Channels, Spring 2017

Channels • 2017 • Volume 1 • Number 2 Page 35 Next Time Won’t You Sing with Me? The Role of Music Rooted in Oral Tradition as a Resource for Literacy Learning in the 21 st Century Classroom Catherine Milliron Music and Worship — Cedarville University Introduction ow I’ve sung my ABC’s, next time won’t you sing with me? In many modern music classrooms, it is not unusual to hear the sound of a chorus of young voices loudly singing songs such as the aforementioned alphabet song, “Home on the Range,” and “My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean.” Many of the songs that comprise modern music education curriculum find their roots in folk songs and traditional music. While it is true that many such songs have catchy tunes, easily remembered rhymes, and classroom appeal, there is more to that specific genre of music literature. Traditional songs are more than just simple, easy-to-teach crowd pleasers in the music classroom. Folk music, nursery rhymes and songs, and traditional music should play a central role in the modern early childhood music classroom because they are deeply rooted in the oral tradition of ages past. Orality is also linked to increased language literacy, historical knowledge, and social awareness. Oral Tradition Many traditional songs find their origin in the oral tradition, and the link between orality and literacy is highly intriguing. An excellent baseline definition for the word “literacy” was given when David Cooper observed that “literacy [must be viewed] as the ability to communicate in real-world situation[s], which involves the ability of individuals to read, write, speak, listen, view, and think.” 1 However, that definition is almost too shallow to truly encompass the depth of the word’s meaning for literacy is far more than reading and writing. It also encompasses all the skills needed for an individual to knowledgably interact with the world in which they live. The basics of literacy include knowing how to 1 Dee Hansen, Elaine Bernstorf, and Gayle M. Stuber, The Music and Literacy Connection, (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014), 3. N