Running Head: MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 1

Exploring How Music Affects Learning in Transitional Kindergarten

Sydney Horning

University of San Diego

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 2

ABSTRACT

Music in the classroom positively effects students learning and can benefit students in

many ways (Duax, 2013). I was able to implement this instructional strategy in the Transitional

Kindergarten class I was working in. I implemented how music affects learning with literacy and

mathematics. This research was completed in a Transitional Kindergarten classroom of twenty-

two students. For the mathematics activity, students used teddy bear counters and played a game

that allowed them to make groups of 1, 2, and 3. Students also learned a song played by a ukulele

to further their learning. For literacy, students learned about setting and characters through the

book The Gingerbread Girl. I learned that by teaching students though a variety of ways,

students are more engaged in the content. Not every child learns in the same way, so different

approaches to teaching aides in student success.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 3

CONTEXT AND INTRODUCTION

This research was performed in a Transitional Kindergarten classroom of twenty-two

students located at a school near the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The placement of this

school is very unique because it is located three blocks from the beach, and is in an area known

for attracting a young, liberal crowd. The school is connected to the surrounding community and

located in the middle of the area. It is viewed as an asset to the area because there are many

surrounding elementary schools, but this elementary school is highest ranked in terms of

enrollment by choice and general preference. The school is considered a Title 1 school, and is

known for being low-income but high performing. In 2016, it was recognized as a distinguished

school for arts program. The school is a traditional, public school that is well kept with various

recreational spaces, and has been open for over one hundred years. The grade levels in the school

are Transitional Kindergarten through fourth grade. About 52 percent of families attending the

school qualify for Title I Funds, and the school has received a two-year grant that provides free

breakfasts and lunches to all students in the school. There is a large range of educational level of

the parents at the school, ranging from no high school education to Doctorate level education.

According to AreaVibes, the dominant ethnic group in the school’s area is Caucasian, at a

percentage of 93. A smaller representation of the population includes 30 percent Hispanic, 1.3

percent African American, and 1.45 percent Asian, as shown in Figure 1.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 4

Figure 1: Student Demographics

In the Transitional Kindergarten classroom specifically, races and ethnicities such as

Caucasian, Hispanic, European, and African American are represented. The dominant race in the

classroom is Caucasian, at 64 percent. The class consists of five identified Individualized

Education Program (IEP) students, with three of them having speech impairments. The class has

two English Language Learners (ELL’s), both speaking at Intermediate levels. One primarily

speaks Spanish, while the other’s native language is French.

While student–teaching, I had three focus students: one English Language Learner, one

identified with special needs and an Individualized Education Program, and an underserved

student. Focus Student one was an Intermediate English Language Learner who primarily spoke

French at home. He had no prior school experiences. Developmentally, he was typical and met

the standards. My second focus student had an identified disability known as Speak Language

Impairment (SLI). He had recently been diagnosed with Autism by Rady’s Children’s Hospital

on March 7th, 2017. The child had an Individualized Educational Program that required special

education and related services, curricular modifications and/or modifications in the following

areas: reading, written language, speech/language, social/emotional, and motor/sensory motor

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 5

tool use. Academically, he met the standards, but socially and emotionally he was not meeting

for grade level. The student’s preferred learning styles include music and kinesthetic learning.

My third focus student was identified as underserved. As a very young child (infant), Child

Protective Services came into his home and took him away from his family. His biological

mother and father were drug and alcohol users and, as a result, he has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

His mother is no longer in his life. His grandparents are in his life, but do not have custody of

him. His older half-brother (who is in his early 20s) is his primary care giver and legal guardian.

Focus Student three lives with his older half-brother (his legal guardian) and his grandparents.

He is from a low-socioeconomic status household. He gets extra support from the school where

he receives a backpack with food from the food bank weekly. Academically and

developmentally, he is behind for his age. He has problems with speech and was late to meet his

developmental milestones. Focus Student three has an Individual Educational Program. He

receives specialized academic instruction and occupational therapy services.

As I got to know the students during my student-teaching, I discovered that not all

students learn in the same way. Because my classroom was filled with such a diverse group of

learners, I was interested in how students could learn through a variety of ways. One of my focus

student’s preferred way of learning was through drawing and music. The more I got to know this

student, the more intrigued I became with how he learned which, ultimately, led me to my

Action Research question. Through my Action Research, I explored the question of, “How Does

Music Have an Affect on Student Learning?”

In addition to being interested in how students could learn through a variety of ways, my

goal as an educator is to spark students’ love for learning by making learning fun. I believe one

way to do this is through music.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 6

LITERATURE REVIEW

Improved Cognitive Learning

Research on music and its effects on children have been studied starting as early as the

fetal stage. Pregnant mothers-to-be were committed to listening to auditory material during late

pregnancy. The musical sounds were presented with loudspeakers so that they were audible also

in the womb. After the babies were born, their sound related brain responses were compared with

the babies whose mothers had not listened to the music. After birth and at the age of four

months, babies who had listened to the music had stronger brain responses than the responses of

the babies who had not listened (Tervaniemi, 2017).

Music has various effects on the developing brain. There is now empirical evidence about

the possibilities of music to enhance children’s neurocognitive development. One of the

strongest effects are with regard to phonological skills, which are important for learning to read

(Tervaniemi, 2017). Children who are involved in musical training have more sensitive encoding

of the phonemic information when compared with their peers who are not trained (Tervaniemi,

2017). There are plenty of positive findings that suggest music training enhances cognitive

processes, such as attention, working memory, and executive functions. (Tervaniemi, 2017).

Learning music has a positive impact on the development of spatial-temporal skills (Hallam &

Holmes 2017).

Music benefits a child’s cognitive, linguistic, and logical abilities. Singing nursery

rhymes, songs with actions, moving, and playing musical games develop language, motor co-

ordination, and communication skills. In addition to aiding communication, music supports self-

confidence, self-expression, social skills. (Palheiros, 2015). In the first five years of life, children
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 7

develop the basic grammar of their spoken language, counting, the basics of a drawing system,

and rhythms and pitches of music. Music inside of a preschool, Transitional Kindergarten

classroom, and/or Kindergarten classroom can be beneficial to students to help with language

development. In the early years of life, children are developing spoken language (Perry & Wolf,

2001).

There is sufficient and compelling research to support the view that singing could be used

effectively to teach phonological skills and reading to young children (Walton, 2014). Patrick D.

Walton conducted a study on music and movement and found that songs and movement are

excellent methods to teach important pre-reading skills and reading to Kindergarten children

(Walton, 2014). These experiences significantly enhance the effectiveness of the language and

literacy programs typically used by Kindergarten teachers. He found that songs can be used to

teach letter-sounds and phoneme skills, beyond the experience of typical literacy Kindergarten

programs. Learning to read can be enhanced by using songs and movement to teach children to

read, especially if the first words that children learn are words they already know as lyrics in a

song (Walton, 2014).

Even casual family-oriented music activities that take place at home are found to be

beneficial for a child’s cognitive development (Tervaniemi, 2017). Voluntary dancing, singing,

and listening to music at home were associated with advanced attentional neural functions

(Tervaniemi, 2017). These casual music activities were also highly beneficial in deaf-born

children who learned to hear after receiving a cochlear implant. In them, linguistic skills were

improved with the frequency of music activities (Tervaniemi, 2017).

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 8

Mood Improvement

Chris Brewer, founder of LifeSounds Educational Services, states that sounds can help to

hold our attention, evoke emotions, and stimulate visual images. (Brewer, 2008). Music helps

students of all ages (including adults) focus more clearly on the task at hand and puts them in a

better mood for learning (Brewer, 2008). “Positive mood management” is a term that Brewer

uses for using music throughout the day and suggests that various styles of music are appropriate

for different types of activities (Brewer, 2008). For example, using upbeat popular music to

motivate learning, especially songs with lyrics that encourage positive thinking. (Brewer, 2008)

When studying, writing, or reading, playing instrumental music can help to sustain concentration

(Brewer, 2008). Classical music of the Baroque era, like Bach, Handel or Mozart work

particularly well, according to Brewer. “Music can help shift energy levels, too, so playing

upbeat music can boost tired minds and bodies while slower, more reflective music helps calm

and focus,” says Brewer (Brewer, 2008). In toddlers and school-aged children, listening to music

gives joyful moments, and can also help students soothe and relax (Tervaniemi, 2017).

Enhanced Listening Skills

Music can be beneficial in the classroom to strengthen listening skills (Halick, 2016).

With music, practice and enhance listening skills (Duax, 2013). Electronic Dance Music can be

beneficial in the classroom to student learning. Electronic Dance Music (EDM) is beneficial for

all grade levels because “students internalize the beat, listen and respond to music transitions,

explore creative movement, exercise, and have fun” (Halick, 2016). EDM is mainly music with

little or no lyrics, and it is suitable for a classroom because it leaves out questionable lyric

content and profanity as well as gender, ethnic, and sexual orientation stereotypes. For
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 9

elementary students, it strengthens listening skills, and elementary students can listen for the

basic form of a track (Halick, 2016).

Mathematics

Music in the classroom can be fun and beneficial for students. In recent years, teachers

are being encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary instruction. Music actively involves students

in learning and helps develop important academic skills (Edelson & Johnson, 2003). By using

music to enhance children’s enjoyment and understanding of mathematics concepts and skills,

teachers can help children gain access to mathematics through new intelligences (Edelson &

Johnson, 2003). Music enhances spatial-temporal reasoning skills for are crucial for learning

concepts in geometry and proportional reasoning (Edelson & Johnson, 2003). Patterns are

important for both mathematics and music. Working with patterns enhances the thinking and

reasoning skills of children because they must analyze a pattern to figure out its rule, and predict

what comes next in the pattern (Edelson & Johnson, 2003). Research shows that music is

beneficial in academic settings and useful in subjects such as mathematics.

CYCLE 1

For Cycle 1, the objective for the students was to be able to count up to 5 and be able to

make groups of 1, 2, and 3 using connecting cubes and teddy bear counters. For the formative

assessment, students were seated individually around the rug and had their own bag of

connecting cubes. I watched to see which students understood the concept and which did not

during whole group instruction. I circulated around the room when students were in their math
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 10

experiences groups, and charted how students counted and compared numbers. For a summative

assessment, students had dot work mats where students drew teddy bears in groups of 1, 2, and 3.

This lesson plan builds on students’ prior academic knowledge related to the content-

specific learning objectives selected for the lesson. Before teaching this lesson, students were

working on counting 1-4. This lesson builds on prior academic knowledge because in order to

learn how to count up to 5, students must know how to count 1-4. The next sequential number

after 4 is 5. Counting is a concept that students must continue to build on. The lesson I taught

before this math lesson, students were matching numerals to quantities (which students were

doing in this lesson as well). Before teaching this lesson, students were making groups of 1 and

2. This lesson builds on prior academic knowledge because in order to learn how to make groups

of 1, 2, and 3, students must know how to make a group of 1 and a group of 2. Similar to

counting, in order to build on the concept of making larger groups (groups with 3 objects),

students must rely on their prior academic knowledge of knowing how to make groups of 1 and

2.

Description of Implementation

For whole group instruction and modeling, I set the stage for learning by ensuring that the

purpose and the rationale of the lesson was clear by connecting the purpose to prior learning.

During this time, I identified the tools and materials available (number/dot cards and connecting

cubes), reviewed academic vocabulary (count, group), and set the expectations for the lesson.

Students were actively engaged in a short discussion to activate prior knowledge. I connected the

lesson to their real everyday lives. I asked students to raise their hand if they are 5 years old. I
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 11

had all students count to five using their fingers. I also connected the number 5 to how many

days students go to school in a week. Students and I counted together: (1) Monday, (2) Tuesday,

(3) Wednesday, (4) Thursday, and (5) Friday. This made students excited about learning because

the concept was connected to their real lives. Students used tools/manipulatives (number/dot

cards and connecting cubes) to make sense of the mathematical concept. I chose to do the

activities in this lesson to help all students learn the concept of rote counting to 5 and making

groups of 1, 2, and 3.

The first activity I chose to do was rolling number cube and showing it to students. The

students picked up the numeral card that matches the number/dots on the number cube. Students

made a group that matches the numeral. I chose to make the first activity into a game, so that the

students had fun while learning. I chose to have students do the first activity independently so I

could see how each student understood the concept.

For the second activity, students lined up around the outside of the rug in assigned seating

(with assigned math partners). I gave each partnership numeral/dot cards 1-3, a dot cube labeled

1-3, and teddy bear counters. Students used different tools/manipulatives (teddy bear counters,

number/dot cards, and a dot cube labeled 1-3) to make sense of the mathematical concept in a

way that was different than the previous activity. I modeled with a student on how to do the

activity before the students did it on their own in partners. For the second activity, I had students

work with partners. Working in partnerships can be beneficial. There will be cases where one

student “gets it” and the other doesn't, leading to one student instructing the other. This is a good

strategy to use because teaching is a great way to reinforce mastery, and children sometimes

learn best when they hear the lesson from a different source. During this time, I circulated the

room, recording students’ ability and noting each student’s knowledge and understanding on the
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 12

concept taught. I conferred with students and asked students questions in order to understand

and stimulate their thinking.

To wrap up the lesson, I chose to create a song for students, and used a ukulele to enhance

students’ engagement. The school has an art focus and encourages the program Guitars in the

Classroom. Playing an instrument during a math lesson is an entertaining way for students to get

excited about learning. Music supports the young age group of my class because music can

benefit and enhance student learning especially with young children. Students learned math

concepts and academic language through song. For a closure, I asked the students what they

learned during this lesson. I provided opportunities to make public the learning that was

accomplished by the students by allowing the students to orally articulate the

learning/understanding of the mathematical concept being taught.

For the first activity, I modeled how to do the activity before the students were expected

to do it on their own. As I was showing students the materials, such as the numeral dot cards, I

asked questions that guided a discussion. As I showed the numeral 2 card, I asked students how

many dots they thought it had on it. I did the same for the numeral 3 card. As I showed the

numeral 3 card, I asked students how many dots were on it. I did this so that students would

recognize that the number of dots on the back of the card matched the number on the front of the

card. For the activity, students had make groups of 1, 2, and 3 depending on what number they

rolled on the number cube. Students were expected to match the numeral card with the number

rolled on the number cube, and were expected to make a group of the same number with

connecting cubes. Manipulatives (connecting cubes) were used to allow students to construct

their own cognitive models for mathematical ideas and processes. I chose to use connecting

cubes to engage students interest in and enjoyment of the mathematical concept taught.
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 13

Using manipulatives allowed students to experience hands-on learning. For the second

activity, students were to work with partners, so I modeled the activity with a student so all

students would understand how the do the activity. Modeling is beneficial for all students, and

especially helps those who are visual learners. During the second part of the lesson, different

manipulatives were used. Teddy bear counters were used instead of connecting cubes. The

manipulatives were changed to keep students engaged. Teddy bear counters are appropriate for

students in Transitional Kindergarten. All students in the room enjoy animals, so using teddy

bear counters for a mathematical concept was very engaging and fun for them. For the closing

portion of the lesson, I used a ukulele and music to enhance students’ engagement. Playing an

instrument is an entertaining way for all students to get excited about learning. One of the

students in the classroom has Autism, and becomes more engaged through the use of music.

Therefore, I chose to incorporate music into the math lesson.

The first activity I chose to do was whole group. I modeled how to do the activity before

asking students to do it on their own. I did this because some students learn visually and need to

see something done and explained, rather than just simply listening to instructions. I chose to

have students do the first activity independently so I could see how each student understood the

concept. I took mental notes of students who were understanding the concept, and those who

were not. I did this so that I could later pull those students who did not understand the

activity/concept and re-teach them in a small group using a different teaching strategy.

For the second activity, students lined up around the outside of the rug in assigned seating

(with assigned math partners). Students used different tools/manipulatives (teddy bear counters,

number/dot cards, and a dot cube labeled 1-3) to make sense of the mathematical concept in a

way that was different than the previous activity. I modeled with a student on how to do the
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 14

activity before the students did it on their own in partners. Again, I modeled so that students

could visually see how to do the mathematical activity before just asking them to complete the

task. For the second activity, I had students work with partners (pairs) because working in

partnerships can be beneficial. There will be times where one student understands the concept

and the other doesn't, leading to one student instructing the other. This is a good strategy to use

because having students teach another student is a great way to reinforce mastery, and children

sometimes learn best when they hear the lesson from a different source. During this time, I

circulated the room, recording students’ ability and noting each student’s knowledge and

understanding on the concept taught. I listened to the conversations students were having with

one another, and I conferred with students asking them questions in order to understand and

stimulate their thinking.

For the closing of the lesson, I taught students The Number Song in whole group. I did this

because I wanted the class to be a community and feel safe and comfortable while singing. If I

had instructed students to sing in groups, maybe some students would not participate if they felt

embarrassed. I chose to do a whole group song for the class because it is appropriate for this age

group of children (Transitional Kindergarten).

Findings

Figure 2 below is an example of my observational guide. This was an informal

assessment I used to see how students were understanding the math concept. I charted which

students were getting it, and which students were not (the blue writing).
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 15

Figure 2: Observational Guide

In blue writing, it is clear which students were meeting the learning goals, and which

students were not. I charted daily to see students’ progress.

Figure 3 below is a work sample of a formal assessment done by a student who met the

learning objectives. It is clear that the student understood the concept of making groups of 1, 2,

and 3. In the picture, the student drew one teddy bear for a group of one, two teddy bears for a

group of two, and three teddy bears for a group of three.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 16

Figure 3: Work Sample 1

Table 1 (shown below) represents how students understood the learning objective. As a class,

the majority of students (76%) met the learning goals and objectives. This meant that students

correctly were able to count up to 5 and able to make groups of 1, 2, and 3 using connecting

cubes and teddy bear counters. Some students, 24%, did not yet meet the learning goals and
 MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 17

objectives. Zero students exceeded the learning objective as there was not an opportunity to do

so in this lesson.

Table 1: Learning Goals of Students

Number/Percentage of Students

Content-Specific Not Yet Meeting

Learning Goal(s) and Exceeding the Meeting the
the Learning
Objective(s) Learning Goal(s) Learning Goal(s)
Goal(s) and
and Objective(s) and Objective(s)
Objective(s)

• Students will be able to 0/21 16/21 5/21

count up to 5 and be 0% 76% 24%
able to make groups of
1, 2, and 3 using
connecting cubes and
teddy bear counters.

CYCLE 2

Assessment Plan

For Cycle 2, I used an informal assessment, a student self-assessment, and a formal

assessment. An informal assessment I used was asking students guided questions that are aligned

to the content-specific student learning goals and objectives. The assessment provided

opportunities for students to demonstrate content knowledge by giving them the opportunity to

verbalize their thinking. By answering my questions, students had the opportunity to share their

knowledge about the content out loud. This allowed me to assess students to see if they

understand the objective by their answers given. I provided numerous opportunities by allowing

many students to answer and by calling on different students each time.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 18

I asked students questions related to the content. For example, one of my lessons was

about using numbers to make groups, so I asked students, “Can you turn around, look in the

window, and tell me what you see a group of? Do you see groups of the gingerbread men, or are

they all together? What is this a group of?” Students repeated the academic language by saying,

“This is a group of____”. I asked students to explain their answers by thinking deeper and

asking higher-order thinking questions such as, “Why? How do you know? Can you show me?”

After informally asking students questions and assessing them, I had an understanding on which

students knew the material and which students needed more practice. I kept track of this

information by writing it down on an observational guide.

The student self-assessment was a question on how the students think they understood the

lesson. Students colored in a smiley face to show whether or not they understood the learning

objective. The student self-assessment is aligned to the content-specific learning goals and

objectives because students are asked to think deeper about their learning and participate in

content-specific higher order thinking because I will ask students to answer the question of why

and how do you know? The self-assessment provided opportunities for students to reflect on and

advance their own understanding of the content and develop academic language. Due to the

young age of the students and the grade being Transitional Kindergarten, the student self-

assessment was very simple, as seen in Figure 4.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 19

Did I understand the math/literacy lesson today?

Yes I’m learning Not yet

J K L

Figure 4: Student Self-Assessment

Because students are still learning how to read, and are at the very early stages of writing,

I sat down with each student to work individually with them on their student self-assessment. I

read the question to them, and had them fill in the smiley face that corresponds to how they think

they understood the lesson and the formal assessment. This gave the students an opportunity to

reflect on their own understanding of the content. During this time, I had a conversation with the

student and asked questions such as, “Did you understand the lesson today? Why do you think

you understood this lesson? How was the lesson helpful to you when learning the concept?” If a

student filled in the straight face and thought they were still learning or filled in the frowning

face and thought they he/she did not understand the learning objectives or concept, I asked

questions such as, “Why do you think you did not understand today’s lesson? What do you need

more help with?” Through this dialogue, I saw how each student will reflect on their own

understanding of the concept. I wrote down the student’s responses to our conversation on their

self-assessment since students do not know how to write down their own responses because of

their young age. At this age, students are able to verbalize their thinking rather than express it

through writing.
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 20

For one of my formal assessments, students were able to identify characters, setting, and

used the illustrations to gain meaning about the story. Each student completed a worksheet on

characters and setting. Students circled pictures of the characters and pictures of the setting from

the story The Gingerbread Girl. This assessed if students were able to identify the characters and

setting of the story as well as using pictures to gain meaning of the story.

Characters and Setting Assessment of The Gingerbread Girl

1. Circle the characters in the story The Gingerbread Girl.

2. Circle the setting of the story The Gingerbread Girl.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 21

Figure 5: Characters and Setting Assessment

RUBRIC FOR ASSESSMENT

I used my rubric (shown below as Figure 6) to identify successful product development

by scoring students to see if they meet the learning objectives. Students were scored from 1-4.

If a student scored a 1, they did not meet expectations. The student identified no characters from

the story, and did not know the setting. If a student scored a 2, they are almost meeting

expectations. The student identified one of the characters from the story and identified a setting

that was from the story and a setting that was not in the story. If a student scored a 3, they are

meeting expectations, meaning that they correctly identified both characters from the story and

the correct setting. If a student scored a 4, they exceeded expectations. The student could think of

an additional character that was in the story and could think of an additional setting that was in

the story.

Figure 6: Characters and Setting Rubric

1 2 3 4
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 22

Not Meeting Almost Meeting Meeting Exceeding
Expectations Expectations Expectations Expectations
Characters Student Student Student correctly Student could
identified no identified one of identified both think of an
characters from the characters characters from additional
the story from the story the story (the character that
(the gingerbread gingerbread girl was in the story
girl or the fox) and the fox)
Setting Student did not Student Student Student could
identify the identified a identified the think of an
correct setting setting that was one correct additional
from the story from the story setting of the setting that was
and a setting that story (the river) in the story
was not in the
story

Description of Implementation

For this lesson, I read the story The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst. I asked

guided questions as we read. For the activity/ learning segment, students were on the rug in

assigned seating. I had a table on chart paper with three columns labeled: book title, characters,

and setting, as seen in Figure 7. As a whole group, we placed a small picture of The Gingerbread

Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst cover page in the book title section of the chart. I called on students

and asked questions such as, “Who are the main characters?” The students and I had a

discussion about the main characters and the different settings of The Gingerbread Girl.
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 23

Figure 7: Character and Settings

FINDINGS

Table 2 shown below represents how students understood the learning objective. These

findings are very similar to the findings in Cycle 1. As a class, the majority of students (76%)

met the learning goals and objectives. This meant that students correctly identified two

characters (the gingerbread girl and fox) from the story The Gingerbread Girl, and correctly

identified the setting also. Some students, 24%, did not yet meet the learning goals and

objectives. A pattern that emerged was that 4/5 students (80%) identified one setting that was

from the story, and one setting that was not in the story. Those students identified the setting as
 MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 24

the river (which is the setting) and the mountains (which is not the setting). One of the students

(20%) only identified a setting that was not in the story. The same student also identified a

character that was not in the story, as well as two of the characters that were in the story.

Table 2: Meeting the Objective

Number/Percentage of Students

Content-Specific Not Yet Meeting

Learning Goal(s) and Exceeding the Meeting the
the Learning
Objective(s) Learning Goal(s) Learning Goal(s)
Goal(s) and
and Objective(s) and Objective(s)
Objective(s)

• Students will be able to 0/21 16/21 5/21

identify characters, 0% 76% 24%
setting, and students
will use the illustrations
to gain meaning about
the story.

For students who did not yet meet the learning objectives and goals, the next step was to

re-teach the lesson to that small group who needs further understanding on the content. I re-

taught the lesson in a different way. Instead of reading the story, I went through the pages and

had students use the illustrations to gain meaning about the story. Students went through the

assessment with me as we spoke out loud about what they learned.

SELF-REFLECTION

As I reflect on my completion of Action Research and CalTPA cycles, I believe that I

have gained knowledge and experience that has made me a more effective future teacher.

Through this process, I have learned how I can support a group of diverse learners. Before this
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 25

experience, I taught a lot of whole group learning, and I did not try teaching in a variety of ways.

I learned how important it is to cater to each student’s individual needs. One of the most

valuable things I learned during this process was how important it is to get to know your

students. As mentioned previously, every student is unique and learns differently. I paid

attention to students’ levels and got to know their abilities. I was able to effectively plan and try

different teaching strategies that allowed every child to learn from their unique viewpoint. It is

important to build on students’ prior knowledge. By doing this, you are helping students become

confident and capable learners. This a great starting point when teaching new content to students.

After teaching students mathematics and literacy lessons with music, I saw how

beneficial music can be in the classroom. Music benefits a child’s cognitive and linguistic

abilities. I saw this first-hand while working with the students in my classroom. By using songs

and movement, students’ learning was enhanced. I also saw my students’ mood and engagement

increase with use of music in the classroom. As a future teacher, I will use music in the

classroom regularly to improve student’s learning while making learning fun at the same time.

CONCLUSION

This research was performed in a Transitional Kindergarten classroom of twenty-two

students located at a school near the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. I have always been

interested in music and, as a future teacher, I was curious to see how music would impact the

students. Music has been a positive influence in my life and I wanted to know if music could

positively influence my students as well in the classroom setting. During this study, for the

mathematics activity, students used teddy bear counters and played a game that allowed them to
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 26

make groups of 1, 2, and 3. Students also learned a song played by a ukulele to further their

learning. For literacy, students learned about setting and characters through the book The

Gingerbread Girl.

Through my literature review research, I learned that music affects students in positive

ways. First, music is connected to cognitive learning. There are plenty of positive findings that

suggest music training enhances cognitive processes, such as attention, working memory, and

executive functions. (Tervaniemi, 2017). Learning music has a positive impact on the

development of spatial-temporal skills (Hallam & Holmes 2017). Music also helps children with

language development, with is very useful in a Transitional Kindergarten. In addition to

cognition learning, music improves mood. Music helps students of all ages (including adults)

focus more clearly on the task at hand and puts them in a better mood for learning (Brewer,

2008). Lastly, I learned through my literature review that music can strengthen listening skills.

Electronic Dance Music can be beneficial in the classroom to student learning. Electronic Dance

Music (EDM) is beneficial for all grade levels because “students internalize the beat, listen and

respond to music transitions, explore creative movement, exercise, and have fun” (Halick, 2016).

While working with students in Transitional Kindergarten, I learned that by teaching

students though a variety of ways, students are more engaged in the content. Not every child

learns in the same way, so different approaches to teaching can aide in student success. My class

had a variety of diverse learners, so I tried different teaching strategies and approaches. For

cycle 1, 76 % of students correctly counted up to 5 and able to make groups of 1, 2, and 3 using

connecting cubes and teddy bear counters. Students learned to count through a song on the

ukulele. Throughout mathematics lessons, I tried different music. For one of my lessons, I used

Electronic Dance Music for students to learn counting and numbers. This strategy worked well.
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 27

Students’ moods improved and they had fun. For cycle 2, students learned about characters and

settings through the story, The Gingerbread Girl. They did a self-assessment, and an assessment

using pictures to determine the characters and setting. The findings are very similar to the

findings in Cycle 1. As a class, the majority of students (76%) met the learning goals and

objectives. This meant that students correctly identified two characters (the gingerbread girl and

fox) from the story The Gingerbread Girl, and correctly identified the setting also. For students

that did not met the learning objective, I re-taught the lesson to a small group who needs further

understanding on the content. I re-taught the lesson in a different way. Instead of reading the

story, I went through the pages and had students use the illustrations to gain meaning about the

story. Students went through the assessment with me as we spoke out loud about what they

learned. Students learned a song/ rhyme to remember who the characters were in the story.

There were some limitations during my action research. This research was conducted as I

was doing my action research, and I was working with a master teacher. The classroom was not

my own, therefore, I was under someone else’s rules and restrictions. I was not able to play

music as often as I would have liked to. I would have played music more often (with different

subjects).

As I reflect on my completion of Action Research, I believe that I have gained knowledge

and experience that has made me a more effective future teacher. I discovered that students learn

in a variety of ways and need different learning strategies. Through this process, I have learned

how I can support a group of diverse learners. Before this experience, I taught a lot of whole

group learning, not keeping in mind everyone’s unique learning starting point. I learned how

important it is to cater to each student’s individual needs. One of the most valuable things I

learned during this process was how important it is to get to know your students. Without
MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 28

knowing your students, you cannot successfully teach them. I learned that my students are more

engaged when music is involved in the classroom. Their mood improves and music affects

cognition learning and listening skills. After teaching students mathematics and literacy lessons

with music, I saw how beneficial music can be in the classroom. As a future teacher, I will use

music in the classroom daily to improve students’ learning while making learning fun

simultaneously. I found this study to be a positive, helpful learning experience. I encourage

other teachers to use music to enhance learning.

MUSIC AFFECTS LEARNING IN TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN 29

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Hallam, S. & Holmes, S. (2017). The impact of participation in music on learning mathematics.

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