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Rachel Krivanek

Mrs. DeBock

English IV Honors

April 6, 2017

What Influences a Childs Learning

Music can be defined as vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to

produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Music has the power to change the

way a person feels, emotionally, physically, and mentally. Although music emotionally affects

people, the effects that are on the academic part of the brain are numerous. As music has a

positive outcome on a students learning, there are other factors that influence how a child can

learn, such as home life. A students parent or guardian has an approach on how they reiterate

information taught at school, and whether they push practice or completely avoid it, it can either

strengthen or weaken a students school performance. When it comes to learning styles, there is

an abundance of diversity. Discovering each childs individual weaknesses is a quick way to get

to the root of the problem, and attacking it with practice and different approaches.

A teacher can only do so much in the classroom, and it is up to parents to continue to

push and help their child improve and grow. In relation to early childhood mathematics

education, relationships among stakeholders, including family members, children and educators,

can have a substantial influence on the enhancement of mathematics learning (Fenton 45). In

order for information from class to really sink into a childs brain, a parent should review what

was taught each day. Taking it one day at a time can be the most effective method. According to

the article, Fenton also discusses the evidence based theory that certain barriers may be involved

in families that influence the child as well (Fenton 46). Barriers include the relationship parents
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have with their kids, household environment, and relationships with other siblings. Fentons

program, the Lets Count Program, targets students who have a weakness with counting (Fenton

47). This program is a simple solution to how students and parents can bring the classroom to

home environment. Homework and extra practice are effective examples of how to students can

retain more information from what was taught in the classroom.

A creative experiment was conducted showing different approaches to connection

between music and math in the classroom. The first example of Hughes creative experiment

involved ear training and transcription of a musical piece. According to Hughes, ear training is

studied by most Music Majors in college (Hughes 131). Although it is a college level task,

transcription can defined as encoding music, which requires finding the pitch and rhythm

dimension, and if it can be taught at an early age to young students, they will engage parts of

their brain that are used when playing music. The next creative experiment that Hughes

conducted is acoustics dimension, which digs deep into pitch frequency and ratios within music

(Hughes 131). Students learned to listen for overtones and beats, which are the basic makeup of

musical notes. The last example of a creative experiment conducted by Hughes is the tuning

demonstration, which involves frequency ratios (Hughes 131). When a note is sharp, the sound

waves produced from the note are produced faster. When a note is flat, the sound waves

produced move in a slower motion. Teaching students how to listen for the note to be flat or

sharp trains the ear and also shows how adding or taking away air can fix the problem. All the

experiments conducted by Hughes are thought of being advanced, but starting at a young age

will teach students the basics of music and math.

Although music and mathematics have major effects on each other, music also can

influence the memory of a person. Surez performed a cross-sectional study on music and the
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working memory of adults. Surez explains, the visuospatial sketchpad stores and manipulates

visuospatial information (Surez 38). In simple terms, a musician has the ability to look at notes

and remember what they are and how to play them. Being able to determine the exact note and

knowing how to play it becomes second nature. According to the article, Surez defends the idea

that in order to strengthen ones cognitive domains, playing a musical instrument will indeed

play a role in the progression of those traits (Surez 38). Memory, for example, can be different

in each adult, but it was concluded that adult musicians are more likely to remember information

compared to nonmusicians. In another article, Jacobi discusses why students should begin to

learn music at a young age, and he supports the idea that the memory of a young student can be

built slowly if music is taught at a young age (Jacobi 15). Another example of connection

between music and memory that Surez made was the idea that in order to understand musical

notations, a person uses visuospatial abilities to process what is being shown (Surez 38). The

ability to look at music and process it requires the whole brain to be engaged, therefore the brain

is automatically storing a massive amount of information in its memory. Therefore, according to

the article, it is more likely for an adult musicians memory to be stronger than an adult who does

not participate in music.

Technology plays a role in how students can interpret information. For example, a student

who is visually impaired may not be able to see music as a normal student would. According to

the article, the first example of an accommodation for visually impaired students is a Braille

Notetaker (Rush 78). This tool is very similar to a laptop, but can be used by visually impaired

students to experience the same qualities as a normal computer. The second example that Rush

explained was the text-to-speech feature on computers (Rush 78). Instead of seeing the

information, students can use the technology while each detail of the activity is explained by the
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computer. The third example that Rush provided is allowing a teacher to wear a microphone

during class and have speakers set up around the classroom (Rush 78). Having speakers surround

the classroom can help a student that may have a hearing problem participate in the normal

musical activities that are used in the classroom. Pittman also discusses the use of technology

and how students use computers to expand their knowledge on music (Pittman 540). Trying to

find accommodations for students may be difficult to teachers, but it is important to give all

students an equal opportunity to learn the information that is taught in the class. Especially

music, having an auditory or visual impairment can put a hidden barrier on a student that is

interested in learning music, but if accommodations are made, music can be a gift to any student

who wishes to discover it.

A students learning style is personalized to the way they interpret information, therefore

it is completely custom. In order to meet the needs of all students, a teacher must be able to

accommodate to different learning styles. In order to accommodate, teachers can use music and

technology to increase a students memory and strengthen the childs math skills. Home life also

plays a role in whether a student can excel or fall behind. Parents or guardians should push the

idea that in order to retain information, it must be reviewed at home. Overall, a students learning

style can be strengthened through musical activities or other accommodations made by a teacher,

and these activities can have a positive effect on he/shes future memory, mathematical abilities,

or overall academic performance.

Works Cited

Fenton, Angela, et al. "A Strengths Approach to Supporting Early Mathematics

Learning in Family Contexts." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, vol. 41, no.

1, Mar. 2016, pp. 45-53.

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Hughes, James R. "Creative Experiences in an Interdisciplinary Honors Course on

Mathematics in Music." Journal of Mathematics and Music, no. 2, 2014, p. 131

Jacobi, Bonnie Schaffhauser. "Bagpipes and Artichokes: Surprise as a Stimulus to

Learning in the Elementary Music Classroom." General Music Today, vol. 29, no. 2,

01 Jan. 2016, pp. 14-19.

Pittman, Tiffani and Trudi Gaines. "Technology Integration in Third, Fourth and Fifth

Grade Classrooms in a Florida School District." Educational Technology Research &

Development, vol. 63, no. 4, Aug. 2015, pp. 539-554.

Rush, Toby W. "Incorporating Assistive Technology for Students with Visual

Impairments into the Music Classroom." Music Educators Journal, vol. 102, no. 2,

Dec. 2015, p. 78.

Surez, Lidia, et al. "Cross-Sectional Study on the Relationship between Music

Training and Working Memory in Adults." Australian Journal of Psychology, vol. 68,

no. 1, Mar. 2016, pp. 38-46

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