Music and Language: Bridging the Gap - Paperback

by Edward L. Varner (Author)

Music, in addition to being a viable and worthy academic discipline in its own right, provides essential connections to language acquisition as it attempts to connect with culture and community. Music and Language: Bridging the Gap outlines and generates better understandings of the importance of music as a technique for providing access to literacy. Readers will be introduced to research that supports the use of music as a method to stimulate synaptic growth, reduce the affective filter of learners, and incorporate language patterns and phonemes of English into everyday student learning.

Author Biography

Edward L. Varner has been an educator, musician, freelance percussionist, actor, and arts education specialist and advocate for more than 25 years. He has taught award winning K-12 music programs in California, Nevada, and Washington, presented workshops for the International Reading Association, National Association for Elementary School Principals, Hawaii International Conference on Education, Washington State OSPI, and led many district in-services. He provided seven years of arts leadership as the supervisor of music and art education for the Great Falls Public Schools in Great Falls, MT and is currently the Director of Visual and Performing Arts for the Milton Hershey School in Hershey, PA. Ed holds a BA in Music from California State University, Los Angeles. He completed the Master's Degree in Educational Administration from the University of British Columbia and is pursuing doctoral studies.