Abstract
As the culture of the American elementary classroom continues to diversify, teachers’ practices must also evolve to best meet the needs of students, specifically, English Learners (ELs). This article encourages elementary educators to include music in their general education curriculum by highlighting the lack of music education in the classroom, which fuels the discussion for its need; discusses the historical use of language to support the impact of music on Kingergarten-6th grade speakers; and dissects the linguistic, cognitive, cultural, and social aspects of music, all of which have a positive impact on language use and development. Research findings suggest that music can have a positive impact on language acquisition by lowering students’ affective filter and making them feel more comfortable while also supporting language instruction and content learning, as well as capitalizing on the common origins between language and music. Through review of journal articles spanning several decades, the conclusions in this manuscript support the benefits of music in the general education classroom, thus encouraging teachers to implement music to both native and non-native English speakers.
Recommended Citation
Rieb, Courtney and Cohen, James
(2020)
"The Impact of Music on Language Acquisition,"
Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 32:
Iss.
4, Article 5.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol32/iss4/5
