CHAPTER 5: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
5.4 Theme two: ECCE educators’ reasons for using musical rhymes
online music that matched each of the themes. However, there was no indication of how to use the music during the teaching and learning process.
5.4 THEME TWO: ECCE EDUCATORS’ REASONS FOR USING
Participant D gave similar reasons for the use of music in the ECCE learning environment, stating that children are enthusiastic, playful, and full of life, and that using music in the learning environment excites them, enabling them to learn more effectively:
The reason why I believe that music is better to teach children is that children are very young, restless, playful and hyperactive. If you are only glued to the traditional way of teaching, they will be bored, lose interest and start making noise. Also, they understand better when you use music and rhymes, as they recite and repeat the content taught through music and rhymes, they can hardly forget.
When you introduce music, you will see the children clapping, dancing, moving and happy. Whatever you teach them in this mood will stick to them, because their nature at this stage is to play. (Interview with PD on July 18, 2019)
Participant F stated that music ignites the children’s interest in learning any skills, especially language and communication skills:
Age three and four is the stage of mimicking adults in learning how to communicate and learn language. The repetitive nature of music makes it the best instrument for supporting children to learn language and communication skills. As the children sing the song repeatedly, whatever they learn sticks to them. (Interview with PF on July 18, 2019)
Participant E expressed similar opinions on the suitability of music for ECCE children’s characteristics and nature:
Children aged three and four are at the stage of speech and language development, hence music is perfect in supporting them to develop those skills. Music helps children to learn better, because when we use music to teach children at school, we discover that children sing those songs at home to their parents, helping them to develop communication skills. Repetition in songs also helps children a lot to remember whatever they learnt. Music
make concepts simple and easy for the children to learn and remember.
(Interview with PE on July 22, 2019)
The participants showed an in-depth understanding of nature and characteristics of ECCE children, and of the developmental milestones of children aged three and four, and understood which types of activities were suitable for the children’s acquisition of skills. Thus, they all agreed that the best and appropriate method of teaching them is through music.
5.4.2 Music in every facet of life
This sub-theme reflected how the participants felt that music is universal and pervasive, and that people are exposed to music throughout their lifetime, hence its suitability for teaching ECCE children. They stated that music is part of our lives from the cradle to the grave, and is included in almost every life activity and event, as they had experienced in their own lives, and so they felt that music was the best strategy for teaching children. Participant F emphasised how music is innate:
I said earlier that we all born with music, no human being is without some measure of music in him or her, so as teachers, especially ECCE educators, we use music for all the activities. Hence some of us without formal musical training are forced to learn it because I found it to be the best teaching method. (Interview with PF on July 18, 2019)
Participant D mentioned how music had been an integral part of her family life and church life while growing up:
I think because I grew up with music in our family, then the church, I have the trait of music in me. I am gifted musically and can compose simple music to guide children to learn. I have also discovered that those skills taught using music sticks stay with the children more than when they are taught with traditional methods of teaching. (Interview with PD on July 18, 2019) Participant E’s first musical inspiration was also through her family and her church, and she believed that children naturally have music in them:
I developed a strong interest in music when I was a child. I learned different songs at Sunday school and can still sing some of those songs now. Also, we sing a lot at home during prayer time. Music is in my family. This was an added advantage for me when I eventually found myself in the ECCE section.
And I also believe that these children have a measure of music in them, thus using music to teach them is appropriate. (Interview with PE on July 22, 2019)
Participant C also stated that children naturally have music in them, and that therefore teaching them with music is the best option:
Kids have music in them such as rapping, clapping, dancing, and singing.
Kids are very skilled in rapping. My five-year-old son raps a lot. I wish all content could be composed into music for children to learn better. When we use music to teach them, they remember quickly because it is in them, but mere talk in the class can easily be forgotten. They may remember some and misunderstand some. We use music because music is in the nature of children. (Interview with PC, on July 18, 2019)
Participant B emphasised the connection between music and play, and how both are an integral part of children’s lives:
Children aged three and four learn best through varieties of play and music.
Through play some vital skills such as communication, socialisation, and others are developed. Different types of children’s play, such as associative play, dramatic play, parallel play, and cooperative play, all have music incorporated into them. I can vividly recall and sing all the songs we sang during the physical exercises by our games master in my primary school days. Music is part of children activities, whether at home or in the school.
(Interview with PB on July 18, 2019)
The responses of the participants revealed that they had good reasons for employing music to teach ECCE children. The stated that the presence of music in almost every person and in nearly all aspects of our lives make it the best tool for teaching children.
The participants revealed that educators with children’s interests at heart need little
motivation to use music to teach them, because music is part of children, and is integrally linked to play and development.
5.4.3 Music for developmental and therapeutic purposes
This sub-theme emphasised and reported the participants’ responses on the efficacy of music for aiding the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of children.
The participants stated that music has therapeutic power that can help to calm restless young children, particularly those with emotional challenges and those who are hyperactive. Participant D stated that music helps to settle unruly children during teaching and learning activities, thereby supporting them to learn whatever skill is being taught:
Early childhood development is the foundation of life and when the foundation is faulty it will affect all the areas of life. For the development of a total child, music is needed. How I wish the Department of Education knew this was important and would support the ECCE centres by donating musical instruments and other musical resources to the schools. From my experiences, some children that are very hyperactive, unruly, and disruptive are calmed with music. Some of them show signs of depression because of the situation in their family. Music has been very useful in making the learning environment conducive for all the children to learn. (Interview with PD on July 18, 2019)
Participant F shared similar views on the positive effects of music on children’s behaviour and cooperation, which helps them to develop a range of skills — emotional, cognitive, and communicative:
As a Christian school, we use music to impact into good behaviour such as tolerance for others, emotional stability, cognitive skills, and vocabulary for courtesy and communication. Also, in teaching any content, when I notice that a child is not cooperating, or he or she is disrupting the class, music has been the best tool to calm and make the children to relax before they can learn any skills.
(Interview with PF on July 18, 2019)
Participant E stated that because music such a positive effect on a child’s ability to memorise information, it is critical for language and speech development:
Music arouses, excites, and aids their memory. My son in Grade 9 said every student would learn better if music could be made part of the curriculum.
Music has the power to charge the children’s memory. Using music to repeat content assists them to remember the content, and not only that, it aids children’s speech development. For example, when you teach with music, it is easier for the children to remember and recollect what they had learned the following day. Thereby the pass rate of the children increases. I think music is the best method for their age.
(Interview with PE on July 22, 2019)
Participant A emphasised that music aids children’s gross and fine motor skills.
We use music to teach them movement, the playing of simple percussion instruments, and dance to support their physical development. When they try to play a toy keyboard, it aids their development of fine motor skills, such as helping them with hand-eye coordination. Also, dancing helps them to develop gross motor skills, and prevents obesity. (Interview with Participant A, July 12, 2019)
The developmental and therapeutic benefits of music for children are innumerable.
Participant B stated:
From my experience, music aids children’s cognitive development, like those children that came from the other school with low performance. I discovered that they caught up so fast with the others because I used music for virtually all my activities. Whenever I noticed that the students were becoming bored and tired, I would chip in music to ease their tension and help them to learn whatever I wanted to teach. (Interview with PB on July 18, 2019)
The participants’ responses revealed the effectiveness of music in aiding the holistic development of children — cognitively, socially, physically, and emotionally. The
participants provided a series of positive examples of how they had used music to benefit the ECCE children’ cognitive, physical, and emotional health. They all agreed that music is effective in calming those children who are hyperactive or disruptive, and in supporting emotionally unstable children to learn. One participant mentioned that some children come from homes experiencing tension, crises, and other problems, but stated that she used music to calm such children and help them to learn.