Have you ever wondered how to go about integrating music into language arts or reading? Believe it or not, there are several ways to integrate music with reading. There are books about composers, famous singers and dancers, rhyming books, books about different genres and books about music from around the world.
Reading to and with your students is so important, and when reading about something related to music, they are forming connections between music and reading without even realizing it. So, how do you go about integrating music into language arts? This blog post (and this podcast episode 94) give you some helpful suggestions to get you started.
Rhyming Books
Try reading rhyming books like a rap, then discuss how the lines have the same numbers of beats just like a poem does. Have the child track the story with their finger and point out the rhyming words.
Then, after they’ve found the rhyming words, tell them they’re going to pat their legs every time they hear a word that rhymes. After that, your students can walk around the room to the steady beat while saying the rhyming words with you.
These are some of my favorite rhyming books that my kids enjoy read-singing with me.
Movement Books
Read books about literally anything. Have the children act out with creative movement to the words they hear read. It is so fun to see how expressive they can get. Examples are dinosaurs, cars, superheroes, ballerinas, or any other book that they can use their imaginations.
Use any book that has an action word. Some of the best action words are jump, dance, wiggle, and skip.
One of my all time favorite movement books is “Dinosaurumpus.” These dinosaurs move so much, and at the end of the book they get sleepy and then students lay down on the floor. It’s such a great book for helping students explore creative movement. Other book suggestions can be found here.
Books about Composers
Stop to talk about the unknown vocabulary from the time the composers lived and children will learn new words. Reading books about the composers will help develop new vocabulary since there will be lots of new words from those time periods.
One of the most heard about books that is presented in the form of written letters is “Beethoven Lives Upstairs.” This book is unique because it is written as letters from Beethoven himself.
Musical Scores
If the child is learning to play an instrument, they will begin reading the notes on the staff, otherwise known as a musical score. Children will form a connection between reading and music when they read the notes on a score.
In beginning piano music, not only are they reading the notes, they are also reading the words to the song. Just like when they read a book, they are learning to read the music from top to bottom and from left to right. So many things are going on in their brains at once and music is also helping them to learn to read better.
Story Books
Show children the pictures in the book you are reading. For example… if it is about a jazz composer, they will form connections with what you are reading about that performer. There are so many great books about musical genre, time periods, and different artists and composers. Children learn so much just by hearing us read aloud to them.
“Reading and music go hand in hand, and both can be introduced to children at very young ages. Reading books about music, instruments and composers helps to build background knowledge for kids and helps them to make connections to their world. At 18 months old, my daughter, who is obsessed with Disney’s Little Einsteins, recognizes that the violin in her alphabet book is a musical instrument because she saw them play it on Einsteins. Even looking at picture books, her background knowledge in music was able to help her figure out what she was looking at. Singing and listening to music allow kids to increase their rhythm and fluency which will help them to become better readers. They are better able to understand the rhythm of words and the way words string together. Music can also help kids to internalize information they need to remember. My sister and I can still name all 50 states in alphabetical order because we learned the “50 Nifty United States” song over 20 years ago.”
Vicki Wilkinson with Babies to Bookworms
Have you already implemented some of these music and reading integration ideas? What are other ways you can think of integrating music into your classroom?
P.S. Are you feeling frustrated or stuck as an elementary music teacher? Check out these free resources to help you teach elementary music with confidence!
I really love the ideas you present in this post. Sadly, I don’t play any instruments or have talent for singing, but I do have a knack for song and rhythm and like to share that with students! If only when I was teaching had I the frame of mind to present it the way you have laid out here. Love it! I also appreciate your focus on integrating music into all the content areas. I’m definitely signing up for your e-course!
Thank you so much for your kind words. It does make it more difficult when you’re not very musical yourself. But, it’s actually not as hard as most non-musical teachers think it is. I’m so excited for you to take the e-course. Let me know if you have any questions.
Such great ideas! I was an elementary music teacher, and now stay home with my 3 boys, and we love making sound stories with our favorite story books. I think our very favorite is The Napping House, but we’ll have to try creative movement books, too.
Oh awesome. I stay home with my 3 boys now too and was also an elementary music teacher. How funny!
My kids love reading and music and I like the idea of combining them! Also, I love the idea of reading about composers!
Thank you!
This is such a great idea! My kids love music.. it would be a good way to help them get more excited about reading!
Yes it would! Thank you!
I can name all 50 states in order too!! I honestly thought I was the only person that remembered that song! Music does really help you learn!
Ha that’s great! It really does help with learning so much!
These are all really great. My daughter has a favorite book called Shake Dem Halloween Bones, whenever I read it I always feel like i am trying to rap. I don’t do a very good job at it, but we always have fun when we read!
Hahaha! I love that book! Having fun is what it’s all about.
Love these ideas! When we are intentional about it, we can truly incorporate music into everything!!
Yes exactly! Thank you.
I come across a lot of composer bios for kids and I’ll have to remember to pick one up for my son. He wants to start learning some instruments and has become very interested in music.
Yes that’s awesome! He would love to learn about the composers.
I’m going to check out that course. I have been trying to figure out ways to integrate music reading into my son’s learning. I played flute by ear and wish my mom would have spent more time teaching me how to read music.
Oh that’s awesome! I have video lessons on my site too on the video lessons tab and a beginning piano course coming soon.
These are great I will be adding some to my homeschool reading routine. I think they will love acting out what we read.
Oh good! I’m so glad!
I am loving this….. I taught Language Arts for 5 years, and I incorporated music a LOT!! The kids loved it and learned so much…. I used a rap and had the students analyze the text and find figurative language.
That is so great! I love this so much!
Great tips! Even though I’m not a musician, I love integrating learning with music with the kids I work with.
I love this! Great job!
These are really great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
You’re so welcome!
These are all fantastic tips. My daughter adores music and has learned so much from it! Thanks for the shout out as well!
You’re so welcome and thank you!
These are some great tips! My son loves to dance so I should start introducing him to the different styles of music now. Great post!
I love that he loves to dance!
Fun ideas! We have a few rhyming books and my babies (almost one year olds) bop their heads, just to the rhyming alone!
That is so great! I love it!