What is language? What is music? They are sounds full of rhythm, pitch and melody. These three foundational components tie music and language together. A baby learns his native tongue from his mother’s musical voice, the treble pitch range. He hears his father’s deeper tenor and bass tones and the words, sounds, melodies and rhythms and pitches are imprinted upon this fertile brain. The child learns to produce his own sounds, plays, experiments, listens and repeats, with smiles and sounds of encouragement, touch and bonding his own language. The music of his home language is a delight to his tiny mind, it connects his whole brain in a symphonic range of thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions, of happiness, warmth, quiet, peace, pain, hunger. Truly this myriad of experiences deepens the foundation of his first language, his playful babbles, new sounds, and intriguing rhythms and varying pitch, he discovers and remembers as language is music to his ears. The child’s home is embedded within his culture and as he grows, he learns to include symbols, songs, and memory into this complex world of musical sound, his own language, his native tongue. Unlocked within the power of music in every language is the ‘secret’ as to how we acquire our native tongue.
Linguists attempt to explain how language is acquired, the moment of learning. Is there a language storage area of the brain, no they say, no I say, the whole brain is utilised as in music. Where did this initial thought emanate. From a special needs young man of 18 years age. Daily his teacher tried to teach him his own name and address, but to no avail, he could not remember. Yet, when the music teacher came to visit, he sang many songs from memory, happily, heartily, with no memory glitches. Music is the key, music encompasses our lives, our cultures and histories have embraced music. So we should harness this ability for children, adults all language learners.
Research also seeks to find universals between languages, commonalities, how are they similar. The amazing simplicity of pitch, rhythm and melody connects with our own musical instrument the voice, a stringed instrument. Have you ever tried to communicate with a native Japanese person and you are native English? I did. We laughed, sometimes clumsily using a dictionary, using sign language. But the moment of true communication came behind the keys of the piano whence we sang ‘Sakura, sakura’ in beautiful harmony our voices joined, our hearts embraced in sweet sound of pitch and melody, rhythm and smiles of togetherness. The international language, music, connect us all and we must use this revelation, this unity of sound to learn how language may more easily be acquired for second language learners.
As a child I learnt music, symbols and words all at the same time. They are one in my mind, I do not distinguish them. My voice my instrument, my ears my input, my speaking my output, my emotions of achievement my reinforcement. Linguists from all nations hear these words. Language is music, music is language a powerful enlightenment for educators. What is the point of learning, a trigger, a musical moment, a sequence in the string, the ‘musical bar’ the place in the ‘melody’ that ignites memory, emotion, enjoyment and achievement all at the same moment to forge a new language path in the mind.
When in Kiribati in June 2006, I had the benefit to visit a local, island pre-school. I was delightedly entertained by the 3,4 and 5 year olds who sang their range of English songs. They possessed few resources but all they had was their voices, their instruments. They, as with myself as a child of many years ago and now as an adult, smiled as they sang, danced and pleased their teachers and parents and guests with their ever so cute rendition of harmony and language. Language, music and culture cannot be separated, so why do we separate them in the language classroom entities, spoken words, not sung. Dry words, which are not connected to the rhythm and harmony that are begging to be used. Educators, awaken, linguists listen, observe, think and change. Bring enjoyment back to language, create a classroom culture an environment free of anxiety, achievement concerns, allow the students to enjoy the sounds, the patterns, the melodies and rhythms again.