Directions to Literacy

Directions to Literacy: Teaching the Older Beginner, by Ann Eisen and Lamar Robertson, is a useful resource kit (Teacher book and reproducible student pages) to more effectively educate students about music literacy in grades 4 – 6.

This teaching sequence is aimed at teaching beginning music materials to upper elementary students in less time than it takes to teach the same materials to younger children. The sequence includes beat, rhythm, ta, ti-ti, rest, tiri-tiri, ti-tiri, tiri-ti, and single eighth note rhythms. It also includes 2/4 and 4/4-time signatures, and the melodic patterns of mi-re-do, low la-low sol, sol and la, and the do pentatonic scale.

Songs are age appropriate and appealing to the upper elementary student, but also have pedagogical value. The spiral-bound teacher's manual contains chapters that explain the new teaching sequence as presented in the student workbook.

Almost eighty songs are included in a Song Appendix. Songs may be reproduced for students. Precise suggestions are given for teaching each element through preparation (physical and/or aural and/or visual), presentation, and practice.