Music and Mandarin: The Perfect Combination By Laura Lee ~Guest Post

Have you ever heard a child rattling off a list of vocabulary words? Probably not. On the other hand, have you ever heard a child singing a song? Most definitely—a resounding “Yes!”

From the very beginning, we teach children their ABCs through a song; we speak rhymes and sing lullabies in our everyday rhythm. So why do language programs approach the task of learning a new language with the use of dry, repeated vocabulary lists?

Through research-based studies; an extensive music background; professional, firsthand, early childhood development music teaching; and personal experience raising a bilingual child, I understand how music truly helps a child learn language. My 3-year old daughter is bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, completely at ease in either setting of native speakers. She switches effortlessly between the two languages, oftentimes translating for those who don’t understand the other language.

It is amazing to see how her brain dives immediately from one language to the other, obvious that the synapses in her brain have direct links to each language, rather than having to travel through one language to access the other. The brain undergoes amazing, rapid development between the ages of newborn and age 7, a prime time to expose one’s child to a new language.

I decided the moment that our daughter was born that I would speak only Mandarin with her and that my husband (who does not speak Chinese) would speak only English with her. I understood how important it would be for her to be bilingual in our global society.

It definitely took strict dedication on my part to speak only Mandarin with our daughter since I speak only English with my husband. Even though he does not speak Chinese, he had to be 100% supportive of what we had chosen since he would not understand what we were conversing about on a daily basis. Not only is he fully supportive, but also since our daughter’s familiarity with Mandarin has soared, he has been inspired to start learning Mandarin as well.

We followed the One Parent-One Language method (OPOL—one parent speaks one language and the other parent speaks another), and it certainly works as I can testify from firsthand experience! It has been a wonderful experience to develop a strong relationship with our daughter in Mandarin. With the birth of our second child, it has been magical to see our daughter and son begin to develop strong sibling ties in Mandarin as well.

We sing songs daily—it’s a natural part of everything we do. Built into our everyday rhythms, music is like another language. It doesn’t take effort; it's fun. We sing songs when washing our hands, taking a stroll with a steady beat, saying hello to all our stuffed animals, and cleaning up. My daughter can accurately match pitch and makes up tunes all the time, adding her own words or silly sounds. Is this exceptionally unique? Not at all. All children are musical. They respond receptively to music and movement. Why? It’s simple: music activates many parts of the brain. When language information is condensed into a compact unit, such as a song, the brain is able to receive more, and as a result, process more. I say, “Sing songs—learn Chinese!”

An educator, an author, and a mother, Laura Lee is an expert in early childhood development. She has a double degree in music and molecular cell biology from UC Berkeley. As an educator, she has been teaching music to children since 2003 and runs a full piano studio. She is the author of the award-winning children’s book titled Little Laura and the Birthday Surprise, a bilingual English/Mandarin musical storybook series. Laura can be reached at littlelauramusic@gmail.com.

References:

• Earlychildhood NEWS: “Music and Movement”

• Ethnologue, 16^th Edition

• Music Together: Research and Development

• ScienceDaily: “Music And Language Are Processed by the Same Brain Systems” 

• UC Irvine Study: Mandarin Language Is Music to the Brain

Sidebar

Facts About Music

1. All children are musical when they are born—they can keep a steady beat and sing in tune. Their future musical ability depends on how and if you nurture it.

2. Music develops a child holistically on all levels: social, cognitive, emotional, physical, and musical and with language development as well.

3. Between the ages of newborn to 7, children experience rapid brain development. This is a prime time to expose them to many different types of music and movement vocabulary.

4. The parent/primary caregiver is the most important teacher for one’s child. Babies’ brains develop based on three components: genetics, experience, and environment. When babies are given a safe experience within a loving environment, they learn better.

Facts About Mandarin Chinese Language

1. Mandarin is one of the six U.N. languages and is spoken by more than one billion people in the world, more than any other language.

2. Mandarin is the standard language of China, the world’s second-largest economy.

3. Between the ages of newborn to 7, children experience rapid brain development. This is a prime time to expose them to a new language.

4. Children who learn a language before adolescence are more likely to develop native-like pronunciation.

Copyright 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in the July 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, the trade magazine for homeschool families. Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.com or read it on the go and download the free apps at www.TOSApps.com to read the magazine on your mobile devices.

Teaching Foreign Languages In Homeschool

Teaching foreign languages is often cited as a problematic aspect of homeschooling, but selecting the right method can help eliminate the headache.

Once the preserve of a small minority, homeschooling in the U.S has almost doubled over the last decade, with nearly 2 million children currently being homeschooled. More parents are choosing to homeschool because of concerns about the education system and school environment, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

"But how are you going to teach foreign languages?" is a question commonly asked of the homeschooling parent. Subjects such as math and science can be tackled with textbooks, but "foreign language is one of those things that can be difficult for homeschoolers to pull altogether," says Lee Binz, homeschooling mom and founder of theHomeScholar.com. In any case, using textbooks alone is the very approach that homeschooling parents wish to avoid, but clearly all parents aren't native speakers or polyglots.

This is where an audio-based learning system can help. Listening to a language is a natural way to learn; it's how we first learned our native language as children. Audio-based systems have grown exponentially in popularity as the effectiveness of conventional school methods of language teaching, with their heavy focus on text-based learning, are called into question.

Scientists and linguists are increasingly advocating audio-based learning methods, with a growing body of research showing that the brain processes listening and reading material differently, and neuroscientists proving beyond doubt that endless repetition dulls the brain.

Specifically for the homeschooling mom, an audio-based system promises numerous benefits.

Where to begin?

Choosing a language is the first step for the homeschooling mom. Amelia Harper, homeschooler and founder of Homescholar.org, writes in The Old Schoolhouse magazine, "There are several factors you should consider when choosing a foreign language as a homeschooled student: learning options, difficulty level, personal preference and future goals in life."

As far as Binz is concerned, personal preference is most crucial. "If you choose a foreign language that the child actually wants to study, chances are the student is going to be more successful."

Schooled students are limited to the languages that are available at their school but the staggering range of languages available on audio-based systems means that the lingual world is opened up to your child.

When choosing an audio-based program, it is crucial to check that the system uses only native speakers. Listening to native speakers will teach your child to speak naturally, like a native, and language, after all, is about speaking and communication. It also means that you don't have to worry about your Chinese or Russian pronunciation!

Structured progress

Language teaching in schools is far removed from how language is used in the 'real world.' But a good audio-based system begins immediately teaching idiomatic speech, using the phrases necessary for real conversation.

One of the advantages of using an audio-based system over just listening to foreign language radio is that many of these systems are tailored specifically to enhance retention. For example, the Pimsleur method uses a principle called Graduated Interval Recall, which re-introduces the learned phrases just as they're about to slip from the child's mind, while the principle of Anticipation requires the learner to answer questions by reaching back to material previously learned. These principles assure that there is no mindless repetition, while also offering inbuilt revision, so you don't have to worry about whether your child is retaining information.

In addition, some audio-based systems offer simple tests or other markers of progress, such as recommendations for when to move on to the next lesson. While worlds away from the fraught school testing situations which homeschooling parents wish to avoid, these inclusions offer a clear record of progress.

Flexibility

Nonetheless, within the structured progress offered by audio-based systems is the flexibility which homeschooling parents desire. Audio-based systems are fully portable, so children can listen to a lesson anywhere without being confined to a desk or a computer.

The flexibility and portability of audio-based systems makes it easy to stay in daily contact with the language, which is unanimously hailed as the single most important factor in language learning. "Just make sure that you're consistent, every day," says Lee Binz. "You have to practice it every day in order to build on those skills, and so sometimes success is as simple as making sure that you study your foreign language for at least 15 or 30 minutes every single day."This isn't always a simple task if your child doesn't want to sit and study, but they will be happier taking a walk with the dog while listening or simply relaxing outside.

Not to mention the flexibility it offers when going on vacation. Simply load lessons onto an mp3 or CD player to stay in daily contact with the language- no lugging heavy books or laptops involved.

Time Out

As any homeschooling mom will wryly attest, homeschooling is intense and more than a full-time job. "It does involve a big commitment and requires spending a great quantity of time with one’s own offspring," says Amelia Harper. "It (also) requires acceptance of the fact that your house will likely never be totally immaculate again."

When your child is listening to a lesson, you know they are engaged in grammar and vocabulary learning, accent fine tuning and confidence building. So, you can indulge in some much-needed relaxation time or catch up on chores.

Online Support

Many homeschooling moms are fans of using multiple resources to keep learning fun and engaging for their children. Therefore, when choosing an audio-based system, investigating its online presence is an important consideration. Some audio-based systems are augmented by free online resources, such as language learning games, guides, advice and even lesson plans.

Some also offer information on the culture of your chosen language, providing inspiration for the real-life education that is at the core of home-schooling. For example, children could cook some of the recipes available and learn the related vocabulary at the same time. Or read up on the music of their chosen language and have fun learning the lyrics simply by listening. Or use the information to plan and organize a party for their friends!

The emphasis on speaking and listening, the flexibility and portability of audio-based learning methods make them a natural choice for homeschooling moms. As homeschooling grows even more popular, so too will the use of audio-based systems, either as a stand-alone method or in addition to traditional lessons. As the number of systems available on the market consequently grows, it is crucial that homeschooling parents invest time to research the most effective and suitable program for their children.

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Purna Virji possesses a talent for learning new languages with six in her present language-speaking repertoire. She is a former producer for an Emmy-nominated television show with a master’s degree in international journalism. She currently works at Pimsleur Approach, the world leader in the audio-based, language-learning program developed by Dr. Paul Pimsleur.