Music Therapy as a Supplemental Teaching Strategy for Kindergarten ESL Students

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to give a descriptive account of the use of music therapy techniques on the English speaking and story retelling skills of Kindergarten students in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. Nine students in a community based after-school ESL class and 9 students in a regular public school ESL class received music therapy sessions designed as supplemental teaching strategies in addition to their regular ESL classroom routines. Observers indicated that both groups performed well on story retelling skills and English speaking skills; although, the after-school ESL group performed better than the public school group. This study suggests that the community setting may be a more relaxed and less intimidating environment for young English language learners. The majority of students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in the public schools in the United States are children of Hispanic immigrants and this population is growing at an incredibly fast pace (Kochlar, Suro & Tafoya, 2005). It is estimated that a recent influx of between 11 and 20 million new immigrants of Hispanic heritage in the United States has added greatly to the numbers of children in ESL classes in the public schools (Time Warner, 2006). The most recent increase in the Hispanic population has taken place in the southeastern region of the United States in six states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, thus becoming the new settlement areas for immigrants of Hispanic heritage. Fifteen years ago Latino youngsters accounted for only 1% of the school aged population in the southeastern region of the United States but by the year 2007-2008 these students will make up 10 percent of all the primary and secondary schools in these states. Having had just 184,000 Latino students enrolled in September 2001, these Southern states will have an estimated 571,000 Latino students by September 2007, an increase of 387,000 Latino students. To put this in perspective, consider that the four traditional settlement states of California, Illinois, New York and New Jersey had a vastly larger Hispanic school enrollment - 3.4 million in 2001 - but will add only another 535,000 Latino students by 2007 (Kochlar, Suro & Tafoya, 2005, p. 38). The impact of the Latino population growth on local schools is multiplied by three factors: Spanish is the only language spoken in the students' homes, the students often present special needs for English language instruction and since this population has emerged suddenly, many schools do not have the programs in place to deal with their needs (Wainer, 2004). These circumstances are compounded by the No Child Left Behind law which focuses almost solely on accountability to improve educational outcomes for all students, including historically low achieving and disabled students and those who are English Language Learners (ELLs), "children who are learning English and for whom English is not their first language" (Bankstreet, 2007, para 11). In fact, language acquisition is critical for ESL students in order for them to achieve academic concepts and socially integrate with their peers (Brown, 2004; Schunk, 1999). Furthermore, many public schools expect students with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) to become proficient in English within one year so they can join their native English speaking peers in regular academic classes. The assumption, however, that young children can learn English within the span of one year is unrealistic as ELLs need an average of four to five years to achieve parity with native English speakers (MacSwan & Pray, 2005). Therefore, supplemental teaching strategies that engage Kindergarten students in active and passive learning activities which are interesting, enjoyable and inspire children to initiate academic and social uses of the English language are needed (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, 2006). …