Various scientific fields have proven the interrelation between the universal human codes of Language and Music, which seem to be unified under the term “singing”. Rhymed poems and songs have accompanied virtually every manifestation of human life throughout the ages and are included in formal and informal education.

The study field of Music Pedagogy has provided positive results on the correlation of songs and music with academic success, special education, language learning and reading.

The research I will present is a case study on the implementation of a 15-week teaching intervention for First Reading in a First Grade Class (n=22) utilizing original educational material of rhymed poems, which were read and sung in parallel with the respective prose texts of the Greek Language schoolbook. The qualitative and quantitative data were systematically collected from the beginning of the First Grade to the beginning of the Second Grade and sporadically monitored until the end of the Second Grade.

The aim of the research was to trace in a holistic perspective the effects of the teaching intervention on the development of reading skills (Accuracy, Speed, Prosody, Comprehension) and the interactions taking place on a personal or team level. The reading fluency was assessed with the Multidimensional Fluency Scale of Zutell & Rasinski.

The results showed positive effects: a) on the development of reading speed, prosody, and comprehension and positive prediction for the further development of reading fluency b) on the development of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, enhancement of self-confidence and emergence of unknown aspects of self, team functionality, further engagement with music and literature, activation of musical intelligence, development of a pleasant classroom microclimate  and a positive image of the school among students. The general conclusion of the research is that the utilization of poems and songs in the teaching of first reading promotes the acquisition of important reading skills, activates aspects of the student’s personality of multiple intelligence and contributes to the development of a positive and creative classroom environment. 

• Μουσικές εμπειρίες, δια βίου μουσική μάθηση και ευζωία
• Νέοι γραμματισμοί (ψηφιακός, πολυτροπικός, ηλεκτρονική πληροφορία)

I was born and still live in Peristeri of Attica. I work as a primary general education teacher since 2000 and for many years also as a teacher of classical guitar and as an animator in preschool music – kinetic education. My basic studies are in music (degree of classic guitar - class of K. Grigoreas) and in pedagogy in primary school (bachelor in National and Capodistrian University of Athens). My M.A. thesis concentrated on the place and the role of songs in school textbooks of the First and the Second Grade of primary school (supervisor, dr. Alexandra Mouriki, M.A. Program: “Language, Art and Culture in Education” Department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education, University of Patras, 2012). Μy PhD dissertation was about the design, implementation and evaluation of a teaching intervention with rhyming poems and songs in the teaching of reading in the First Grade, supported in the Department of Music Studies of the National and Capodistrian University of Athens (2019, supervisor, dr. Smaragda Chrysostomou). My educational and academic interests focus on educational programs that incorporate music and other forms of arts in general education and promote collaboration in the school community.