Adult Recollections of Early Childhood Musical Experiences

Abstract

Abstract This chapter draws from the autobiographies of music education graduate students collected over a twenty-year period to examine what they recalled from their early childhood years. Musical memories were closely associated with specific people, most often family members including grandparents, parents, and siblings; they took place in homes, cars, and faith-based settings. The development of autobiographical thinking involves the ability to reflect on the social contexts in which memories occur, and the opportunities to initiate activity on our own. Recollections most commonly focused on the social and environmental resources available, the impact of beginning formal instruction, and the powerful feelings that were so easily conjured from the past. The value of music teacher reflection—looking back in order to make sense of the present and project into the future—is discussed.