Sounds and Symbols™

Author: OldBear

  • Early music training can boost the brain

    A study conducted at Concordia University (near Montreal in Canada), led by Professor Virginia Penhune has found that musicians who started before the age of seven showed heightened white matter in the brain (the nerve fibres which link the left and right areas of the brain). Hence the study showed that early music training can boost the connections made in the brain – this creates a foundation upon which more may be built.

    More evidence to support the fact that Sounds and Symbols indeed provides ‘A Sound Foundation for Your Child’!

    For more information and research click here

  • Moray Childminders request information on Sounds and Symbols

    Presentation to Moray Childminders in Elgin.  Childminders were interested in how music can be used in settings with a small number of children to promote literacy.  Many topics were discussed and examples given of activities to help with listening and speaking skills.  Sequencing skills can be helped by musical activities and also musical stories help children to link events.  This helps memory retention.  The processing of music and language and music in the brain was discussed too.  A further presentation was requested.

  • Sound Before Symbol is now available to purchase

    Sound Before Symbol is now available to purchase.  Just click on ‘Store’.

  • Music Lessons Early in Life Increase Brain Development

    A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found that music lessons before the age of seven had a significant impact upon brain development.

    More information click here

  • The first copy of Sound Before Symbol is in the UK

    The first copy of ‘Sound Before Symbol‘  is in the UK. It has visited SAGE in London, myself in Scotland and is now in Yorkshire in the safe hands of my MUM!

     

  • Sounds and Symbols has arrived in Haiti

    Sounds and Symbols has arrived in Haiti in the village of Campeche Dumay.  Humpty, assisted by Jill Addison will be helping children to develop their language through music.  Photos and video to follow!

  • Presentation to Adult Literacy tutors in Elgin.

    Presentation to Adult Literacy tutors in Elgin – Adult Literacy through Music.  Music can assist literacy development for all ages and stages.  Music helps to embed information, it helps to consolidate memory, offers prompts to learn sequences and can be used to extend vocabulary and grammar comprehension.

    Everyone sang wholeheartedly – it was great fun!  Tutors were also able to consider the role of rhyming slang, raps, tongue twisters, using foreign languages and the use of non-verbal language to support literacy learning.

    This was followed by an interested talk on Toe By Toe.

  • Harvard Business Review reports impact of music training on language

    Harvard Business Review published an article entitled ‘A Little Music Training in Childhood Goes a Long Way’.  It reports a study by Sylvain Moreno which showed in an increase in verbal-intelligence scores after learning about rhythm, pitch and melody for 20 days.  For more on this click HERE

  • Nutcracker sweet: classical CD for every baby

    Nutcracker sweet: classical CD for every baby was the headline in The Times today on page 8.

    This article by J Simpson describes a project funded by Creative Scotland which proposes to give free classical CDs to families with babies born over the next 12 months.  This is in recognition of the significant value that early exposure to music can have on the future development of children.

  • Results of phonics tests

    The BBC News reported that fewer than six out of ten pupils in England passed the phonics screening tests conducted in June this year.  The tests also showed that girls performed better than boys at using phonics to decode words.

    Click on the link below to view the report by Hannah Richardson

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19742212

    Phonics is not the only method of teaching children to read and should not be used in isolation.  It is however an excellent way to begin to learn to read and helps children to grasp the basics of decoding words.  The tests administered in June aimed to identify children who needed additional help with this aspect of reading skill development.

    There is only a problem in my view when this method is unsupported by the use of context and the use of visual clues to aid comprehension of text.  Sophisticated readers use all methods available to them.

    The skills required to process sounds such as those when using phonics can easily be promoted through specially devised musical activities such as those in the ‘Sounds and Symbols’ programme.  By honing these skills early children are then adequately prepared for phonics tests.