Barry Smith - Learning about Learning

I’ve had a really interesting few days since I sat down to write my last blog.  I attended a Child Protection in-service in Musselburgh which was top class in terms of content and presentation.    I decided the weekend was to be both a work and SQH-free zone and attended a djembe drumming workshop run by my friend Mockolo Sawane.

On Sunday we had a ‘gig’ at  a Camphill community in Dunkeld to celebrate the birthday of one of the residents. It ended up being a late night, but what a fantastic time we had and a great response from everyone there.  Got me thinking about the ‘power’ of rhythm, dance and music in breaking down barriers and enhancing quality of life.  Sounds cheesy, I hate writing statements like that, but when you see it in action you can’t deny it.  There is something incredibly powerful about music,(and I believe particularly in african drumming) in the way that it quite literally moves people both physically and emotionally.  I’m sure most people have been affected emotionally at one time or another by a piece of music, and to see people smile and dance spontaneously when the rhythms start up always ’blows me away’. I spoke to Sue Palmer recently recently at an in-service at our school who told me about research being done by Colwyn Trevarthen about the link between learning and music. 

From what I understand, the research suggests that exposing youngsters at a very early age to rhythm and rhyme enhances the capacity to acquire language and has an impact on their acquisition of numerical competence.  This ‘feels’ like common sense to me, but as we are often reminded,  youngsters are exposed less to these media as the tradition of singing nursery rhymes has diminished with the advent of digital alternatives.  A crucial element is the interaction between adult and child, something which no computer or TV can replicate. 

I’m sure there are many nursery schools and primary schools who continue to have singing and rhyme as part of their daily routine but Sue Palmer also talked about how the ’starting point’ for want of a better expression has changed.  Some youngsters arrive at primary school with little or no knowledge of, or exposure to traditional nursery rhymes and therefore are at a disadvantage in more ways than one if the research of Colwyn Travarthen is to be believed.

It also made me think of the role of music in secondary schools; and I should say, I’m not talking fom a position of strength on the above point or this one, just my own thoughts;  is ‘music’ another discrete subject to be learned about and tested on or is there another place for it?  Can music therapy, or art therapy for that matter, be used in a more regular and explicit way to help youngsters who are having difficulty expressing or managing their emotions?  I have a feeling that it could and believe this is another possible avenue to explore in our alternative curriculum project.