Sound Before Symbol
Developing Literacy Through Music
Each chapter includes activities to explore, and the book covers:
- the myriad of skills which may be elicited through music making
- the importance of sound discrimination to literacy
- the links between how the brain processes both music and language
- how to develop literacy skills through musical activities
- ideas to support teaching literacy through phonics
Written for teachers, practitioners, teaching assistants and childminders, as well as for anyone working with children in nursery and primary schools, children's centres and at home, this book provides a wealth of information. It is an invaluable resource to support the development of children's literacy skills in an enjoyable and effective way.
Maria Kay is a teacher and music and literacy specialist, currently developing and delivering literacy- through-music programmes.
'This book is very well researched and beautifully written. The excellence and explicitness of the language will appeal to other researchers who are interested in this subject. For all teachers involved with young children, there is a wealth of evidence to support the theories and precepts, together with suggested activities, ideas, tips and examples which will, doubtless, assist and enhance their teaching skills.
Sound Before Symbol is also exceedingly well-explained and will appeal also to mothers and those caring for young children, as there is much to be learned from its pages.
As a student myself it provides an invaluable resource to support my BA in Social Education. The argument for using music to promote literacy is so compelling that I have decided to pursue this topic myself for my research project "
- Katrine
"I think this book is brilliant. Very easy to read and understand. I found the information well presented and informative. The author has given us tools that support not only language development, but also the social and creative well being for our literate adults of tomorrow "
- Jilly
'This is an interesting and useful book which makes an important contribution to our understanding of early learning and literacy'
SEN Magazine