~ Coming this September! ~
Developed by teachers, with teachers, for teachers and parents
For Pre-K and K children
Description
After three years of development and testing with PreK/K children and their teachers, we are excited to present A Song A Day! The 50 short, easy-to-follow lessons are fun for children and adults (see testimonials below).
The lessons are carefully sequenced to ensure that children develop auditory processing, auditory memory, phonological awareness, and beat syncronization—all correlated with proficient reading later on.
How to Use
No prior music training needed!
Optional: pre-and post-assess with the Musical Fitness Assessment.
Prepare the Printables: images and manipulatives.
Open the Online Resources (you will receive a password to access them when you purchase the manual)
Teach one 15-minute lesson every day. Start with the first lesson in
Level 1 and end with the last lesson in Level 10.Note: Sometimes, children don’t want to stop doing an activity! So, keep going, and continue the lesson the next day. You can also repeat lessons.
FAQ
What is special about A Song a Day?
It is the only curriculum specifically sequenced to use singing and music-making to develop young brains for reading.
Is A Song a Day research-based? Evidence-based?
Yes! It is based on research that has revealed that the way that brains process and remember sound is highly correlated with reading achievement, and that singing and music-making help develop it.
Yes! It was piloted by 18 PreK and 10 K teachers with their 200 PreK/K students, modified using their feedback, and tested for effectiveness.
what was the outcome of the testing?
Both PreK & K children improved their pre-reading music skills after practicing 15 minutes/day for 10 weeks. The results were statistically significant, meaning that the improvement was likely to have occurred due to a relationship between the lessons and the improvement. Graphs here.
What do teachers say?
“I thought I couldn’t sing…”
“I was always the student/teacher who thought I couldn't sing and was intimidated by the prospect of doing so. This program helped me grow in my own confidence and enjoyment of singing.”
Spontaneous singing
“There were so many times throughout the day that one student would be humming or singing one of the songs to themselves (during math, recess, lunch, transitions...) and the whole class would end up joining in singing.”
“I absolutely loved the songs”
“I absolutely loved the songs in this program...a few months in I found myself singing them for transitions. Students starting asking if we could sing specific songs as well. I can happily say by the end of the school year I was singing throughout the day in my room.”
“He was often the most engaged…”
“I have a student who was often resistant to lessons and knew that he was below grade level--so it was a negative spiral. The Song a Day lessons felt like the opposite of that for both him and I! He was often the most engaged and able to recount the songs.”
“…excited about participating…”
“One of my students…has severe Autism spectrum behaviors. Other times of the day he was often yelling or physically harming other children. During these lessons he was excited about participating and would be engaged rather distracting himself and others. He was really the most engaged of the group.”