Music and Movement
Music, Movement, and Art in the Curriculum
CHD 109
Instructor, Jan H
July 10, 2009
Music, Movement and Art in the Curriculum
Music, movement, and art should be a part of every school’s curriculum. Unfortunately, it is being cut at an alarming rate from many schools across the United States mainly due to lack of funding. One might ask, “Why is music, movement, and art so important”? Well, I am going to explain some of the many reasons it is of benefit to every child, and why it is so important to the classroom. Children are all unique and all learn in different ways. Some children learn by reading or listening to someone read to them. Some children learn better by visuals, while many children learn more by doing. Consider this, the more senses involved in the learning process, the greater the impression it makes and the longer it stays with us. Fauth (1990, p. 160) tells us we retain 10 percent of what we read; 20 percent of what we hear; 30 percent of what we see; 50 percent of what we hear and see at the same time; 70 percent of what we hear, see, and say; and 90 percent of what we hear, see, say, and do (acting out, dramatizing, dancing, painting, drawing, constructing). This is where music, movement, and art come in! According to Klein (1990, p. 27), teachers must think in terms of educating children….She insists: “If we want them to be healthy, active, creative, thinking citizens of a democratic society, who can make intelligent choices and decisions, then we have to have programs that encourage such behavior. We cannot just sit them down and talk at them. If we want children to be thinkers, problem solvers and decision makers, we have to give them opportunities to think, to identify and solve problems, and to make decisions.” By incorporating music, movement, and art into our classrooms we are giving children a better opportunity to learn in a different and fun way. (Pica, 2004) Music and movement has also
CHD 109
Instructor, Jan H
July 10, 2009
Music, Movement and Art in the Curriculum
Music, movement, and art should be a part of every school’s curriculum. Unfortunately, it is being cut at an alarming rate from many schools across the United States mainly due to lack of funding. One might ask, “Why is music, movement, and art so important”? Well, I am going to explain some of the many reasons it is of benefit to every child, and why it is so important to the classroom. Children are all unique and all learn in different ways. Some children learn by reading or listening to someone read to them. Some children learn better by visuals, while many children learn more by doing. Consider this, the more senses involved in the learning process, the greater the impression it makes and the longer it stays with us. Fauth (1990, p. 160) tells us we retain 10 percent of what we read; 20 percent of what we hear; 30 percent of what we see; 50 percent of what we hear and see at the same time; 70 percent of what we hear, see, and say; and 90 percent of what we hear, see, say, and do (acting out, dramatizing, dancing, painting, drawing, constructing). This is where music, movement, and art come in! According to Klein (1990, p. 27), teachers must think in terms of educating children….She insists: “If we want them to be healthy, active, creative, thinking citizens of a democratic society, who can make intelligent choices and decisions, then we have to have programs that encourage such behavior. We cannot just sit them down and talk at them. If we want children to be thinkers, problem solvers and decision makers, we have to give them opportunities to think, to identify and solve problems, and to make decisions.” By incorporating music, movement, and art into our classrooms we are giving children a better opportunity to learn in a different and fun way. (Pica, 2004) Music and movement has also
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