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Highlands Today

Singing Reaps Reading Results

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By MARC VALERO | Highlands Today

Published: December 6, 2007

SEBRING — A software program originally developed to improve the singing of children and adults also helps students improve their reading.

The program, SingingCoach from Electronic Leaning Products, Inc., Tampa, teaches users to sing in tune and in rhythm while providing real-time pitch tracking.

The University of South Florida performed a study, with sixth, seventh and eighth-graders to determine its effect on the reading fluency and comprehension of struggling readers.

Students who used the program for nine weeks improved an entire grade level, according to a comparison of tests before and after the study. A control group that did not use the program made essentially no progress, according to the USF Childhood Education Department.

SingingCoach provides for repetition and continuous self-assessment. The USF study noted the ability of each student to receive instant feedback through the program's real-time pitch-tracking mechanism. The music/singing itself was motivating and engaging for the adolescent group.

The research conducted over two years and in three school districts with struggling readers at elementary, middle and high school levels has produced the same results in each study, according to USF. Students using the singing software make significant gains in reading after only six to nine weeks of use.

Using some of the technology from SingingCoach, the Tampa company's Tune in to Reading program was designed specifically to help students in grades four through 12.

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