The Role of Keyboard Training on Verbal Sequencing and Vocabulary Skills of Second Grade Students

The effect of music training on nonmusical aspects of cognitive development is amuch-debated topic. Several studies have reported positive associations between formal music lessons and abilities in nonmusical (e.g., linguistic, mathematical, and spatial) domains. Nonetheless, compelling evidence for a causal link remains elusive. The major aim of the proposed study is to examine the effect of music training on the vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills in diverse groups of second grade students. Two groups of students will be studied over a period of one school year. The first (treatment) group has studied keyboarding formally for a period of two years in the Music and the Brain Program. This program consists of music lessons delivered by a trained professional twice a week as part of the school curriculum. The second (control) group has had no exposure to music lessons either in school programs or in private study. Both groups will be assessed with subtests from the Structure of Intellect (SOI) measure that measure both sight vocabulary and verbal sequencing skills. Subjects will also be asked to complete the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory to evaluate hand preference. Results from this study will help to clarify the role of music study on specific cognitive skills and shed light on the question of the potential of music to enhance school performance in both verbal and spatial content domains.

Hand Preference in Musically Trained and Untrained Students

There is some evidence that patterns of handedness differ in individuals who are trained in specific talent areas such as music. This study examines handedness patterns in students attending New York City Public Schools. Students in grades three through six identified as musically trained and untrained completed the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. This Inventory asks individuals to indicate their hand preference for such activities as drawing, writing, and throwing. Results are assessed in light of the developmental nature of handedness as well as the role that systematic and sustained music training may exert on hand patterns.

NEH Materials Development Project

Rembrandt: The Artist and Collections of his Art in America- This three year project, extending from 2005-2008, is funded by a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities awarded to Long Island University. It will create a web site on artworks of Rembrandt located in museums and other collections across the United States. To bring this artwork to a nationwide audience, a Teacher Advisory Council will work with a cohort of museum educators and university scholars in the fields of art history, art and aesthetic education, social studies, and technology to mine this resource of ‘American’ Rembrandts, developing instructional materials for teachers. The web site will include digitized curriculum modules, artworks, biographical timelines, bibliographies, maps, slide shows, activity sheets, and primary source documents. It will also reference links to individual state content standards, virtual museums, online publications, and graphics software. Targeted at grades 6-12, it will build and increase teacher capacity to network knowledge of Rembrandt’s art with regional, state, and national content and performance standards in visual art and social studies to improve student achievement and extend proficiency in curriculum areas. The Project rollout will converge with events held to commemorate the four- hundredth anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth in 2006.