Jubilee by Margaret Walker The Symbolic Importance of the Lady in Black and of the Two Lovers Essay Example

Jubilee by Margaret Walker: The Symbolic Importance of the Lady in Black and of the Two Lovers Essay An important theme in Jubilee by Margaret Walker (Walker 1-490) is freedom. The three important characters in the story, Vyry, Randall Ware and Innis Brown, are constantly engaged in the quest for freedom. This entails not just their political liberties, but also the freedom to choose one’s marriage partner and the freedom to configure interpersonal relations in ways they see fit. Walker wrote Jubilee a century after the end of the Civil War and at the outbreak of the Civil Rights movement. To this extent, the range and scope of freedoms that Vyry and the two men in her life are seeking is representative of the aspirations of blacks in America. What Walker also suggests is that the feminist strivings are not exclusive of a broader political search of equality. Indeed, the two causes are intricately connected and partly explain why Vyry and her two lovers are showcased in the same scenes in the novel (Graham 96). Apart from this symbolic display of solidarity, another reaso n why these characters appear together is to contrast their different mindsets and attitudes. In other words, there seems to be some diversity of personality and character within the larger common objective of freedom. To illustrate, in one passage Innis Brown responding to his wife Vyry states, â€Å"Just like you can make candles and soap and feather beds, rag rugs, and quilts, and spin and weave and sew, and cooking was your main job, I learned to do a lot, of things ‘sides working in the fields.† (Walker quoted in Cash 78). The message here is one of establishing the dichotomy between the masculine and the feminine. The other dichotomies that these pairings bring out are those of â€Å"black versus white, rich versus poor, empowered versus disempowered, enslaved versus free† (Beaulieu 15). Walker, writing in the middle of the twentieth century, adds another pair into the list, namely, legally enslaved versus legally free. One crucial way in which the genre of slave narrative is revised in Jubilee is the attention paid to the personal (especially the romantic) facets of Vyry’s difficult life. This is accomplished by showcasing the relationship between Vyry and her two lovers at several points in the work. Vyry’s loyalties are thoroughly tested as she is made to choose between â€Å"her loyalty to her first husband and her white family and loyalty to her second husband and her children. She is guided by her Christian ethics in arriving at a practical rather than radical resolution of the conflict† (Bell 289). Her great virtues are best illustrated when she bravely sets about resolving these conflicts. As she successfully resolves these conflicts, the reader understands the personality gestalt of Vyry, that she is a We will write a custom essay sample on Jubilee by Margaret Walker: The Symbolic Importance of the Lady in Black and of the Two Lovers specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jubilee by Margaret Walker: The Symbolic Importance of the Lady in Black and of the Two Lovers specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jubilee by Margaret Walker: The Symbolic Importance of the Lady in Black and of the Two Lovers specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer pillar of Christian faith and human dignity, she commands our respect first as an individual and then as a symbol of nineteenth-century black womanhood. Shaped by plantation culture, she realistically embodies its strengths and weaknesses and she is neither bitter nor political in her philosophy of life. Her major strengths are integrity, resourcefulness, pragmatism, and songs. Her weaknesses are caste prejudice, fidelity to former white owners, and political naivete. (Bell 289) There is an interesting symbolism in the fact that Vyry marries Innis Brown and not Randall Ware. Though she was passionately in love with Ware, circumstances do not permit their marriage. But the author’s choice of Innis Brown as her destined match has connotations beyond the practical. Randall Ware, for all his righteous thoughts and actions is a man born into freedom. He belonged to that rare species of freed blacks, and he is also literate. He has established himself professionally as a blacksmith and has carved out a respectable life for himself. But his condition is atypical of the status of the larger black community. People of his ilk are an exception rather than the rule. He is legally on par with white folks and his demeanour reflects a sense of superiority. Vyry, on the other hand, is a mulato and, hence, legally a slave, although her fair skin can potentially pass her off as white (Dieng 118). Analysing their romance from political, social and legal backgrou nds, it is fair to conclude that Randall Ware and Vyry have fundamental dissimilarities. Apart from the nominal distinctions between them, their core principles and objectives in life are also divergent. In this scenario, it makes no literary sense for the author to take their relationship to fulfilment in the marriage. For the same reasons, there is a common ground between Vyry and Innis Brown’s life causes, despite the contrasting backgrounds that they originate from. So, Walker employs the sentiment of predestination in bringing Vyry and Innis Brown together (Lowery 21). Still there is social and political congruence in this outwardly unexpected event in the story. It is for implicitly presenting these facts, concepts and events surrounding Vyry’s life that Walker describes the relationships between Vyry and her two lovers in connection. For example, Randall Ware and Innis Brown are antithetical types. Born into a family of free black artisans who served in the Union Army, as well as being a Reconstruction politician, Randall is the voice of black nationalism and radicalism in the novel. It is he who plants the idea of freedom in Vyry’s head, giving concrete social reality to the sermons and prayers that God would send a Moses to free her and her people. He is bitter because whites do not respect his rights as a free citizen, and he resists their efforts to cheat, terrorize, and emasculate him. Born a slave, Innis is hard-working and courageous in his protection of Vyry and as naive, conservative, and practical as she is. All he wants in life is a farm of his own where he could raise his own crops and family. (Bell 289) In order to better understand the significance of the romantic triangle between Vyry, Randall Ware and Innis Brown, the historical veracity of the story has to be taken into account. In Walker’s own words, an important purpose for writing the novel was â€Å"to substantiate my material, to authenticate the story I had heard from my grandmother’s lips† (Lauret 198). In this sense, Jubilee stands on par with the slave narratives by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs. The reminiscence of these vital historical works are found in details such as Vyry’s cruel mistress, her first severe punishment, â€Å"daily life both at work and after hours in the Quarters, the thirst for freedom and the despair Vyry feels when the dream seems unattainable† (Beaulieu 16). Other features of slave life given by the author include â€Å"slave auctions (Vyry herself is put up for sale once), public beatings ( Vyry witnesses the execution of two enslaved women who w ere accused of poisoning their masters, along with other enslaved persons as part of the Fourth of July festivities), the ever-present patrollers, and a failed escape attempt† (Beaulieu 16). Yet, a crucial area where Jubilee differs from the preceding works of the genre (as well as later works such as Dessa Rose, Beloved, and Family) is its emphasis on the protagonist’s love life. In conclusion, Margaret Walker attaches substantial importance to the relationship between Vyry and her two lovers. Consequently, she features them together at several points in the novel. Through these excursions into the interpersonal realm of the protagonist’s eventful life Walker is able to offer some value beyond the merely political and historical one. Moreover, this intertwining narrative structure employed with respect to Vyry and her two lovers brings out the contrasting character types of the two male protagonists. This literary manoeuvre lets itself to be read in terms of symbolisms of love, politics, and society. Works Cited Beaulieu, Elizabeth Ann. Black Women Writers and the American Neo-Slave Narrative: Femininity Unfettered. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1999. Print. Bell, Bernard W. The Afro-American Novel and Its Tradition. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts, 1989. Print. Cash, Floris Barnett. â€Å"Kinship and Quilting: An Examination of an African-American Tradition.† The Journal of Negro History 80.1 (1995): 30-35. Pritnt. Dieng, Babacar. â€Å"Reclamation in Walker’s Jubilee: The Context of Development of the Historical Novel.† Journal of Pan African Studies 2.4 (2008): 117-123. Print. Graham, Maryemma. â€Å"The Fusion of Ideas: An Interview with Margaret Walker Alexander.† African American Review 27.2 (1993): 279-286. Print. Lauret, Maria. Liberating Literature: Feminist Fiction in America. New York: Routledge, 1994. Print. Lowery, Charles D., and John F. Marszalek, eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Present. New York: Greenwood, 1992. Print. Walker, Margaret. Jubilee. New York: Houghton Mifflin. 1966. Print.

Australia and Japan essays

Australia and Japan essays They were the aggressor in World War 2; the foe that was inches away from occupying Australian soil. But despite everything, they are now the largest export market of Australia. This, coupled with Australias growing relationship with Japan certainly points to a bright future, both for Australia and Japan. This essay will examine firstly, the strain between Australia and Japan during World War 2; secondly, the export of Australian goods to Japan; thirdly, the import of Japanese goods to Australia; thirdly, problems about the trade relationship and future predictions. In the days when Japan was the supreme military power in the Australasian region, Australia did not have any sort of formal trade relationship with Japan. The Japanese were rather pictured as marauding yellow hordes, ready to launch an imminent invasion on Australia. This nightmarish image turned reality on 20th February 1942 after the bombing on Hobart. Due to the Japaneses effort in invading the US, Australia was able to repel the attack in New Guinea. The Australia-Japan relationship since has changed. Today, millions of Japanese visit Australia each year, many settling permanently. Nonetheless, it is trade that forms the key part of the bilateral relationship. Japan is, by far, the biggest market for Australian goods, buying in 1998 approximately AU$17.5 billion. This figure is also increasing by an average of AU$1 billion annually. The exports are mainly composed of raw materials, such as food (AU$22 million), mineral fuel (AU$4626 million) and other inedible crude material (AU$3636 million). These items play a major role in sustaining Japans large economy. In particular, mineral ores and fossil fuels from Australia have helped create Japans hi-tech products. But it has to be noted that manufactured goods are also exported to Japan from Australia (AU$1623 million). On the other end of the Pacific shore, Japan exported around ...

Human Resources-Employee Selection Process Term Paper

Human Resources-Employee Selection Process - Term Paper Example The functions of HR department include management of all activities regarding employee management of the organization. The process of employee management starts from employee selection and ends when an employee leaves the company. Henderson (2008) asserts that human resource management is concerned with the management of employee population in an organization. These activities include employee recruitment, employee selection, employee training, dealing with workplace issues regarding employees, performance appraisal systems, analysis of employees’ performance and productivity, and employee development. Groenewald (2009) asserts, â€Å"Staffing, training, compensation and performance management are basically important tools in the human resources practices†. Employee Selection Process There is a difference between recruitment and selection processes. Recruitment is a process in which a company identifies vacant jobs and publishes them in the newspapers and in internal va cancy lists in order to hire suitable employees for those positions. In job advertisements, a company also specifies the required set of skills and qualifications in order to let the candidates know about the skills required for a job. Claude (2010) states, â€Å"Employee recruitment forms a major part of an organization's overall resourcing strategies†. In the process of employee selection, a company conducts job interviews and various tests in order to select the most appropriate candidates for the vacant positions. â€Å"The key to effective selection is the ability to match the right person for the right job at the right time† (Hauenstein, 2011). Employees are the most valuable assets of a company because they make the company reach heights of success. â€Å"Employee Selection is a key strategy that can save organizations tremendous resources, time, and energy† (Young, n.d.). Proper employee selection acts as the foundation for employee retention whereas neg ligence shown in employee selection process puts adverse effects on the company. It is a fact that hiring a low profile employee is just like adding an expense to the company because such an employee is not able to deliver high quality services because of lack of knowledge and required skills and abilities. Therefore, it is very important for the HR department to hire such employee for the company who should be fully competent for the job and should possess the qualities of enthusiasm, commitment, dedication, motivation, and innovative mindset. Key Activities of Employee Selection Process Employee selection is the most important part of the HR department’s responsibilities. The activities related to this process include application assessment, call for tests, written tests, employment interviews, and issuance of appointment letters. Let us discuss all of these steps in detail in order to know their importance in the employee selection process. Application Assessment This is t he very first stage of the employee selection process. During the process of application assessment, no face-to-face interaction takes place between the candidates and the company. Candidates send their applications along with resumes to the company and the company analyzes all applications to shortlist the most appealing ones. At this

Self-Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Self-Assessment - Essay Example Do well in my career and get promoted, probably become a Chief of a company of my own. Earn decent money so that I can see the world with my lover. Have children and give them a good life. And finally get retired with dignity. I want to be remembered for something where people would say ‘look he gave back to the society as much as he could’. I want to be remembered for the values I carry of truthfulness, go getting attitude and of being a good human being above all. I want to become an example that all bankers are not just money minded morons who would sell anything as a bundled investment for money margin. At the same time I want my partner to remember me as her best and biggest support and my children to remember me as a Super Dad. If I had unlimited resources, I would do two things I long for always but cannot do as one has to work to earn and to settle down. One, I shall go on a year long trek across the globe because I love nature and love to travel (considering I have abundance of resources of money and time). Two, I shall open my own financial trading company. Ideal environment would look like this – I shall be happy with less money, but more satisfied as I am doing what I like. I shall be traveling and meeting new people and going new places. I shall be helping others as well with money I earn and give back to society in small way. Ideal job for me with my available resource would be to work for a multinational company, in a multi cultural environment and with responsibility as work. A Job which gives me growth, money and also work satisfaction. My long term career objective is to be a leader, who is not only responsible for his family, but cares for and is responsible for the families of everyone who works under him. I want to lead and help more and more people lead their families by working with

Methods of Interrogation Essay Example for Free

Methods of Interrogation Essay An important component on a methodical approach to criminological research is the aspect of investigation. Utilizing the techniques of interview and investigation, it is primarily bordered by government policies and social regulations. The techniques employed by both draws heavily from the studies of psychology and sociology, as a tool to facilitate the enforcement of law in the society. In probing towards a case, the objective of the entire investigation would be to ascertain the details of the crime that would eventually lead to the offender’s arrest and meet its just punishment. But before this could be achieved, investigators had to go first through the process of discovering and identifying the criminal. Upon the offender’s positive identification, law enforcers or investigators go the tedious process of locating the criminal and establish his responsibility over the crime before the court. In whatever stage the investigation may be in, whether in the process of identification, location, or court litigation, the investigator relies heavily on gathered information that could be extracted through techniques of interview and interrogation. With the fast development of technology used in crime investigation, the method of interview and interrogation might be perceived as having of no use. However, investigators still continue to depend on these methods particularly on cases wherein there is scarce or no physical evidence to work on. II. Reasons for Conducting an Interview or Interrogation The basic reason for utilizing interview or interrogation is to obtain information. The endpoint would be for the investigator to bring a subject to admit or confess of having done a crime. The objective of the entire course of investigation of course, is to arrive at the truth of the situation. Specifically, these are: †¢ Provoke the guilty to confess †¢ Allows the investigator to narrow down the list of suspected criminals †¢ To identify the facts and know the circumstances surrounding the crime †¢ To establish the identity of all those who are involved of the crime †¢ To gather information that would help locate physical evidence †¢ Gather information that would lead to hideouts, crime operations, organizations or individuals involved, especially crimes involving drug trafficking †¢ Gather information that could be used as reference for future investigation †¢ It is also utilized as a pre-test and post-test in conducting polygraph tests of suspected criminals (Aubry, Caputo. 1980) III. Difference Between Interview and Interrogation The nature or circumstances by which an interview and interrogation is used vastly differ, although the terms are frequently associated together. Interviews are carried out in a more genial atmosphere. The person from whom information is taken out is set to feel at ease. It is assumed that when a person feels no anxiety or unthreatened by person questioning, the greater the tendency that a person would speak more and thus give out more information. An interview is usually used by an investigator towards a possible witness. On the other hand, when a person is subjected to sever psychological (and sometimes physical) pressure, placing the person in great discomfort, such method is called an interrogation. This is usually employed when the one being questioned is uncooperative. The investigator uses psychological warfare, to gain control and force a confession over the person. Success in interrogation is achieved when the investigator has learned to skillfully practice it both as a technique and art. Conducting an investigation requires a good understanding of human behavior as well as knowing how to influence the situation by acting, since the person being questioned could range from a respected professional, a teenager, or even as young as a child. It is highly relevant to the success of the case that the investigator know how to adapt to the varying demands of the circumstances. A. Methods of Interrogation In conducting interrogation, it is important that the subject be properly classified whether it is an emotional or non-emotional offender. The classification dictates the course of action that the investigator will undertake his approach towards the offender. †¢ Emotional Offender In carrying out an interrogation under this classification is much easier, compared to a non-emotional offender. Often emotional offenders commit a crime out of passion, therefore most are first-time offenders. They are driven by strong emotions in committing the crime such as jealousy, lust, or anger. The investigator will find it easier to drive him to confession by dealing through his emotions. There are a variety of ways with which this can be done. The investigator primarily wins the confidence of the offender by demonstrating sympathy or compassion, and being pleasant where hostility was expected (i. e. giving a cup of coffee). It is also vital that overt reactions towards the crime or any association, reference to it be closely observed. An emotional, first-time offender would less likely be good at hiding his emotions. When lying, his tension would easily be observable. The tension in his body will lead to dryness in the mouth. The offender might relieve himself of the tension by playing with his fingers or by tapping his foot. Frequently, lying goes with poor eye contact. When confronted by hard data proving his guilt, emotional offenders often break down for confession.

My New Dog Neechi :: Essays Papers

My New Dog Neechi The time I got my first new dog, Neechie, from the Clarion Humane Society was real joy. I remember making the phone call to the Humane Society in Clarion, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 1994. I had just asked the volunteer worker who answered the phone, â€Å"Do you have a little dog there that needs a loving and caring home?† She said that they had just received a little puppy a few days before. My heart leaped in my chest. I was so excited that I wanted to get there as fast as I could. My friend and I drove off in my car to the Humane Society so fast that I did not notice anyone or anything from my house to our destination. It was like we were traveling at the speed of light. We were at my house; then instantly we were there! As I pulled into the parking lot, I saw the large cement building. It looked so cold and expressionless, and I barely noticed the small, old, ragged sign that hung between two poles about four feet off the ground. â€Å"Definitely not hip on the advertising, † I thought to myself. Then all sorts of thoughts came over me like a rushing river. I was so excited and so happy. I felt heroic because I was going to save a little dog, from â€Å"The Pound,† as some people would say. I don’t like that term, but I soon understood it after I entered the building. The first thing I remember was the smell. It was like a still stagnant pond, almost lifeless and algae ridden as if it could not breathe and needed a refreshing rainfall to bring life back into it again. The sounds I heard were of rattling metal and clanging noises from the dogs and cats pawing at their cages and tipping over their dishes with excitement and hopes of a new and loving home where they would feel safe and loved. Oh, how my heart ached as I looked around at wall-to-wall cages filled with wagging tails and exultant eyes. After the initial shock of it all, my thoughts went back to my little puppy. The volunteer greeted me happily and led me to a little room where the small dogs were kept. There she was I saw her right away! She sat so still and patient, her little black nose almost touching the cage bars.

Papoer

The Impact of Music on Language & Early Literacy: A Research Summary In Support of Kindermusik’s ABC Music & Me The Impact of Music on Language & Early Literacy: A Research Summary In Support of Kindermusik’s ABC Music & Me Introduction Early childhood classroom teachers believe in the power of music to engage children. What scientifically based research supports the use of music and musical instruction to build early literacy skills?This research summary answers that question, providing support to educators who wish to integrate music and musical instruction into their early language and literacy programs in schools. This research summary reviews high-quality experimental studies conducted in classrooms with young children receiving music education, plus relevant brain research that focuses on the impact of musical instruction on the brain.The impact of music and musical instruction on early language and literacy development for young children is examined in the follow ing areas: †¢ ReadingComprehensionandVerbalMemory †¢ ListeningSkills †¢ Vocabulary,includingforEnglishLanguageLearners †¢ PhonologicalandPhonemicAwareness †¢ WritingandPrintAwareness †¢ ImpactonChildrenwithDisabilities †¢ FamilyInvolvement The research summarized below provides strong support for including music and musical instruction in the earlychildhoodclassroom.Importantly,thisrecommendationismadenotjustforthevalueofthemusical experience itself, but also because of the impact music and musical instruction can have on young children’s development of language and early literacy. Music Instruction & Reading Scores Linked Readingcomprehensionisseenasâ€Å"theessenceofreading†(Durkin,1993)andthedesiredoutcomeof reading instruction, including the focus of assessment on standardized reading tests starting in third grade.Comprehensionisdefinedasâ€Å"intentionalthinkingduringwhichmeaningisconstructedthroughinteractions betweentextandrea der†(Harris&Hodges,1995). Anumberofresearchstudieshavefoundthatchildrenwhoparticipateinmusicinstructiontendtoscorehigher on tests of reading comprehension than children who do not participate in musical instruction. †¢ Ameta-analysisof25correlationalstudies,someinvolvingsamplesizesofover500,000students, foundaâ€Å"strongandreliableassociation†betweenmusicinstructionandscoresontestsofreading comprehension(Butzlaff,2000). Astudyof4,739elementaryandmiddleschoolstudentsinfourregionsoftheUnitedStatesrevealed astrongrelationshipbetweenelementary(third-orfourth-grade)students’academicachievementas measuredbytestscoresandtheirparticipationinhigh-qualitymusicprograms(Johnson&Memmott, 2006). While these studies are appealing, one cannot conclude from correlational studies alone that the music instruction was the cause of the gains in reading scores. To answer that question, we turn to the experimental studies that involved pre- and post-testing of young children rece iving classroom music education.Theauthorsofaclassicstudy(Hurwitzetal,1975)askedwhethermusictrainingimprovedreading performance in first grade children. The experimental group received musical instruction including listening to folk songs with an emphasis the listening for melodic and rhythmic elements. The control group consisted ofchildrenwhowerematchedinage,IQ,andsocioeconomicstatusandwhoreceivednospecialtreatment. Aftertraining,themusicgroupexhibitedsignificantlyhigherreadingscoresthandidthecontrolgroup,scoring inthe88thpercentileversusthe72ndpercentile.Moreover,continuedmusicaltrainingwasbeneficial;afteran additional year of musical training, the experimental group’s reading comprehension scores were still superior to the control group’s scores. These findings provide initial support for the view that musicinstructionfacilitatestheabilitytoread. More recent research focuses on the specific impact of music instruction on the subprocesses involved in successful read ing. Researchersbelievethatmusicinstruction impacts a student’s brain functioning in processing language, which in turn impacts reading subprocesses like phonemic awareness and vocabulary.These subprocesses ultimately impact a student’s ability to read with comprehension. Music Instruction Improves Verbal Memory Research Into Practice: ABC Music & Me Kindermusik’sABCMusic&Mehelpsteachers engage young children in language- and literacy-rich musical activities that include playful instruction in foundational music skills andinstrumentexploration. Researchsuggests that engaging young children in these types of musical activities are correlated with later success in reading comprehension.Anotherwayinwhichmusicinstructionmaypositivelyimpactreadingabilityisthroughincreasedverbal memory. The findings linking music training to verbal memory are important because verbal memory is essentialforreadingprintedwordswithcomprehension. Asreadingprogressestosentencesandtextsof g reater lengths, verbal memory allows a child to retain material in memory as it is being read so that syntactic andsemanticanalysesnecessarytocomprehensioncanbeperformed.Verbalmemoryisessentialforall childrenlearningtoread(Brady,1991;StoneandBrady,1995),andpoorperformanceinverbalmemoryhas beenassociatedwithreadingdisabilitiesforyoungchildren(AckermanandDykman,1993;Cornwall,1992; Scarborough,1998). Recentbrainandpsychologicalresearchshowsthatmusicinstructioncanhaveapositiveimpactonverbal memory. †¢ Astudyofninety6-to15-year-oldboysfoundthatthosewithmusictraininghadsignificantlybetter verbal learning and retention abilities. The longer the duration of the music training, the better the verbalmemory(Ho,Cheung,&Chan,2003).Afollow-upstudyconcludedthattheeffectwascausal. The authors suggest that the cause of the increase in verbal memory was neuroanatomical changes in the brains of children who were playing music. †¢ Anotherstudyfoundthatlearningtoplaya musical instrument enhanc es the brain’s ability Research Into Practice: ABC Music & Me torememberwords. â€Å"Adultswithmusictraining ABCMusic&Meengageschildreninactive in their childhood demonstrate better verbal music-making with a variety of musical memory,†accordingtostudyauthorChan. instruments both in the classroom and at Thisbrainresearchwith60adultsshowedthat home.Researchsuggeststhatthisearly musicians have enlarged left cranial temporal experience may improve children’s verbal regions of the brain, which is the area involved in memory, an important factor in successful processingheardinformation. Asaresult,people text comprehension for later stages of reading withmusictrainingcouldremember17%more development. verbal information than those without music training(Chanetal,1998). Music Helps Build Listening Skills â€Å"Learningtolistenisaprerequisitetolisteningtolearn,†stressesresearcherMayesky(1986).Listeningisthe first language mode that children acquire, and it provide s a foundation for all aspects of language and reading development. Listeningisaverylargepartofschoollearning,withstudentsspendinganestimated50to75 percentofclassroomtimelisteningtotheteacher,tootherstudents,ortomedia(Smith,1992). Despitethefrequencyoflisteningactivityinclassrooms,listeningskillsarenotfrequentlytaughtexplicitly (Hyslop&Tone,1988;Newton,1990). â€Å"Mostteachersteach,assumingthatbecausetheyaretalking,their studentsarelistening†(Swanson,1996).Asaresult,manychildrendonotacquirethelisteningskillsnecessary to acquire new knowledge and information. Too often listening is thought to be a natural skill that develops automatically, but in fact developing good listeningskillsrequiresexplicitinstruction. â€Å"Ifweexpectchildrentobecomegoodlisteners,†¦weneed to teach them to become activelisteners†(Jalongo, 1995). Directinstructioninlisteningskillsshouldinclude â€Å"lessonsdesignedtospecificallyteachandmodelthe skillsnecessaryforactivelistening†(Math eson,Moon &Winiecki,2000). Anexperimentalstudywithyoung English language earners showed that focused listening instruction can benefit listening comprehension for childrenlearningasecondlanguage(Goh&Taib,2006). Musicalactivitiesarecitedbyresearchersaseffective experiences for building listening skills in the classroom (Hirt-Mannheimer,1995;Wolf,1992),forbothmainstream classrooms and classrooms with children who have disabilities. (Humpal&Wolf,2003). Research Into Practice: ABC Music & Me EachunitofABCMusic&Megiveschildren not only the opportunity to listen actively to music, but also includes focused listening activities using music, non-musical sounds, andlanguage.Classroomroutineshelp teachers focus children’s attention on listening todirections. Read-aloudstoriesandsongs give children opportunities to practice listening to extended discourse. Recentbrainresearch(Flohretal,1996)showsthatmusictrainingchangesandimprovesbrainfunctioning relatedtolistening. Anexperimentalstudyw ithchildrenages4to6providedmusictrainingfor25minutesfor 7weeks,andthenmeasuredbrainactivity. ThosechildrenwhohadreceivedmusicaltrainingproducedEEG frequencies associated with increased cognitive processing and greater relaxation.Music Can Build Vocabulary, including for English Language Learners Manyeducationalresearcherspromotemusicasawayto enhance vocabulary acquisition and comprehension, and emphasize music’s ability to engage children in instruction (Fountas&Pinnell,1999;Miller&Coen,1994;Page,1995; Smith,2000;Wiggins,2007). Accordingtoeducationalresearchers,thereissubstantial evidence that children acquire vocabulary incidentally byreadingandlisteningtooralstories(Krashen,1989). Duringthepreschoolyearsbeforechildrencanread, children rely exclusively on the oral language they listen to in order to acquire