For thousands of years, people have unconsciously understood the impact music has on a person’s emotional state of mind. Consider the Psalms, these ancient worship songs have the power to uplift the spirit and carry the mind toward great heights of joy, or communicate misery and a host of other human responses. Likewise, similar cultural rituals pepper our human existence, and given the amount of effort advertisers today place on developing effective ‘jingles,’ it’s an unspoken certainty that music has the power to stir certain desires, thoughts, and pleasing memories.
However, it’s only been recently (within the past few decades) that scientists have striven to provide factual evidence about this phenomena. Armed with technology that is able measure brain activity and track neurological responses, specialists are now exploring the specific psychology of music. By studying ways that music and the brain interact, researchers can begin to understand the way music influences our emotions, stimulates our moods, and effects brain synopses. They continue to gather information that can be used to enhance mental well-being, and possibly aid the healing process for patients.
Music Impacts Personal Perception
In a well-known study conducted at the University of Groningen, researcher Jacob Jolij (with Maaike Meurs) discovered that music genres effect visual perception in an extraordinary way. The study was designed to understand how music and the brain interact, and involved participants who were instructed to identify either “happy” or “sad” face images (like emoticons), while listening to specific music. The results found that even when presented with “neutral” faces, the participants chose “happy” or “sad” face reactions, based on the music that was playing.
These findings have helped define how humans process their environment, and therefore, how they perceive impressions. Seeing things that are not there, according to researchers, is a “top-down” process. Your brain makes instantaneous comparisons and builds expectations relative to your experience, mood, and surroundings.
Yet, Nina Kraus, neuroscientist and professor of neurobiology at Northwestern University studies the effects that music has on the brain from a “bottom up” processing standpoint. By researching the way musical sound enters the nervous system through the brainstem, and then translates into correlating brain waves, she believes that our bodies are naturally honed to synchronize with music, like our constant, rhythmic heartbeats. She has detailed “The Biological Benefits of Music Education” and is considered a leading expert on the psychology of music, and the influence it has on the brain and nervous system.
Specific Musical Genres Influence Mood
However, other factors also affect your perceptions and emotions. The psychology of music is a very deep study. Just because a piece of music or a specific genre is touted as uplifting or depressing, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will forcefully alter your mood. Another recent study conducted by scientists at the University of Missouri discovered clear connections regarding the way individuals approach music, and how it can be utilized to alleviate sadness or actually boost happiness.
The research found that participants who were instructed to try to improve their mood, actually did so when they listened to the upbeat, happy music of the American rock band Copeland. However, others who weren’t given instructions didn’t show the same improvements. So it seems logical to conclude that listening to happy music will improve happiness, if you have that intent. Moreover, the “sad” Stravinsky tunes didn’t have an effect on mood; personal determination was the key.
However, rather than sad music acting like a “downer,” many researchers conclude that sad music offers a catharsis to individuals who are already feeling sad. By tapping into the emotions that are causing the pain, people are able to process the feelings more productively.
Music Is Able to Enhance Physical Therapy
Interestingly enough, many physicians and researchers are exploring the way music and the brain interact to facilitate healing. The psychology of music was found in a recent medical study to actually reduce physical pain. Individuals with traumatic brain injuries were subjected to relaxing, controlled music or sounds for certain periods of time, and the conclusions found that music dramatically improved the mood of the patient, and reduced the pain.
Although there are a number of research projects exploring the psychology of music, it’s always been easy to recognize the impact that music can have on our moods. For example, it’s very hard to listen to “Walking on Sunshine” or “Celebrate, Good Times” without feeling more buoyant, upbeat and positive. Similarly, nostalgic tunes that bring to mind lost loved ones usually have a sobering influence.
There’s simply no doubt that music and the brain have a significant connection. But, just how far and deep that connection goes will require more detailed scientific examination.


Module 1: DNA Foundations and Diagnostic Engineering
Lecturer: Jonathan Runstadler
Instructors: Shannon Hughes, Aneesh Ramaswamy, and Agi Stachowiak
TA: Chris Bandoro
In this module, you'll complete two mini-investigations while gaining foundational skills – in laboratory techniques, data analysis, and both written and oral communication – that will serve you well in the remaining two modules. Throughout, host–microbe interactions and their implications for human health will be a unifying theme. You will study two classes of microbes that can be present in the bird gut, whether by ingestion or infection. Some of these microbes are pathogenic (disease-causing), and some may have the potential for zoonotic (inter-species) transfer to humans.
In the primary experiment, you will pool data with your peers to perform a phylogenetic analysis of the bacteria found in two distinct populations of migratory birds. You will look for similarities and differences and speculate about the mechanisms that brought these about. This study has parallels to recent investigations of human microbiome diversity that shed light on variations in metabolism, susceptibility to infection, and other measures of health. More directly, your results may suggest a link between a particular factor in a bird's environment, such as climate or diet, and characteristics of the resulting gut bacterial population, such as the dominant species or degree of variety. And hey, we'll also learn what bacteria you might be exposed to the next time you accidentally encounter bird feces!
In the secondary experiment, you will each design and test primers for diagnosing infection with the fungus microsporidia. Previous research shows that microsporidia infections are common in several bird populations that have contact with humans – aquatic birds that may visit reservoirs or beaches, pets such as parrots and lovebirds, and pests such as pigeons – and it is speculated that zoonotic transfer may occur. Although most people can rapidly clear such an infection, immunocompromised people such as children, the elderly, and HIV-infected individuals are at risk for serious complications. Improving the sensitivity and/or specificity of microsporidia diagnosis could thus be useful in environmental testing and subsequent health care recommendations.
We thank the Runstadler lab for access to bird samples (pre-screened for flu and everything!), and especially Wendy Puryear for helpful technical discussions as this module was developed. We also thank Professor Karen Snowden at Texas A & M University for access to microsporidia spores and for invaluable advice about imaging methods for identifying microsporidia. Finally, we thank the Broad Institute for generously donating microsporidia DNA.
Module 1 Conceptual Overview.
Experimental goals are shown in yellow, related concepts in blue, and related application areas in green. Stars span both experiments, while triangles are associated with a single experiment.
Module 1 Day 1: Microbial DNA extraction
Module 1 Day 2: Diagnostic primer design
Module 1 Day 3: 16S PCR and paper discussion
Note: 1 week between Day 3 and Day 4.
Module 1 Day 4: DNA cloning
Module 1 Day 5: DNA sequencing
Module 1 Day 6: Journal club I
Module 1 Day 7: Phylogenetic and primer analyses
Module 1 Day 8: Journal club II
TA notes, mod 1
Microbiome abstract and summary report
Primer design memo


This week, schools around the country have participated in events aimed at raising dyslexia awareness.
Last week, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend ACAMH‘s conference Dyslexia from assessment to intervention, one of many events to mark Dyslexia Awareness Week 2017.
Professor Maggie Snowling talked about how research is confirming the links between language and literacy development and the heritability of learning differences. (Read her thoughts on developmental language disorder (DLD) and Dyslexia)
Continuing the Dyslexia Debate, Professor Julian Elliott said that all learners struggling with literacy acquisition must be given appropriate and timely support.
Dr Gavin Reid shared practical advice and support recommendations across the curriculum to help develop the skills and confidence for children to become successful learners.
All of the speakers agreed that early identification and support of learning differences is the key to unlocking education.
For some parents and teachers, this message is already a familiar one. For others, it may be eye-opening, and we hope this will lead to earlier identification and support for many children. Nevertheless, there is a risk that now the fanfare is over for another year, some will move on, perhaps assuming that a ‘qualified’ colleague will take responsibility for identifying and supporting students’ needs.
IDENTIFICATION AND SUPPORT IS EVERY TEACHER’S RESPONSIBILITY!
There, I’ve said it. And I don’t just mean moral duty, I mean professional, legal responsibility. Here it is in black and white:
A teacher must:
- know when and how to differentiate appropriately, using approaches which enable pupils to be taught effectively
- have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn, and how best to overcome these
- demonstrate an awareness of the physical, social and intellectual development of children, and know how to adapt teaching to support pupils’ education at different stages of development
- have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs; those of high ability; those with English as an additional language; those with disabilities; and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.
A child of compulsory school age or a young person has a learning difficulty or disability if he or she:
- has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of others of the same age…
The Equality Act 2010 sets out the legal obligations that schools, early years providers, post-16 institutions, local authorities and others have towards disabled children and young people:
- They must make reasonable adjustments, including the provision of auxiliary aids and services, to ensure that disabled children and young people are not at a substantial disadvantage compared with their peers. This duty is anticipatory – it requires thought to be given in advance to what disabled children and young people might require and what adjustments might need to be made to prevent that disadvantage…
There are many teachers and organisations working hard to ensure every learner’s needs are identified and met. If we work together all year round, I believe we can make a significant positive impact. Here are just a few of the many related blogs and websites. I hope that you will find them helpful.
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In Venezuela, music provides hope for impoverished youth
Nehyda Alas, a teacher and director of Venezuela’s Teresa Carreño Youth Symphony Orchestra, believes that when children are exposed to music their behaviour improves.
He should know. Alas has been teaching music education to at-risk youth from Caracas’ poor communities, where children and teens are highly vulnerable to being drawn into the violence and crime that surround them.
- UNDP, along with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), is supporting music education for impoverished youth in Venezuela.
- More than seven percent of Venezuela’s 30 million people live in extreme poverty.
- Some 350,000 youths from poor communities have benefited from the project, which provides musical training and instills positive values.
In Venezuela, more than seven percent of the country’s 30 million inhabitants live in extreme poverty.
Alas’ efforts are part of a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-backed project that has given poor children in Venezuela the opportunity to arm themselves with instruments, rather than guns.
The project, known as the System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela, is a government initiative that has been supported by UNDP since 2002. It targets impoverished young people between the ages of 3 and 29 years, teaching them to play instruments and give musical performances.
“The System has managed to reach a significant percentage of children living in poverty,” Alas says.
Indeed, some 350,000 youths have benefitted from this music education, which promotes discipline and healthy past-times, thereby setting children on a path to create better lives for themselves and their families.
"The orchestra is a model and a school for life in society," says its founder, maestro José Antonio Abreu.
The orchestras system’s curriculum is designed to engender a long-term love of, and participation in, musical study and performance.
During their first three years in the programme, the children receive comprehensive training to provide them with general technical skills and an initial appreciation for music. They then choose a single instrument to study and begin playing this instrument in a children’s orchestra.
Those who stick with the programme eventually go on to play in a youth orchestra and begin receiving a stipend along with their training.
The orchestras system's curriculum is further enriched by the numerous internationally-renowned musicians and directors who have dedicated their time to teach the students. Perhaps the most inspiring example is 30-year-old maestro Gustavo Dudamel, who, having grown up in a modest home in Venezuela, is now music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and directs the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela.
In order to increase the breadth of support for the orchestras system, UNDP forged a financial partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
Together, UNDP and IDB have purchased instruments for the orchestras, including violins, violas, pianos, trombones, clarinets, tubas and drums. According to Alas, 99 per cent of his young students begin their musical training with a UNDP-supplied instrument.
Through these efforts to support the youth orchestras in Venezuela, UNDP aims to accelerate the country’s achievement of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1 and 8, which call for an end to extreme poverty and hunger, and the development of global partnerships, respectively.
The orchestras system has been such a success that many countries worldwide, including Switzerland and Austria, hope to replicate the model.
"[the system] represents the hope of parents and children alike to get away from crime through music. Mothers feel that they have two choices: either they enroll the child in a programme that will instill values, or they will find him with a gun. Naturally, they choose the values," Alas says.
Gustavo Briceño, who comes from Propatria, a poor section of Caracas, joined the Teresa Carreño Youth Symphony Orchestra 13 years ago at the insistence of his mother. He has not laid down his violin since.
Today he is proud to be a member of the orchestra, and has even managed to persuade other neighbours from Propatria to join the System.
"You start to be impressed with yourself and to think: if I can do this today, what will I be able to do tomorrow?" Briceño says.
By Patricia Clarembaux


(CNN) — Most parents know that kids love screen time…
But limiting that TV or iPad time and reading to children instead will boost their brain development.
This first scan is from a preschooler who is often read to by a caregiver.
The red areas show a growth in organized white matter supporting language and literacy development.
The second scan is from a child who likely spends about two hours a day with screens.
The blue shows massive underdevelopment in the same areas needed to support learning.
Researchers at Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital also gave cognitive tests to children.
They found that kids who used screens for more than one hour a day had poorer emerging literacy skills and less ability to use expressive language.
However, children who frequently read books with their caregiver scored higher on the tests.
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- The Oxford Handbook of Chinese Psychology
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Introduction Reaching this stage in studying the psychology of the Chinese people
- The continuing prospects for a Chinese psychology
- What is Chinese about Chinese psychology? Who are the Chinese in Chinese psychology?
- The cultured brain: interplay of genes, brain, and culture
- Socio-emotional development in Chinese children
- Parenting and child socialization in contemporary China
- Language and the brain: computational and neuroimaging evidence from Chinese
- Language and literacy development in Chinese children
- Understanding reading disability in the Chinese language: from basic research to intervention
- Chinese bilingualism
- Chinese children learning mathematics: from home to school
- The thinking styles of Chinese people
- Approaches to learning and teaching by the Chinese
- Chinese students' motivation and achievement
- How unique is Chinese emotion?
- Beliefs in Chinese culture
- The multiple frames of ‘Chinese’ values: from tradition to modernity and beyond
- What do we know about the Chinese self? Illustrations with self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-enhancement
- From indigenous to cross-cultural personality: the case of the Chinese Personality Assessment Inventory
- Psychology and aging in the land of the panda
- Chinese well-being
- The spirituality of the Chinese people: a critical review
- Psychiatric disorders in the Chinese
- Clinical neuropsychology in China
- The <i>Tao</i> (way) of Chinese coping
- Illness behaviors among the Chinese
- Community psychology in Chinese societies
- Psychotherapy with the Chinese: an update of the work in the last decade
- Face and morality in Confucian society
- Chinese cooperation and competition
- Interpersonal relationships in rapidly changing Chinese societies
- A gender perspective on Chinese social relationships and behavior
- Chinese cultural psychology and contemporary communication
- Chinese political psychology: political participation in Chinese societies
- Chinese social identity and inter-group relations: the influence of benevolent authority
- Developments in understanding Chinese leadership: paternalism and its elaborations, moderations, and alternatives
- Chinese consumer behavior: the effects of content, process, and language
- Sport psychology research and its application in China
- There are homes at the four corners of the seas: acculturation and adaptation of overseas Chinese
- Inter-cultural interactions: the Chinese context
- On the distinctiveness of Chinese psychology; or: Are we all Chinese?
- Moving the scientific study of Chinese psychology into our twenty-first century: some ways forward
Abstract and Keywords
The ostensible peculiarities, as well as similarities, of parenting and child socialization in China vis-à-vis Western countries such as the United States have been capturing intellectual curiosity and creating debate among investigators over the past few decades. Drawing on relatively recent empirical research in three major Chinese societies (mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan), this article attempts to depict a state-of-the-art picture of parenting and child socialization in contemporary China. It examines the growing body of research conducted with children in urban areas of mainland China, given that they constitute a substantial proportion of the youth population in contemporary Chinese societies. Furthermore, it takes on questions such as how do Western frameworks characterizing parenting and child socialization apply in China, a culture commonly believed to be interdependence-oriented, in contrast to many Western cultures? And, what are the notions of parenting and child socialization indigenous to Chinese culture?
Qian Wang, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Lei Chang, Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Access to the complete content on Oxford Handbooks Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription.
If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.


“How do we do better by children?”
For most of her life—through volunteer work in high school, classwork during her undergrad years, and currently as a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education—Nonie K. Lesaux has been trying to answer that question in one form or another. Now, she’s embarking on a new research initiative that will help fill the knowledge gap in early childhood education.
Lesaux studied psychology, with a focus on child development, particularly language and literacy development, looking at specific cases of children struggling with dyslexia. “If you get really focused on a lot of those cases and you’re especially focused on children from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds,” she explains, “you start to see a pattern.” She realized that the students were not only impeded by their disabilities, but also by their lack of access to educational opportunities. “I personally worry a whole lot when there are developmental profiles that correlate with poverty.”
Lesaux came to realize that what was needed was a better systems-level approach; much of her work today involves implementing her research into policy in order to improve child education systems. Recently, she notes, there has been a much greater push “to bridge science and policy,” especially as the research methods have become more sophisticated.
Enough data making the case for early education has accumulated at this point, Lesaux says, that “there’s really no question that what we call high-quality preschool makes a difference... Probably very few people would disagree with the theory.” This makes for an exciting time for policy, as there is a great deal of momentum pushing early education forward.
But despite the enthusiasm for early education, the “science hasn’t necessarily kept up with the advocacy,” Lesaux explains. “When push comes to shove, what we don’t really have is enough large-scale research to tell us that these are the absolute key ingredients... to get to a more nuanced dialogue about what matters most.”
Therein lies the motivation behind the Harvard Early Learning Study, a five-year study of early childhood that Lesaux will co-direct with Associate Professor Stephanie M. Jones. The study will track the development of a representative cohort of three-year-olds across Massachusetts in order to find what kinds of early education models work for whom, and under what settings or conditions. Lesaux hopes this research will “draw some real lines in the sand about early ed” and perhaps catalyze other large-scale population-based studies around the country, as part of an effort to “bring the science up to date with today’s kids.”
Lesaux has also spent the past year in a new role, after Governor Charles D. Baker ’79 appointed her chair of the Massachusetts Board of Early Education and Care last summer. The board oversees licensing and regulating childcare programs, providing financial assistance for children and families, and supporting the professional development of educators.
The agency, Lesaux says, is shifting away from its previous focus on access to and funding of childcare. “Massachusetts had a very ambitious and I would say successful campaign for access to early education for all,” she explains. “Now, it’s really about quality—we know a little too much to just keep going with access.”
Lesaux explains the high-stakes nature of early childhood education and care in the context of achievement gaps. Reading problems, as an example, “track way too closely with income and race here in the U.S.” The thought behind the early education and care initiative is to help give a strong start to the most academically vulnerable.
“It’s not a vaccine. It’s not going to necessarily do the trick over time,” she acknowledges. “K-12 is still on the hook; those children still need strong support. But certainly they are in a better position to take advantage of learning opportunities down the line if we can start early.”


Does Art Make You Smart? A Longitudinal Experiment of the Effects of Multiple Arts- Focused Field Trips
26 Pages Posted: 13 Jan 2020
Date Written: February 28, 2019
This paper presents second year results from the first ever multi-visit, longitudinal experiment on the benefits from arts-focused field trips. Students in fourth and fifth grades in ten elementary schools in a large urban school district were randomly assigned to receive three arts-related field trips throughout the school year, including an art museum, a live theater production, and a symphony performance or to serve as a control. We find that treatment students exhibit higher levels of school engagement as measured by students’ behavioral infractions and self-reported engagement. We also find that treatment students perform significantly better on their end of year standardized tests, up to 16% of a standard deviation increase. These effects are persistent even one year following treatment. However, the effects appear to be stronger for the first cohort of students in our sample.
Keywords: art education, field trips, school engagement, test scores
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation


Chisholm was born November 30, 1924 in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College in 1946 and her Master of Arts degree in elementary education from Columbia University in 1952. From 1953 to 1959, she was director of the Hamilton-Madison Child Care Center and from 1959 to 1964 an educational consultant for the New York Division of Day Care.
In 1964, Chisholm was elected to the New York State Legislature and in 1968 she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, making her the first black woman elected to Congress. Throughout her 14 years in Congress, Chisholm worked to increase spending for education, health care and other social services, and was a vocal opponent of the military draft. In 1972, Chisholm made a bid for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, receiving 152 votes at the Democratic National Convention. After leaving Congress, Chisholm was named to the Purington Chair at Mount Holyoke College where she taught for four years.
Chisholm wrote two autobiographies, “Unbought and Unbossed” (1970) and “The Good Fight” (1973). In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. In February, 2005, a documentary film, “Shirley Chisholm ’72: Unbought and Unbossed,” which chronicled her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, was aired on public television.


For many elementary school kids, music class will be the only chance to fall in love with the tuba, discover they love singing alto in a choir, or to experience the rewards of learning and performing as a group.
But those opportunities are continuing to decline in Ontario classrooms because fewer schools have the trained teachers, instruments or spaces to teach music, says a new report released Monday.
A survey of 1,000 schools by People for Education found that only 41 per cent of elementary schools have a full-time or part-time specialist music teacher this year.
Ten years ago, 48 per cent of schools had a music teacher, the research and advocacy group said. And it’s down from 58 per cent in 1998.
Longtime arts advocate Holly Nimmons calls the decline “criminal” because not having access to music robs kids of vital opportunities in the name of short-term budgets.
“Music education is endangered and this is a wake-up call,” says Nimmons, executive director of the Coalition for Music Education.
Among other findings, the report said children in smaller and rural schools are the least likely to get a chance to try the violin or rehearse the melody for a choral piece, as a result of too few teachers and funds to hire them.
Schools in the GTA are more than twice as likely to have music teachers than those in eastern and northern Ontario.
Budget cuts have had a negative impact on teaching other arts as well, including dance, drama and visual arts, the report says, despite the Ministry of Education’s recognition that the arts play a vital role in creativity, academic achievement, leadership and problem-solving.
Of schools with Grade 7 and Grade 8 students, only 15 per cent have a visual arts teacher and 8 per cent have specialist drama teachers.
The report cites lack of space, instruments and arts supplies as roadblocks, on top of “an underlying perception that other curriculum areas take priority over the arts.”
Eastern Ontario music teacher Jim Palmer said he fears the decline is more grim than the numbers show, because it was up to principals to determine who are “specialist teachers” and in many cases they may not even have qualifications outlined by the ministry and the Ontario College of Teachers.
Palmer, also director of advocacy with the Ontario Music Educators’ Association, said his group wants the province to require anyone providing music instruction in the public system to a become properly certified music teacher.
Without music classes, kids lose “an organized opportunity” they may not otherwise get to learn an instrument, create and perform with others, and be exposed to a creative and critical processes that are key to “21st-century skills,” said Palmer.
Few are actually against music and the arts, he added, but those subjects have been allowed to languish over the years because of other academic priorities taking the spotlight, such as math and literacy.
The decline of music education is “an unintended consequence,” said Palmer, who teaches at Athens District High School near Brockville, where students have an instrumental and band program, and an extracurricular blues band.
The association has been lobbying for a meeting between the ministry, teachers, school boards and other supporters of the arts to come up with a solution.
Advocates also stress that when exposure and learning about the arts aren’t provided in the classroom, it creates have and have-not schools, with students in more affluent communities benefitting from outside fundraising while other kids miss out.
That issue was highlighted in a 2013 report from People for Education, which noted that elementary and high schools able to fundraise were filling the gaps by using those dollars to supplement costs of instruments and supplies, and pay for kids to see live performances or exhibits.
The report calls on the province to put in place policy and funds that ensure all elementary students have the opportunity to learn and instrument and perform in a choir, band or orchestra. It also wants all students regardless of where they live or their family income to receive arts instruction during school hours.
Corrections – May 15, 2017: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated Holly Nimmons’ surname.


Click on the links to find out more about our wonderful Kindergarten program here at McKee.
All students receive curricular instruction according to Alberta Education’s Program of Studies. McKee students are assessed according to Alberta Education’s learning outcomes in the following subject areas: Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Art, Health, Music and Physical Education.
All students receive the benefit of daily scheduled time in the gymnasium and weekly scheduled time in the Computer Lab; with additional access to the lab and portable notebooks. Grade Four to Six students also receive 150 minutes of instruction in French as a Second Language (FSL).
Click here to view curriculum summaries at each grade level.
“The overarching goal of this (French as a Second Language) program…is to develop students who are sufficiently competent in French so that they can function in the language and culture outside the confines of the classroom.” ~ Alberta Program of Studies
McKee students begin learning French in Grade Four. Division 2 students take French for approximately 150 minutes per week. In French class, students are actively engaged in learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant to them. They take part in drama and music, games, role-playing and the use of technology to help them become functioning French-communicators.
This is a video from the Second Languages Counsel that you may wish to view. (Video)
"Music education should begin at an early age and should continue to encourage creative expression through performance, listening and composition. As students become sensitive to the expressive elements of music, they develop insight into human feelings."
~ Program of Studies, Music
Music education is an exciting part of a student’s day at McKee. Students are given 90 minutes per week of instruction from Grade one to Grade six, and 45 minutes per week in Kindergarten. At McKee, we are very fortunate to have a well-equipped music room which includes: soprano and alto recorders, djembe drums, xylophones and metallophones, a 3-octave set of handbells, as well as a variety of pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments. In addition to classroom music time, there is an Orff Club, Choir, and Handbell Club. McKee students perform at school assemblies, the Christmas Concert, and other school events throughout the year!


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Attending pre-school helps children from marginalised backgrounds become ready to thrive in primary school. They get to socialise with other children, build confidence, and start learning. It also demonstrates to their families the importance of education.
How your gift helps
Community schools making a difference in Pakistan
Kanesha has a very good reason to smile! She is one of a small number of children in rural Pakistan experiencing the wonder of learning before she goes to primary school. TEAR’s partner, the Anglican Diocese of Hyderabad, has a vision for more children to experience pre-school and, with your help, is expanding its Primary Education Project (PEP).
Millions of children in rural areas in Pakistan don’t make it to school, let alone pre-school, due to government schools being few and far between. PEP is helping to meet this need by establishing 75 self-supporting community schools. This year over 4,500 children are receiving the gift of primary school education, many of whom would have missed out.
In addition, local communities play a central role in the project, setting up, managing and maintaining their schools. Each school has a management committee made up of local men and women who ensure that fees are paid, teachers are supported and facilities are maintained. This sustainable model of community ownership is facilitated by PEP’s field team who provide ongoing teacher training, and work with school management committees and women’s groups to build leadership and advocacy skills.
Pre-schools give children a great head start
Now PEP is turning its attention to pre-schools for 3-5 year olds. Some children in this age group tag along to school with older siblings anyway, but many remain at home once they become school-age to help their parents with home duties or work in the fields. Experiencing early childhood learning helps create positive connections between parents and schools and easier transitions into primary schooling. It is also hoped that this will also help to boost the numbers of girls entering and staying in school.
Kanesha’s pre-school is a pilot that’s been added to an existing community school and she and her classmates are thriving. They benefit from educational games and introductions to the alphabet and numbers. PEP’s leader Lilian Charles says “we are not only providing a basic education for every child, but also educating the whole family through them.” Starting the journey of learning with pre-schoolers helps to develop skills and confidence to become change makers in their communities in the future.
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Attending pre-school helps children from marginalised backgrounds become ready to thrive in primary school. They get to socialise with other children, build confidence, and start learning. It also demonstrates to their families the importance of education. | More information.


Children's literacy and numeracy skills are set to top the agenda at a conference of the education sector today.
The latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures show that one in six Irish adults has difficulty understanding basic written English.
The FÉILTE conference will attract over a thousand people involved in teaching across Ireland and will see examples of successful strategies in improving literacy and numeracy skills passed on to teachers.
Head of the teaching council Tomás O'Rourke says the conference aims to share new found education methods.
“It is a celebration of teaching by teachers with parents, children and the wider public. It is a celebration of the innovation teachers are leading in their practice every day in schools around the country,” Mr O’Rourke said.
“We have over a thousand people coming to the RDS here in Dublin to both showcase what they are doing, talk about it, learn about it and take home some ideas from that learning.”


An Investigation of the Effects of a Middle School Reading Intervention on School Dropout Rates
Woods, Donna E.
MetadataShow full item record
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on reading achievement for middle school students after participation in a computer-based reading intervention program, READ 180, as well as the relationship of program participation to later dropout rates, compared to students enrolled in a traditional reading remediation program. A nonequivalent control group research design was used to examine data collected from 384 students in Grades 6 through 8 participating in reading interventions spanning a 3-year period from 2003 through 2006. Independent samples t test and chi-square statistics were used to analyze data to determine the yearly reading achievement mean gains, differences between the effects of the two reading interventions, and later dropout frequencies. There were no significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups in reading scores during the first year of READ 180 implementation. Computer software problems affected the implementation of READ 180 during the first semester of implementation. The findings reveal a statistically significant difference between the effects on reading achievement scores for students who participated in READ 180 when implemented with moderate fidelity compared to students in a traditional reading remediation program during the 2nd and 3rd years of implementation. The findings in this study revealed that an intensive reading intervention, READ 180, can significantly improve reading achievement for struggling adolescent readers when implemented with moderate fidelity. Analyses of the data revealed differences between the number of 2003-2004 reading intervention participants and the school division cohort dropout rates. A significant difference was not observed between the 2004-2006 cohort dropout rates when compared to the school division rates. The findings in this study will be beneficial to secondary principals who are held accountable for literacy development, implementation, and evaluation as the school instructional leader.
- Doctoral Dissertations


How to use daily activities to support your child’s learning #5
Verbal skills are very important to your child’s literacy development. Strong verbal skills lead to an easier acquisition of literacy skills. We all struggle to read a word we have never heard before, so the more extensive your child’s vocabulary is, the more success they will have when it comes to reading and writing words. Here are some tips on building your child’s vocabulary and developing their verbal skills.
- Any activity you do with your child, talk through what you are doing. If you are helping them get dressed, use language such as, “First we will put on your t-shirt, then we will put on your socks, pants, jumper.”
- If you are cooking, “We are going to chop up the vegetables, then we will cook them in the fry pan.”
Out and about:
- At the zoo, when you are looking at the different animals, use their proper names. Talk about their different features, “Look how tall the giraffe is. What colours is it? What is it eating? How many legs does it have?” This will help your child develop their vocabulary and practice their number skills!
- At the grocery store, while you are wondering through the fruit and veg section, name all of the things you see. “This is an apple, this is broccoli, cucumber, watermelon.”
It is also important to have a discussion when your child uses a generic term for an object. A good example of this is the word “truck.” Young children often use this term for any large motor vehicle. When they do this, make sure you tell them the more specific terms also, bus, bulldozer, fire engine, ambulance, etc.
These are activities you can work on with your child even as an infant. The more you talk with your child and name the things around you, the larger their vocabulary will become.


Language & Culture
Language songwriting –
Helping language preservation
Music education provides excellent opportunities to support Language and Culture programs in remote communities and schools. Taking these opportunities wherever possible, Music Outback has now become an important partner in the development of remote school cultural and first language curriculum, as well as in broader reaching language preservation programs.
Most Central Australian Indigenous language groups have reasonably large numbers of first language speakers who use it every day. Warlpiri and Arrernte for instance, have been written down for many years, and are in no danger of falling out of use. Other languages such as Anmatyerr and Alyawarr, while having plentiful populations of first language speakers, have only recently been written down. Kaytetye however, has less then 250 speakers using it on a daily basis, and with kids now losing fluency, it may fall out of use within one living generation.
In its language preservation work, Music Outback teams work with linguists and community members to record traditional stories in language and develop them into first language contemporary songs. This process has proven to be very exciting for community elders who are the custodians of these stories, as otherwise they often find it difficult to interest young people in this aspect of their culture. With songs about important traditional stories being written in the first language, these songs are then enthusiastically learnt and sung by young kids, and language maintenance is supported.
Lena Ngamperle with linguist and music researcher Myfany Turpin
Stories Come First
These programs have strong support from community elders, and the process has underlined the fact that it is the stories and language that are most important. The passing of these stories down in a contemporary format such as modern song has proven to be a culturally relevant and important component of the long term life of local language and culture.


Blowing raspberries on a baby’s tummy or singing This Little Piggy while playing with a toddler’s toes may seem like second nature to most parents or carers.
Our mums and dads did it when we were little and, now, we share that same bonding experience with our own kids and grandkids.
But while we may think nothing of it, these innocent games and interactions are scientifically proven to be extraordinarily meaningful when it comes to the development of a child’s brain.
It is these moments that are at the heart of a ground-breaking new app developed by CoLab – Collaborate for Kids (a partnership between the Minderoo Foundation and Telethon Kids Institute).
The Bright Tomorrows app – launched this week ahead of Telethon – utilises the latest research from experts around the globe on how to build children’s life skills and puts that research directly into the palms of parents and carers.
Part of the reason we’ve developed this app is because parents told us they were looking for information they could trust but also information that is tailored for them and practical.
Google is helpful but with the overwhelming amount of information out there it’s hard to know who to trust or what works.
The Bright Tomorrows app removes the guesswork and delivers practical ideas based in science and backed by the early childhood experts at the Telethon Kids Institute, Vroom, the Raising Children’s Network and Better Beginnings.
What’s more, technology allows the app to create a family profile which tailors tips to the age, interests and needs of the child, empowering parents and other adults to transform everyday moments into opportunities that facilitate a child’s brain growth.
This is vitally important as scientific evidence shows the building blocks of a person’s mental and physical wellbeing starts in the womb.
Indeed, 90 per cent of a person’s brain growth has occurred by the age of five.
With that in mind, we must ensure those formative years are jam-packed with interactive and positive experiences, so the child grows to be a productive, healthy and happy member of society.
The app features a familiar face – Bobbie – a remarkable little blue creature that represents a baby’s brain, showing how the brain actively responds to meaningful moments.
Many West Australians will remember Bobbie from last year’s Telethon and this year he’s back, bigger and better than ever.
In the app, Bobbie champions more than 1000 ideas for families to try new ways to introduce brain building moments into everyday activities, like helping their child learn numeracy skills while going shopping.
The tips also provide families with a brief scientific explanation of why these activities are helpful to brain development in the app’s Brainy Background section.
With so much brain expansion happening in the early years of life, this period presents a wonderful window to build essential skills like language, emotions and routines. I encourage all parents, grandparents, carers and other adults who interact with young children to download the app.
Not only will you find a legion of fun ways to spend time with the children in your life, but you will also provide them with the strongest possible foundation to grow.
This article appeared in The West Australian on 25th October, 2019. The video appeared on Today Tonight on 24th October, 2019.
You can find out more about the Bright Tomorrows app on the website.


The links and descriptions below represent important open-access web resources for musicians.
General Music Resources
Online library of musical scores for works within the Public Domain. NOTE: Not all works on IMSLP are in the Public Domain in the U.S. Users are advised to read restrictions for each work to evaluate its copyright status.
A "comprehensive digital database that contains over 57,000 works by more than 6,000 composers, and includes over 14,000 media samples (recordings and scores)."
Important information regarding all aspects of copyright in the U.S. including Fair Use factors, penalties, and other online resources.
Official guide on the current state and history of copyright for music created by the Music Library Association.
Building the world’s largest open index of digital resources for the study of music.
National Music Organizations
- American Choral Director's Association (ACDA)
- American Music Therapy Association (AMTA)
- American Musicological Society (AMS)
- Music Library Association (MLA)
- Major Orchestra Librarians' Association (MOLA)
- Music Publisher’s Association
- National Association for Music Education (NAfMe)
- Society for American Music (SAM)
- Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM)
- Society for Music Theory
Streaming Audio/Video Resources
A collection of live streams from classical radio stations, orchestras, and performing ensembles around the world. Specific concert broadcasts are announced several days in advance.
Through the partnership of over 155 opera companies represented by Opera Europa, the cultural broadcasting channel ARTE, and over 15 theaters across Europe, this free streaming platform presents the most recent major opera productions.
A collection of new recordings and web content "dedicated to the music of American composers and improvisers." Link to Counterstream internet radio.
Purdue University provides a comprehensive writing resource through their Online Writing Lab (OWL). This resource focuses on constructing effective, concise academic writing and provides tips for all levels of writers.
"Completely searchable and easy to use, The Chicago Manual of Style Online provides recommendations on editorial style and publishing practices for the digital age. Now offering the full contents of the 16th and 15th editions, it is the must-have reference for everyone who works with words."
Citation Management Tools
Generate, organize, and manage citations, bibliographies, and research notes with these available tools. Each has its own unique features.
- Zotero- Web-based or standalone client with browser plugin available.
- Mendelev- Add papers directly from your browser with a few clicks or import any documents from your desktop. Access your library from anywhere. Windows, Mac, Linux and all browsers.
Current job postings in higher education.
Online directory of job postings nationally and internationally. Also includes festivals, instrument sales, courses, etc.
A guide to preparing a resume or curriculum vitae for the musician and other resources provided by the Institute for Music Leadership at the Eastman School of Music
Peabody's comprehensive career site provides resources on job searching, grants and awards, professional document creation, and much more.
Your Robinson Music Library librarians have put together a research guide which provides resources for all aspects of career development.


Source: Teacher Education and Special Education, Vol. 32 No. I, (February 2009), p. 83-96.
Professional development (PD) experiences for special education teachers are designed to facilitate teacher learning and the implementation of evidence-based practices. PD should also make a positive impact on the K-12 students with disabilities that are in participating teachers' classrooms. In this study, the author examines the outcomes of the use of a project-based online PD approach with in-service teachers of students with disabilities. In particular, the study focuses on the effects of the PD on K-12 students with disabilities in the participating teachers' classrooms.
The following research question was used to guide the study:
To what extent does the participation of special education teachers in project-based online PD experience affect (a) K- 12 students with disabilities' classroom performance and (b) teachers' instructional practices related to PD?
4 in-service special education teachers participated in the project-based PD experience and agreed to participate in the current study. Each of the teachers was working full-time in a special education teaching position with only a provisional licensure in special education.
All teachers were completing the project for graduate credit as part of a program of studies leading to full licensure in special education and a graduate degree in special education. 3 of the 4 participants were 1 st-year teachers who had recently completed an undergraduate degree in elementary education.
Student participants were all K-12 students identified with disabilities by their school district. Student participants were selected by the teacher participants as part of the PD project. 3 of the 4 students were male; 2 students were in 6th grade, 1 was in 7th grade and 1 was in 3rd grade.
The findings from the qualitative study indicate that each of the four student participants improved in the area of performance that was targeted by the teachers' PD. The analysis suggests that this approach to PD positively affects participating teachers' instructional practices and the performance of K-12 students with disabilities.


In the Fargo, North Dakota school district where I serve as Performing Arts Curriculum Specialist, one-fourth of our students are refugees from around the world and are active members in our music programs because our district administrators have made equity and access a priority. Any student in need who desires to learn music is given the equipment and support to participate. Music classes are also a place of acceptance and community to students who need positive support.
Each student brings a diversity of life experiences and backgrounds to our classroom, whether it be family structure, socio-economic status, sexual or gender identity, religion, physical ability, ethnicity or race, or academic proficiency level. It is the duty of educators to reach and support all students equitably in their classroom to ensure each has a well-rounded education, which includes a high-quality music program.
Music educators have a unique opportunity to celebrate diversity in their classrooms through a curriculum that is inclusive of a variety of music-making traditions. A well-rounded and comprehensive music education, taught by highly qualified music educators, should be available in all schools and be built upon a curricular framework that promotes awareness of, respect for and responsiveness to the variety and diversity of cultures in their community and the nation at large. All students in every school should have the opportunity to create, perform and respond to music in order to develop musical and artistic literacy.
Neuroscientists indicate that playing music is the only activity that uses the whole brain firing neurons across both hemispheres. This research alone should be of paramount importance to educators and administrators to include music within the curriculum for all students. Studying music also enhances highly valued 21st-century skills such as the ability to be creative, to communicate effectively, to collaborate and to think critically, which are essential for success throughout life.
Removing the barriers to music education allows all students to create something of beauty to share with each other and the world. This collaborative bond breaks down the walls of being different and creates a positive environment where students accept one another and support each other to be their best. Music creates and enhances skills preparing students for life, changes the culture of a school, and brings people together, which makes our world a better place to live.
Article originally published by Denese Odeaard, Immediate Past President, National Association for Music Education for Media Planet; August 24, 2018


Introduction to the Pottery Wheel
Please note, this event has expired.
A great introductory class for those looking to learn the wheel.
Students will learn about the materials and processes involved in creating a basic cylinder and bowl form on the Potter’s wheel. and firing. The basic skills of wedging, centering, pulling, trimming, glazing and firing will be covered along with a vocabulary with which to understand them. There will be demonstrations followed by lots of time to practice. Patience, practice and perseverance—the three P’s—will be key to enjoying working on the Potter’s Wheel.
INDIVIDUAL DATES & TIMES*
Additional time info:
Holly Heaslip, B.S. Art Education, M.F.A., has worked in clay for over 45 years and continues to find magic in the process. Inspired by students, she has taught at Rochester Institute of Technology, The Cultural Center of Cape Cod, and Art Park in N.Y. State. She also works as the on-site program coordinator for The New England Craft Program at Snow Farm. Teaching Tai Chi is another of Holly’s passions.
4404 Falmouth Rd (Rt. 28), Cotuit, MA 02635


Making Connections: Understanding Conceptual Integration
Cognitive abilities and learning preferences are assorted among individuals. With human variations in learning, strengths and weaknesses, a child's environment should be enriched with opportunities to construct meaning through exchanges of knowledge (Vygotsky, 1978). Through conceptual interactions and social exchanges of knowledge, previously acquired concepts are strengthened and new learning results (Bruner, 1960). Academic integration through literature connections provides children with opportunities to explore concepts across various subject disciplines. Conceptual or academic integration, also known instructionally as interdisciplinary instruction, is a strategy that utilizes connections between concepts through curriculum or subject overlapping to develop understanding, and often incorporates discussion and activities that emphasize the blending of students and skills (Gardner, Wissick, Schweder, & Canter, 2003; Kass & Jones, 2009; Kovalik & Olsen, 1994; Tomlinson & McTighe, 2006). Conceptual integration seeks to reduce fragmentation in learning that often results in curriculums that focus on single subject disciplines in isolation.
The implementation of academically-integrated instruction plays a vital role in providing every child with an opportunity to maximize personal understanding of the world. Educators and parents must encourage and support childrens' participation in the learning process by providing authentic educational experiences that foster fundamental skill development. Literature connections are an excellent resource to introduce a concept that has a foundation in mathematics, science, or social studies. Story-telling introduces children to ideas, builds vocabulary, and establishes connections across the curriculum while supporting literacy development.
Bruner, J. (1960). The process of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gardner, J. E.., Wissick, C. A., Schweder, W., & Canter, L. S. (2003). Enhancing
interdisciplinary instruction in general and special education. Remedial &
Special Education, 24(3), 161-173.
Kass, D. & Jones, D. (2009). The relationship between instructional delivery
and academic motivation of included elementary school students with special needs. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal, 27(1), 40-60.
Kovalik, S. & Olsen, K. (1994). ITI: The model (3rd ed.). Kent, WA: Susan Kovalik and
Tomlinson, C. A. & McTighe, J. (2006). Integrating differentiated instruction and
understanding by design: Connecting content and kids. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.


Career path in high-demand skilled trades less costly
Students in mid-Michigan will be going back to school soon, and many will begin thinking about potential careers and how they want to further their education after high school.
The cost of college is rising each year – and it isn’t getting any cheaper. In fact, college costs are rising faster than the availability of financial aid, as reported by The Washington Post. The average cost of tuition, fees, room and board for a four-year, public university or college is a staggering $14,210.
What other options do students have for education after high school? Enter the skilled trades. The skilled trades are often a low-cost alternative to a traditional four-year college, and are in high demand.
High-skill, high-wage jobs in the skilled trades are abundant in not just Michigan, but around the U.S.
According to The Manufacturing Institute, over the next 10 years, two million of the three and a half million U.S. manufacturing jobs are expected to go unfilled due to a lack of candidates with the necessary skills.
Careers in the skilled trades pay between $12 and $34 an hour, which is an above average median wage, and improved technology has also transformed careers in the skilled trades to be cleaner, safer and more efficient.
Careers in the skilled trades include welders, carpenters, tile setters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers and heating and cooling technicians, just to name a few. Luckily for Mid-Michigan, local colleges, such as Lansing Community College, have state-of-the-art education and training programs available.
LCC provides training in manufacturing, information technology, design and construction technologies, public service careers, transportation maintenance technologies and utility and energy systems. To learn more about educational opportunities at LCC, visit http://www.lcc.edu/techcareers/.
How can high school and middle school students learn more about the skilled trades? The best way to explore careers in the skilled trades is through job shadowing.
Students can job shadow skilled electricians, plumbers, equipment operators or another individual in a skilled trade to determine if they’d be a good fit.
Students can also connect with Capital Area Michigan Works! to learn more about skilled trade opportunities in Mid-Michigan, and make valuable connections for externship and apprenticeship opportunities.
While the skilled trades may not be the right fit for everyone, it is a lucrative, rewarding field where demand is high. Capital Area Michigan Works! is collaborating with local companies and partners to advocate for more opportunities for students to explore careers in the skilled trades.
Visit www.camw.org to connect with the Capital Area Michigan Works! team for assistance with career exploration, refining your resume and more. Capital Area Michigan Works! is a proud partner of the American Job Center Network, offering services in Ingham, Clinton and Eaton counties at our Lansing, St. Johns and Charlotte American Job Centers.


Cultural and creative industries are the fastest growing in the UK, driving economic growth and on track to create one million new jobs by 2030. With widespread automation on the horizon, employment within the sector is also deemed one of the few areas at low risk of being replaced by robotic technology. Beyond the realms of capitalism, nurturing creativity from a young age is shown to boost confidence and wellbeing, improve critical thinking and problems solving skills, and even lead to more open and democratic societies.
And yet, it’s no secret that creativity is being systematically pushed out of the UK’s education system. Over the last few years, government emphasis on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects combined with cuts to funding has led to a sharp decline in the provision for art, music, drama and other creative disciplines in state secondary schools, and led to fewer students – especially from disadvantaged backgrounds – opting to study them at A-Level. The massive hike in tuition fees has also led to a fall in the number of people applying to take art and design related courses at university, instead choosing ‘safer’ degrees with more tangible future career options.
As a new exhibition at Bluecoat in Liverpool will highlight, however, it was not so long ago that the opposite was the case. During the mid-1960s there were over 150 art schools across the country; now most of them are closed or absorbed into other institutions and the buildings repurposed, remodelled or demolished. In response, artists John Beck and Matthew Cornford have set out on a project to hunt down all of England’s lost art schools and photograph the sites as they are today, revealing the shift that has taken place. The Art Schools of North West England will bring together a selection of photographs and texts documenting 30 historic sites of art education within the region, asking: What did it mean to have an art school in every town and what can we learn by discovering their fate?
The exhibition will also explore the very idea of ‘art school’ – a concept that has evolved throughout the 20th and 21st century from the legacy of the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College to the grassroots models of ‘alternative art education’ that have been noticeably growing in number over the last decade. Presented within the context of Bluecoat, which began life over 300 years ago as a charitable children’s school before becoming an independent art school setup by the Sandon Studios Society in 1907, The Art Schools of North West England should offer a fascinating window into the history of creative education within the region. Moreover, expect a poignant account of the need to fight for art – a basic human right in the view of artist and education advocate Bob and Roberta Smith (Patrick Brill).
‘The Art Schools of North West England’ will be accompanied by a symposium, ‘What Was Art School’, on 19 Jan (1-4pm, £3) and forms part of a interlinked series of exhibitions focusing on the changing nature of artistic education, including: ‘Instituting Care: Jade Montserrat‘ and ‘Joshua Henderson and Veronica Watson: Studio Me‘.


Even those who haven’t taken online music lessons can tell the Internet seems to be having a case of tone deafness from the Yanny or Laurel debate.
You might remember the debate three years ago when the internet collectively lost its mind over “the dress— “was it black and blue or white and gold?
On Tuesday May 15th, 2018, a new phenomenon emerged that has people arguing like it’s the dress all over again.
According to the experts, it depends!
As it turns out, there is a musical explanation behind the dichotomy.
The Musical Explanation
“Yanny” is heard when played at a higher pitch, and so interpretation can hinge upon the kind of speaker the clip is played through.
As explained by Brad Story, Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing at The University of Arizona, “you have to take into account the different ways people are listening to this—through mobile phones, headphones, tablets, etc.” (1)
For example, a speaker with more bass would sound more like “Laurel,” whereas a phone speaker or one with poor bass would sound like “Yanny.”
Pitch interpretation is also affected by age— younger people are more likely to hear “Yanny” because their ears pick up higher pitches more frequently.
Listen to the Experts
Another possible explanation is that some people simply listen to— or “attend”— a higher or lower frequency based on personal preference.
Patricia Keating, a linguistics professor and the director of the phonetics lab at U.C.L.A., described the difference, suggesting that factors like how much time we spend talking on the phone can have an effect.
She described, “I have no idea why some listeners attend more to the lower frequency range while others attend more to the higher frequency range.” (2)
Audio experts are also pointing out that acoustic patterns and similarities between the two words affect perception.
Jody Kreiman, a principal investigator at the voice perception laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained that “the acoustic patterns for the utterance are midway between those for the two words.”
But I Want to Hear Both!
Can you only hear one frequency, but want to hear both?
One idea is to turn down the volume on your phone or computer. Lower volume can sometimes drop the bass value and emphasize the higher pitches.
Want to become a real music expert?
Check out our online music lessons including courses such as guitar for beginners.
While your family and friends lose their minds over Yanny vs. Laurel, kick back and start your music education online with Musician’s Toolkit!
Bonus – Infographic
Check out this awesome infographic which visually depicts the music and science behind this latest Internet phenomenon!


Empowering communities through the power of music.
Bridging Worlds Through Music (BWTM) offers free music education to children and youth in Geita, Tanzania. Our focus is to empower children and youth through musical creation and expression. Our programs help youth build essential skills such as teamwork, cooperation and creative problem solving, to allow them to reach for their dreams. We believe that music can be a conduit for both healing and learning.
At BWTM, we work with local teachers and build their capacity by providing training in music pedagogy. Our work is guided by a commitment to inclusion, gender parity, and providing opportunities for individual growth. We believe that music can change hearts and minds, and help people develop integral skills for success.
To learn more about the 2014 project that sparked BWTM, check out this article.


Writing ActivitiesWrite activities
Handwritten and writing activities and writing tips
An insight into writing in nursery school, how it changes during the school year, a brief review of the writing standard in nursery school and materials for writing class. The month of September makes me think of almonds. When you focus on eating almonds in your autum classes, you should consider these writing caps. Browse, review, write and paint pages with these practical pre-school activities for pre-school children, a simple pre-school class on the colours of amber.
You can use chalkboards to encourage children's fantasy and improve their writing aptitudes. Check out these funny, inventive writing guides for children! With 20 writing challenges in this free, print-out September writing challenge calender, you'll have the ideal texture to inspire your high school students while at the same time giving them a lot of creativity.
Allows you to write in a simple travelling tote. Monomorphic physical activities challenge the baby to recognize different coloured characters (manuscript and italics) and create a curvilinear line to link the correlated characters. Print-to-Print Prompts for Kids! The Educators' spin on it.
Contains free printing and art spinning notions. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Boom Pre-Writing, a great beginner exercise for dexterity. Availability until Sunday September.
Both group and personal writing activities are beneficial to young learner literacy development. Colaborative writing activities such as creating recipes and stories brings pupils together to criticise vocabulary and orthography in a constructive way. Writing activities such as writing for soloists such as poesy or journalism promote personal creative work. That day of presidents, you' ll encounter four of our country's most important hero with this Mount Rushmore writing action.
Use his writing abilities and creativeness. Your third grade student will use this exercise to gain information writing experiences, and your Thanksgiving visitors will be honored with a souvenir! Build-up the third year by using images to help children "see" detail in their tales. Year one writing, writing activities, year one activities, fantasy, cloudy writing, writing abilities, writing composing, creativeness, clouds, cloudy activity.........writing letters, cooperative history, cooperative history, writing practice for children, writing practice for children, writing enjoyment writing activities, hesitant writers.......creative writing, writing activities, writing with images, history starters, composing activities, writing promptly, getting children writing.......The more describing the writing, the better.......
Next you put the slice on the table and you're done: writing activities, children writing, improving my child's writing, composing exercises, writing exercises..... Featuring a comical writing action that regularly undertakes a mission - writing a novel - and turns it into a communal writing adventure for comical outcomes! Here is a writing exercise that will help first grade students discover an ant's point of view.... and practice writing!
Begin by writing an akrostic poetry, but then prepare yourself for a writing challenge that makes an akrostic more difficult to type. These activities strengthen writing and linguistic proficiency. It' a great way to practice your writing convincingly. Teach your second grade student to understand her comprehension for great stories and practice writing with this action by writing her own about your own one!
Allow your kid to test his security level and at the same the writing ability by writing a security handbook that he can pass on at home. Let your kid think about the past and practice his writing and vocabulary while writing an "I Used to, Now I" poet.
You can help your kids at home by using a dialog notebook to sculpt good writing. Improve your literacy this year with this cute Mothersday poetry theme. Increase your creative and writing abilities by letting your kid come up with his own gourmet s'morerecipes! Here is a great way to get your kid on the right path to write well thought-out suggestions.
Utilize murmurs and color to discover the savage universe of forms and colors..... and also increase the typist. Arouse your children's interest in writing by help them create a small notebook on their favourite subject: themselves!


Kindergarten and elementary school teachers must have a bachelor’s degree. In addition, public school teachers must have a state-issued certification or license. For information about teacher preparation programs and certification requirements in your state, contact the U.S. Department of Education.
All states require public kindergarten and elementary school teachers to have at least a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Some states also require kindergarten and elementary school teachers to major in a content area, such as math or science. Those who major in a content area typically enroll in their university’s teacher preparation program and also take classes in education and child psychology.
In teacher education programs, future teachers learn how to present information to young students and how to work with young students of varying abilities and backgrounds. Programs typically include fieldwork, such as student teaching.
Some states require kindergarten and elementary school teachers to earn a master’s degree after receiving their teaching certification.
Teachers in private schools do not need to meet state requirements. However, private schools typically seek kindergarten and elementary school teachers who have a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
All states require teachers in public schools to be licensed. A license is frequently referred to as a certification. Those who teach in private schools are generally not required to be licensed.
Kindergarten and elementary school teachers are typically certified to teach early childhood grades, which are usually preschool through third grade, or elementary school grades, which are usually first through sixth grades or first through eighth grades.
Requirements for certification vary by state. However, all states require at least a bachelor’s degree. They also require completing a teacher preparation program and supervised experience in teaching, typically gained through student teaching. Some states require a minimum grade point average. States often require candidates to pass a general teaching certification test, as well as a test that demonstrates their knowledge of the subject they will teach. Although kindergarten and elementary school teachers typically do not teach only a single subject, they may still be required to pass a content area test to earn their certification.
Teachers are frequently required to complete annual professional development classes to keep their license. Most states require teachers to pass a background check. Some states require teachers to complete a master’s degree after receiving their certification.
All states offer an alternative route to certification for people who already have a bachelor’s degree but lack the education courses required for certification.
Some alternative certification programs allow candidates to begin teaching immediately after graduation, under the supervision of an experienced teacher. These programs cover teaching methods and child development. After they complete the program, candidates are awarded full certification.
Other programs require students to take classes in education before they can teach. Students may be awarded a master’s degree after completing either of these programs. For information about alternative certification programs, contact the National Center for Alternative Certification.
Experienced teachers can advance to be mentors or lead teachers. These teachers often work with less experienced teachers to help them improve their teaching skills.
With additional education or certification, teachers may become school counselors, school librarians, or instructional coordinators. Some become assistant principals or principals, both of which generally require additional education in education administration or leadership. For more information, see the profiles on school and career counselors, librarians, instructional coordinators, and elementary, middle, and high school principals.
Communication skills. Teachers must collaborate with teacher assistants and special education teachers. In addition, they need to discuss students’ needs with parents and administrators.
Creativity. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers must plan lessons that engage young students, adapting the lessons to every student’s learning style.
Instructional skills. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers need to be able to explain difficult concepts in terms that young students can understand. In addition, they must be able to get students engaged in learning and adapt their lessons to each student’s needs.
Patience. Working with students of different abilities and backgrounds can be difficult. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers must respond be patient when students struggle with material.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition


July 21-26, 2013
The Building Learning Communities Conference brings together a diverse ensemble of keynote speakers and attendees to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ties for more meaningful teaching and learning enhanced by technology. BLC provides participants with inspiration and practical skills, and expands professional networks with educators from around the world.
Thursday, July 25
Models and Probes: Getting Ready for the Common Core
The Innovative Technology in Science Inquiry (ITSI) project prepares diverse students for careers in information technologies by engaging them in exciting, inquiry-based science projects that use computational models and real-time data acquisition. ITSI has produced dozens of activities in elementary, middle and high school science using a range of commercial sensors as well as open source or research-based models.
Teachers can customize ITSI science inquiry activities easily to fit their classrooms and engage their local communities using the web-based interface. All activities are embedded in software that allows students to read the activity, answer questions, make predictions and collect data, analyze results, run a computer-based model, take and annotate snapshots of that model, and save their work within one application. It also allows the collection of formative and summative assessment data, which is available to the teachers. This workshop will allow you to try out the activities and see how they would fit in your school. Project materials are free and available online.
Friday, July 26
Sensing Science: Temperature Readiness for K-2
Children learn by exploring their world through everyday activities and developing intuitive understandings. Testing representations using data collection helps us learn about temperature preconceptions. Concepts involving temperature and heat are among the phenomena children experience most frequently, yet they are all but ignored in early elementary education because of their abstract and invisible nature. Sensing Science uses existing surface temperature sensors and infrared devices in conjunction with a computer, enabling K-2 students to interact with their assumptions, record and replay their actions and reflect on their archived data. Using sensors, models, drawings, and other representations make it possible for children to explore their world, investigating the widest possible range of scenarios throughout the classroom, on the playground and elsewhere. We closely observed students’ actions and actively elicited spontaneous ideas in order to test and revise assumptions about common preconceptions regarding temperature and heat. Based on these preconceptions we designed visualizations and explorations. As part of a National Science Foundation grant, initial design tests took place in Littleton Public Schools (MA) during the first year. The materials were tested with two classrooms in each grade K-2.
Being Smart with Graphs
SmartGraphs is a project that studies the educational value of digital objects embedded in graphs that “know” about themselves and that provide scaffolding to students to help them learn about graphs and the concepts conveyed in graphs.
Digital SmartGraphs can be authored or customized by teachers and accept inputs from students’ responses, sketches, functions, models, and probes. The software analyzes the graphs for the kinds of features that experts recognize and then engages students in conversations that instruct and assess student knowledge.
SmartGraphs is guided by collaboration between the Concord Consortium and the Pennsylvania State Department of Education Classrooms for the Future program, through which 145,000 laptop computers are deployed to serve 500,000 students. Other states, districts, or schools that are also interested in providing meaningful software to help students interpret visual graphical data from existing graphs or real time data collected with probes will thrill with this free Open Source software tool!


Watch a terrific personally picked and extremely easy to comprehend All About the Human Ear easy science for kids video:
What is this All About the Human Ear Video
Did you hear that? No? Do you want to know why? Check out how your ears work in this clip that explains it all. Amazing to think that what we call sound in the air is really a vibration and it is a language that our ears can translate without us even thinking about it! Everything from your mom’s voice, to music, to the annoying car alarm going off down the street gets to shake tiny pieces within your ear and make it to the inside of your head as something you can understand. This video breaks down the incredible process that takes place inside your ears into a basic and easily understood format. This will show you the mechanics of how sound makes it from the vibrations in the air around us to a coherent concept in our brains.
Enjoy watching this All About the Human Ear facts for kids video and expand all your kids’s interest in All About the Human Ear.
This All About the Human Ear video is safe to watch for children, from those participating in early learning programs for pre-Kindergarten children, to kids in grades 1-5, clearly also including preschoolers children and kids in far-off schools.
Go on increase your comprehending on All About the Human Ear with this web video. Review the full list of all our offered cost-free educational videos for kids, personally recommended by our senior deputy editor. These science kids videos are a great big catalog of science for kids videos on our science kids website. Find lots more engaging as well as instructional yet fun easy science facts for young children on our easy science assistance online resource about similar topics, and make great usage of our numerous COMPLETELY FREE reading and listening comprehension worksheets, ENJOYABLE online science quiz games and games.
Enjoyed the All About the Human Ear video? Pore over lengthy relevant information to do with All About the Human Ear.


Children who experience higher-quality classroom environments during pre-K and kindergarten have better language, literacy and math skills at the end of kindergarten. These findings from a study led by doctoral student Robert Carr, along with researchers at the FPG Child Development Institute, were recently published in the journal Early Childhood Research Quarterly.
Carr’s study used the Classroom Assessment Scoring System, an observational measure of classroom-wide teacher–child interactions that focuses on three domains of classroom quality: instructional support, emotional support and classroom organization.
The study found that higher-quality classroom environments in pre-K and kindergarten were both independently associated with children's language and literacy skills. In contrast, for children's math skills, higher-quality in pre-K was only associated with math skills at the end of kindergarten for children who went on to experience high-quality kindergarten classroom environments, not average- or low-quality kindergarten classroom environments. Carr describes the effects of classroom quality as additive in relation to language and literacy skills, and multiplicative in relation to math skills. These findings have implications for the design of policies and practices related to the alignment of classroom instruction across pre-K through third grade (referred to as PK-3).
To date, most PK-3 instructional alignment initiatives have focused on the use of curricula, instructional practices, learning standards and assessments. Carr's study suggests the PK-3 initiatives should also include professional development strategies to promote high-quality teacher–child interactions in these domains. Carr says that "any benefits that could result from the alignment of curricula, instruction, learning standards or assessments across grades may be enhanced in classrooms characterized by high-quality teacher–child interactions."
In response to this study, renowned early childhood expert, Richard Clifford, Ph.D., says that "Robert Carr and colleagues offer new insights concerning how the quality of early childhood learning environments impact child outcomes. Although we still have much left to learn in order to guide educational practice and policymaking in this area, this work provides a new piece of the puzzle." Dr. Clifford and other researchers at FPG developed the FirstSchool initiative, which is an instructional alignment initiative designed to improve PK-3 experiences for African American, Latino and low-income children and their families. Dr. Clifford added that "the field of early childhood education needs a new generation of researchers to help us unravel the complex interrelationships among the multitude of variables affecting children's learning outcomes. Robert Carr's recent analyses are an excellent example of what the next generation can offer."
Quick Check Math is for learners who struggle with number sense and basic math concepts. Quick Check Math is a hybrid program that combines technology with paper-based activities. Students listen to audio prompts and write their answers with a blue pen, and check their work with a red pen. Each exercise takes just 1 minute to complete and 1 minute to check! Quick Check Math enables rapid practice of addition and subtraction and provides a unique framework for children to measure and record their progress. Ready to try it? Get your 30-day trial of Quick Check Math now!
Reposted with permission from UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.


To most competent readers, reading is something they do naturally, much like walking or talking: things we do that we have developed to the point of automaticity. Because we seem to be unable to look at text without gaining meaning, we are rarely aware of the cognitive processes that go into this most complex of skills.
In fact, when we read, our eyes are moving forward very rapidly and stopping a number of times along each line of written text. Each one of these rapid movements is called a saccade and it these saccades that carry the eyes forward from one part of the text to another in staccato fashion. I say ‘staccato’ because in between each of these saccades, the eye pauses and becomes relatively still and it is in these moments of stasis, known as ‘fixations’ that we gain information from whatever it is we are reading.
According to Ashby and Rayner*, each saccade lasts for about a quarter of a second [see also Crystal’s Encylopedia of the English Language, p.218], making the reading process, as they put it, ‘similar to a slide show, in which the text appears …, is interrupted briefly by a saccade, then reappears, and so forth’.
There is good reason for why this happens. The human visual system enables us to see with greater acuity in the centre of what is known as the fovea, the area of the retina which offers the best visual detail, hence the need to fixate on a limited group of letters before moving on to fixate the next group. Outside the fovea in the parafoveal and peripheral regions of the retina, our visual receptors are unable to discriminate the detail of letters to distinguish one from another: in other words, the further from the fovea, the poorer our perception of difference in detail.
The authors of the piece liken the visual field to a bull’s eye, with the fovea at the centre, surrounded by the parafovea, which is, in turn, encircled by the peripheral region. However, to be more accurate, you would need to imagine a bull’s eye skewed or attenuated to the right for readers of English. Thus, perceptual spans are not symmetrical, extending three or four letters to the left and, in the case of skilled readers, ‘only seven or eight letters to the right of fixation to support their recognition of upcoming words’. However, as they point out, much of that information is parafoveal. [Perceptual span also varies according to the writing system, with perceptual span in Arabic and Hebrew, for instance, operating in the reverse direction.]
For obvious reasons, fixations are also influenced by factors such as word length and by lexical access. So, when a word is less frequently encountered or it contains a less frequent spelling, fixations are longer. This factor would appear to link ‘lexical access processes that operate very efficiently during skilled reading’ to eye movements. Furthermore, skilled readers are, as you would expect, able to glean syllable information parafoveally during a fixation.
So, how do young, beginning readers differ from skilled readers? The answer is that their eye movements reflect the problems they have in decoding words in connected text: fixations last longer, their perceptual span is shorter, and they tend to regress more often. Neither in the beginning stages of learning to read is fixation symmetrical, as it is in more fluent readers.
What the authors speculate is that more fixations and shorter saccades, as well as a more restricted perceptual span, limit the amount of text a reader can hold in foveal view.
What are the implications of this for teaching beginning readers? In my next posting, I shall be looking at some of the suggestions put forward by the authors.
* Ashby, J. & Rayner, K., ‘Literacy Development: Insights from Research on Skilled Reading’, in Dickinson, D.K and Neuman, S., Eds, (2006), Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Vol 2, London, Guilford Press, pp 52-63.
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This important free publication is part of the Reading and Literacy for All suite of documents that focus on the important role Victoria's public libraries and the State Library have in encouraging and nurturing a love of language and reading among children, and actively supporting literacy development at key life stages.
The toolkit is full of practical ideas, tips and templates that will help you to deliver your early years programs. Find out how to:
* plan and evaluate your early childhood sessions for the different ages and stages of participants development;
* support positive behaviours;
* work with themes;
* organise props;
* design appropriate activities;
* be inspired by STEAM, and much more.
You'll find long lists of storytime book recommendations from your colleagues across Victoria; welcome songs and chants; and, tip sheets on sharing information with families, conversation starters and milestones in child development.
This fabulous toolkit has been created by Raising Literacy Australia, who delivered the 2016/17 early years literacy professional development program that many hundreds of Victorian public library staff participated in.
The Let's Read! toolkit, along with our other READ publications, can be found at https://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about-us/collaborations-affiliations/public-libraries/reading-literacy-strategic-framework
It's part of the State Library and Public Libraries Victoria Network Statewide Public Library Development Projects.