World Music Plays in East Tampa
A service-learning class, Special Ensemble Methods: World Music, was taught by USF School of Music Professor Sheila Woodward. Professor Woodward was interested in showing her students the relationship between music and literacy skills in children.
Description:
USF School of Music students, Margaret Brooks, James Collins, Miles Hanson, Sarah King, Nathan Marble, Robert Massicotte, Andrew Snow, and Kimberly Spurlin, worked with children from East Tampa’s Make a Difference Center, giving music lessons designed to develop literacy skills. The service-learning class, Special Ensemble Methods: World Music, was taught by Professor Sheila Woodward who was interested in showing her students the relationship between music and literacy skills in children.
Children enrolled in the program made their own music by banging on a drum, shaking a shekere, beating an agogo bell, or just singing songs with lyrics like “Mississippi Hot Dog” and “Oohh, Aahh, Pepperoni Pizza.” This music was accompanied by story telling, rhymes, poetry, songs, flashcards, visuals, and reading aloud. This fun, non-threatening environment allowed children to improve their literacy skills. This service-learning class gave USF students the opportunity to apply their music instruction in a real world setting.
The program aims to benefit the community by increasing the children’s FCAT performance in reading, and consequently other areas of study, through development of musical ability. Based on early results, Woodward’s class speculated that as an after-school program, this approach would result in a measurable improvement in children’s grades. Better grades are associated with school retention, and may lead to long term impacts such as qualifying academically for scholarships.
Contact Person: Sheila Woodward
Funding for Academic Year: 2004-05