Music has a positive impact on the comprehensive development of man. Its influence starts early in prenatal period, where foetus in the womb perceives sounds and develops auditory system. That is the foundation for the further development of speech and language. Perception and comprehension of speech are guided from both hemispheres. The left hemisphere is important for the semantic and logical signs of speech and the right hemisphere for linguistic prosody, which is a combination of tones, intonation, rhythm and emphasis on certain words or syllables that represent the transmitted thought. All these elements are also present in music. Before understanding the meaning of words a child is fascinated by rhythms, melodies and other musical characteristics of speech. Despite the fact that both speech and music are separated in the brain, there are areas touching each other and having a significant impact on the mutual development.
The purpose of the thesis was to find connections between the speech, language and music. In the first part we studied a variety of literature to find links and effects of music on the development of speech and language. In the second part, we put together a program (exercises) to promote the development of phonological awareness and verbal memory, through musical activities which are the foundation for later literacy. The exercises are divided into six sections. Each section contains from three to five exercises. All exercises were tested in a group of seven children and with one child in individual learning situation. Through the research we continuously evaluated the exercises and according to the obtained findings and children responses we changed and improved the exercises. Through the process of drafting and evaluation, we came to the conclusion that for practicing phonological awareness and verbal memory various musical elements can be used and that it is difficult to distinguish between them since, as in the language and in music, they blend and complement each other. The program (exercises) can be used in any order and in different learning situations (group or individual). The difficulty of the exercises can be adapted to the individual and his abilities. It can also be used in different parts of the lesson.
|
