Learn Through Song
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Music is of vital importance in children's lives. Ask any parent and you will be told that from early on, even the smallest infant reacts to the beat and rhythm of a song or melody. Music can affect our moods and emotions and how we feel generally, so that it can make us happy, relaxed, sad, or even stimulated into action one way or another.
Scientific research now shows that while children's happy reaction to music is important in itself, there is more than that going on: music can also help in their physical and mental development. Researchers in the fields of education, neurology, and musicology are agreed that children thrive on music and that through listening and participating, it can help them develop their powers of concentration, assist them in increasing their vocabulary, and generally make them feel good about themselves. Through singing and movement to music, children are able to express themselves in a happy and natural way; this is how they gain confidence and develop their communication skills. |
Joyce O'Hara
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Joyce O'Hara is a graduate of Hamilton Teacher's College, Ontario, Canada, and taught primary/grade school for many years. For the past twenty-five years she has devoted herself to the teaching of music and is in great demand for her workshops on Song, Dance, and Percussion. For almost twenty years she was Lecturer in Music at St. Nicholas Montessori College, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Her highly acclaimed recordings for children came about through her work with Montessori students and teaching music to children from three to twelve years of age.
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Besides having fun through singing, children learn so much through song, and it is an easy and pleasurable way for them to build up their vocabulary and to gain knowledge. Singing and doing actions also help the child to develop self-expression and a sense of well-being, both of which are fundamental in enabling the child to grow up into a mature and self-confident human being.
I introduce each song with suggestions for actions and movement. Of course, the listeners - child, teacher, or parent - can use their own imaginations in deciding what other actions might be done. 
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One of the most effective and, indeed, most pleasant ways of learning Irish is through music. Children love to sing because it is simply fun; but as they sing their songs, they learn: they are adding to their vocabulary and increasing their knowledge all the while.There are 19 songs covering a wide range of subjects on this album.
Singer, Treasa Ní Cheannaigh, from Tuam, Co. Galway, accompanies herself on the guitar. She is a primary school teacher with many years experience also in singing and playing on stage. The songs are introduced by writer and broadcaster, Aidan O'Hara. The words are clearly enunciated by Treasa and Aidan, and this adds considerably to the pleasure and ease of listening.
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Rhythm is a fundamental element in helping children learn the basics of music. We can see how even the youngest infant will react naturally to music and rhythm. This CD will be of great benefit to children in helping them develop rhythm and the dynamics of music. Music and rhythm also help the child to develop self-expression and self-confidence, both of which are fundamental in establishing a feeling of well-being.
This album is easy to follow. There are six sessions, each containing a variety of rhythms and moods for the children to explore. At the start of each track, I offer a suggestion of what kind of movement can be done. Of course, you the teacher or parent - or the child, indeed -can respond creatively to the music and rhythm, each in his or her own way, e.g. using percussion instruments.
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