For generations, songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "The Wheels on the Bus" have entertained children and helped them learn their first words. Now, one literacy program is using the power of music to help young readers build their reading skills.
Sing Out and READ is a 12-week program that combines songs, repetition and interactive quizzes to help children improve their literacy.
Arlene Score, director of administration for Sing Out and READ, said the program grew out of an unexpected idea. Founder Carlo Franzblau originally created an app to prove to his wife that he could sing in tune.
As the software developed, one of Franzblau's friends noticed that his child was better able to understand what he was reading after singing the words aloud. That observation inspired Franzblau to create Tune Into Reading, the app now used as the foundation of the Sing Out and READ program.
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“They listen to a song three times, and then they sing it themselves five times,” Score said. “At the end of their fifth time, they take a quiz because there are keywords that the children need to learn while they're singing their song.”
To advance through the program, children must earn at least 80% on each quiz. According to Score, every level includes at least 10 songs, with children listening, singing and testing their knowledge before moving on.
The app features a mix of familiar nursery rhymes and original music. While some traditional songs are licensed for use, Score said the organization also works with bands and artists to create original songs tailored to support literacy development.
“Jack and Jill, for example, is a song that we offer out there,” Score said. “We even offer God Bless America, so it depends on the grade level, and it depends on how far advanced the child has become.”
In addition to making the app available through mobile app stores, Sing Out and READ partners with schools across the Tampa Bay area, allowing teachers to incorporate the program into their classrooms.
“We have schools that actually have the program in their curriculum, and teachers are sitting with the children and helping them go through the program individually,” Score said.
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According to Score, children who participate in the program typically improve by one to two reading levels, with the organization tracking students' progress from beginning to end.
“We track the children's development and their increase in reading skills,” Score said. “We have them share their reading scores from the beginning of the program to the end of the program, and that's another way that we are able to collect the data on the child's improvement.”
This story was compiled from interviews conducted by Matthew Peddie for "Florida Matters Live & Local." You can listen to the full interview with Arlene Score here.
