Music for Literacy Development in Kenya

Funded by Making a Difference Awards

Title: Music for Literacy Development in Kisumu and Siaya Counties, Kenya

Recipient: Emily Achieng’ Akuno, Duncan Karoki, Lillian Anyango Abunge

Date: September 2013- March 2014

Context

The Music for Literacy Development project was a 20-week intervention for the development of literacy and language skills for 6-8 year old pupils in 7 primary schools in Kenya (Kisumu and Siaya counties). The project activities were advised by a baseline survey carried out in May/June 2013 which had established that music was taught and used informally in the primary schools and that there were limited resources for music, and methods employed in a similar programme in the UK.

The project Objectives

Following consultations with researchers at the Institute of Education and New London Orchestra, the project was constructed with the following objectives:

  • To enhance literacy and linguistic skills in children of 6-8 years in public primary schools;
  • To engage children in music making experiences;
  • To capacity build teachers through development of skills, confidence and resource mobilization for using music in the classroom.

Activities

The project involved:

  • Assessing and determining singing, language and literacy levels of children in the age group;
  • Designing and applying a music-based intervention to facilitate learning in the area;
  • Developing relevant learning materials and preparing personnel for the interventions;
  • Mobilizing and mentoring teachers through music application skills development and material selection and application for the programme;
  • Rolling out a dual approach in using music for literacy development: training teachers to use music and providing children with music experience.

Results/Observations

a. 7 schools participated in the project: 1 school acted as control, 3 schools visited by music specialists, and 3 schools sent in teachers to observe and implement learnt procedures.

b. The project started with 615 students: 73 in the control group, 354 in the experimental group taught by the musicians and 188 in the experimental group whose teachers observed the musicians. This reduced to 421: 60 in the control group, 232 in the musician-taught experimental group and 129 in the mentored teacher experimental group. The massive loss of subjects is accounted for by changes associated with transiting from one class to the next at the end of an academic year (the project took place in the third term of one year and first term on a new year). A whole class was lost due to the transfer of their teacher. Some of the pupils were redistributed to streams that were not in the project, while some may have changed schools or dropped out of school.

c. Impediments to the implementation of the curriculum that calls for learners to sing and play were articulated as non-availability of resources, teacher preparedness for meaningful music activities with learners and interpretation of the syllabus (where only examinable subjects are taught);

d. A general low entering level of literacy skills in learners in the study, with an improvement in all cases. It transpired that often, in the event of staff shortage, learners in these foundation years of education would be the ones to miss a teacher.

e. Though children at this age enjoy singing, the level of confidence at the start of the project was shaky, with a limited repertoire. The end of the project recorded improved attention to detail and higher levels of confidence and enjoyment

f. Improved self-awareness marked by cleanliness, respect, attention and reduced truancy.

Outcome

a. The project realised 14 generalist primary school teachers sensitised on the value of music as a learning tool for young children;

b. There is a team of teachers:

  • with improved ability to generate and/or select song material for curriculum delivery;
  • who are more observant of their learners’ behaviour during singing activities;

c. A deeper understanding of the nature of childhood learning and the role of play in enhancing learner involvement in activities.

Output

a. A narrative for teaching pertinent values to 6 – 8 year-old children and a derived drama with music;

b. Reading and singing test material, adapted from those used in the parent project; 

c. Tested procedures for use of children’s songs in a culturally enriching and appropriate way for formal education;

Way Forward

In view of learners’ enthusiasm, teachers’ overall appreciation of new approaches to teaching and school administration support for the initiative, it is advisable that a follow up activity be designed and implemented that would reinforce what is already in place.  It is necessary to empower teachers with conceptual, theoretical, technical and practical abilities to make song a component of learning experiences, and to choose wisely in order to guide children to behave musically.  The project recommends:

  • Replication of this study with other schools – to spread the activities further afield;
  • Follow up of teachers who participated in the workshop for monitoring and support;
  • Publication of the learning resources and activities developed in this phase and augmenting the same to provide a manual for generalist teachers’ use;
  • Conducting a workshop with a larger group of teachers.
← Back