MANDEVILLE, Manchester JAMAICA: Making learning fun Music boosts academics at McIntosh Primary

MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Remember when you were in basic school?

The classroom was full of energy — music, songs, brilliant colours. Much of what was learnt was steeped in happy rhythms and poetic songs.

Songs like 'a, b, c, d, e, f, g... next time won't you sing with me' and 'one and 20, two and 20, three and four and five and six and 20, 27, 28, 29, 30'. A similar but more advanced programme incorporating music and song in the classroom has been reaping success at a number of primary schools.

Students at McIntosh Primary School

The First Global Bank initiative entitled 'Music — a perfect pitch for a sound education', was launched across six primary schools in 2011 to defuse the myth surrounding Mathematics and English, and to help students do better in these courses. Organisers targeted the grade three students in particular, to ensure a good showing on the Grade Four Literacy Test, which assesses primary school students' ability to read and do Math ahead of the GSAT exit exam. Read more: