Languages and music: natural partners in education

With the pentatonic scale the Orff approach can be especially useful for learning tonal languages like Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. The Orff method is proven and popular among music educators in Australia and around the world. It deserves much more attention as an aid to learning of English and other languages.

Boost English literacy

There is accumulating evidence that mutual benefit accrues across learning areas. Good music education tends to raise the likelihood of doing well in English and other languages. And learning a LOTE helps the development of meta-linguistic understanding so that the student’s English achievement improves. Consider the potential benefits of triangulating English, another language and music education. If children in all Australian primary schools learn all three simultaneously, literacy skills will soar.

Joint promotion of languages and music

The National Music Workshop report, requested by and delivered to the Howard government, urged strong promotion of music education by governments.

One excellent recommendation for achieving this was to have an annual event in which schools sing in the community on the same day all over the nation. And at a particular moment they would all sing the same song. Why not choose a song (or a group of songs) using a number of languages? Promote education in both music and LOTE simultaneously, just the way they should be taught.

Natural partners

Though most of them don’t seem to have realised it yet, music educators and language educators are natural partners - just like their respective disciplines. A joint campaign in the struggle for inclusion in the national curriculum would produce a synergy to increase their chances of success. And continuing the collaboration in curriculum development and in grassroots teaching would greatly increase the effectiveness of Australian education. Language teachers and music teachers should be singing from the same song-sheet.