Abstract
Previous studies have suggested that musical training in childhood is beneficial for sociability. However, it remains unclear how age of onset of group music lessons is associated with the late sociability of children from a long-term perspective. This study investigated associations between group music lessons conducted at a music school and children’s levels of sociability by focusing on the age of onset of the lessons. We conducted a survey of 276 children aged 4–5 years (M = 58.5 months) and 6–7 years (M = 82.7 months) who commenced music lessons at ages 1, 2, 4, and 6 years. We found that (1) the empathy scores of children aged 6–7 years who began lessons when 1-year-old were greater than those who began lessons when 4-years-old, (2) the communication scores of children aged 4–5 years who began lessons when 1-year-old were greater than those who began lessons when older than 1 year, and (3) the empathy and extraversion scores were high in those aged 6–7 years who began lessons in that age range. The results suggest that early onset of music lessons could positively influence children’s sociability; in contrast, after about age 7 years, children who already had high sociability may be more inclined to select group music lessons. By focusing on the impact of regular group music lessons from a very young age on later levels of sociability, these results further elucidate the effects of musical lessons. In sum, participation in group music lessons 2–4 times per month can be effective social training for very young children and foster their later sociability.
Highlights
Previous studies have suggested that music activities enhance children’s sociability
10 months of music lessons for children with a mean age of 9 years reinforced their sympathy and prosocial behavior (Schellenberg et al, 2015). These findings suggest that early participation in active music lesson can enhance sociability
We focused on the following research question: what is the association between onset age of group music lessons and later levels of sociability in children aged younger than 7 years? Based on the following three factors, we hypothesized that children with a very early onset of musical training will exhibit higher levels of sociability than will children with a later onset of musical training
Summary
Previous studies have suggested that music activities enhance children’s sociability (as reviewed in Ilari, 2016). Compared with passive music activity (listening to music only), active music lessons for 6-month-old infants facilitated communication and social interactions with parents (Gerry et al, 2012). In those active lessons, infants received Suzuki Early Childhood Education once per week and were encouraged to repeat the songs and rhymes every day at home. 10 months of music lessons for children with a mean age of 9 years reinforced their sympathy and prosocial behavior (Schellenberg et al, 2015) These findings suggest that early participation in active music lesson can enhance sociability
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