve Literacy

KINGSTON — An initiative aimed at improving the literacy levels of Grade Three students in six primary schools across the island, through the introduction of music as a part of their curriculum, was launched today (September  28).

Dubbed: ‘Music- Perfect Pitch for a Sound Education’, the initiative, which is a partnership between the Ministry of Education and First Global, will see music being used as the driving force behind this literacy thrust.

The schools are: John Rollins Success Primary and Bickersteth Primary, St. James; McIntosh Memorial, Manchester; Central Branch All-Age; and Duhaney Park Primary and Seaward Primary and Junior High, in Kingston.

Speaking at the launch at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston, Senior Adviser to the Minister of Education, Dr. Rebecca Tortello, said the project, while exposing students to music, will help teachers to be better able to infuse music and the pedagogical techniques in the teaching of music into the language arts curriculum.

She added that music assists children in developing listening skills, while developing strategies to acquire the tools of language.

“It also teaches you how to perform and how to be a member of an audience as well, because you have to watch other performers and that’s an important social skill,” Dr. Tortello said.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), GraceKennedy Financial Group, Courtney Campbell said the programme’s curriculum, which will last for a year in the initial stage, will focus on using music as the main tool to drive integration, and to teach literacy and numeracy skills, in particular.

“Children who are not able to read fall prey to a vicious cycle, where they move through the school system without ever fully being able to grasp what is being taught. These children then leave school, gain few, if any, exam qualifications, and then find themselves in a situation where they cannot find productive employment, or even move on to further studies,” he argued.

President, First Global Bank, Maureen Hayden-Cater said the students will be tested at the beginning and at intervals throughout the lifespan of the programme, noting that this will allow for monitoring the progress and success of the initiative

“Through this programme, we intend to continue to make an impact on the lives of our students, especially those who are at a critical age, right before their literacy skills are tested at the Grade Four Level,” she said.

For her part, Assistant Chief Education Officer in the Ministry, Dr. Mary Campbell, said music, by its very nature and characteristics, impacts, stimulates and activates both the left and right hemispheres of the human brain in the learning process.

“Rhythm, melody and harmony stimulate several areas of the brain. Research findings underscore the pervasive impact of musical training on neurological development of children, whether they are musically exceptional or not,” she said, adding that the programme will bring new possibilities to the educational process.

First Global Bank and First Global Financial Services will provide the necessary musical instruments, equipment and materials needed to drive the programme.

The companies will also sponsor teacher training workshops, to hone the teachers’ musical skills to effectively deliver the curriculum.

By Chris Patterson, JIS Reporter