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Karaoke Club Helps Struggling Readers

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - This particular club at New River Elementary evokes images of amateur singers belting out popular songs as their friends cheer or chuckle.

But the Principal's Karaoke Club is more than just another variation on a school chorus.

The nearly 25 students meet regularly to tap into "Tune In to Reading," a computer software program developed by Electronic Learning Products of Tampa that improves their reading skills, even as it gives them a chance to rehearse their vocal talents.

"It's just amazing," Principal Lynn Pabst said. "We're seeing behavior changes, too."
Pabst and her staff are eagerly awaiting the results of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test to see whether this musical approach to reading remediation lifts the scores of the children, all of whom had been struggling readers.

The students, meeting in groups of six, wear headphones and speak into a microphone as they work their way through traditional songs, such as "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and "Home on the Range."

The computer gives the students a score after they sing. The software measures whether they pronounce the words correctly, and a pitch-tracking mechanism makes sure they are singing the words with the music.

Ronnie Blair

To hear and see the New River Principal's Karaoke Club perform in an audio slideshow, go to TBO.com, Keyword: Karaoke.

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