Music and Literacy:
A Digital Memoir

Welcome, readers! Allow me to walk you through on this digital memoir of mine, where I recall the time when I conducted an instructional design project at a non-profit organization in Cavite as a requirement for our EDS 199 (Special Project) course.

In my journey as a Bachelor of Education Studies student, I found myself deeply drawn to the intersection of music and literacy— a passion that ultimately shaped my instructional project.

 I designed reading materials for children at LifeChild Asia Foundation while using music as a mnemonic device to help them learn phonemic sounds.  It was a fun, enlightening, and rewarding experience with the kids as I applied everything that I learned in my undergraduate program, and it is definitely worth retelling.

Music has always had a special place in my heart, whether it's singing along to tunes, strumming my ukulele, or simply tapping my foot to a rhythm. I've always been fascinated by how music can evoke emotions, trigger memories, and transform a dull moment into something beautiful. 

It was during one of my late-night internet deep dives that I stumbled across an article on music and mnemonics. The idea hit me like a revelation. The article talked about how our brains are wired to respond to music in ways that words or images alone can't. It was as if music had the power to make things stick, to cement ideas and memories in a way that felt effortless. I remember thinking, what if I could use this with the kids?

When I planned out the reading materials I will be implementing to the children, I knew that phonemic awareness was going to be the toughest challenge. I've observed how most kids struggle to remember the individual sounds of letters, let alone string them together into coherent words. I recalled reading in the article about how music, combined with mnemonic techniques, could create a kind of cognitive shortcut. 

The first time I introduced the concept, I was nervous. Would the kids laugh? Would they even engage with the idea of singing their way through the alphabet? But as soon as I picked up the ukulele and started strumming a simple tune while singing letter sounds, their eyes lit up.  It was as if the rhythm tapped into a part of their brains that had been waiting for something more than just words on a page. The sounds, paired with melodies, became more than just abstract ideas— they became fun and memorable.

Since I could not film nor record inside the orphanage due to privacy matters, here is a glimpse of one of the phoneme songs I sang to the kids as a tool for helping them pronounce and be more familiar with the different alphabet sounds.

Going back to the article, it also mentioned how music interacts with different parts of the brain. It stimulates the auditory, motor, and emotional centers, and I saw that happening right before my eyes. The kids began associating each letter with a melody, and suddenly, phonemes that had been difficult to recall were now on the tips of their tongues. They sang along with me, and the learning wasn't just happening—it was joyful.

One of the most memorable moments came when one of the quieter girls, who had been struggling to keep up, suddenly started singing the phoneme sounds with confidence. She wasn't just memorizing—she was understanding and enjoying the process. It was in that moment I knew that music wasn't just a tool—it was a bridge, helping these children connect with something that had once felt unattainable.

I have come to realize how music has this almost magical ability to transform how we learn. The science behind it is undeniable, but for me, the real magic was seeing the smiles on the children's faces and hearing their voices join together in song. Music isn't just about entertainment—it's about connection, memory, and growth. And in the orphanage, it has become a lifeline for these kids, a melody that's helping them read their way into a brighter future.