Applying the pattern of generalisation of variation theory in encouraging 5-6-year-old children to discover and graphically express musical sounds

Abstract

The article analyses the ways of communication with pre-school children used by the music teacher which are based on the pattern of generalisation of variation theory and which encourage children to feel, discern and graphically express the qualities of musical sounds and their features while listening to music. The application of the pattern of generalization of variation theory is a new didactic approach in the music education of pre-school children. In this research, the learning study based on variation theory as a phenomenographic approach and a strategy for the lesson study as participatory action research were used. A 3-cycle learning study was conducted in 3 pre-school education groups; the study was conducted by 3 music teachers and a researcher; a total of 65 five- to six-year-old children participated in the research. The learning study provides opportunities to model ways of communication used by the music teacher as a mediator between the child and the music he/she listens to, encouraging children to feel, understand and discern the critical aspect of the learning object – high musical sounds – and its features – short, long, strong high musical sounds. When applying the pattern of generalization of variation theory, children can abstract the invariable pitch of musical sounds as a quality of musical sounds in the context of other variable qualities. The Critical Incident Technique was used to analyse the research data. The qualitative research highlighted three empirically substantiated groups of ways of communication used by the music teacher which are based on the pattern of generalisation of variation theory: ways of communication used by the music teacher that encourage children to feel, understand, discern and graphically express the critical aspect of the invariable learning object and its features in creating the context for listening to music (the first group), while listening to music (the second group) and after listening to music (the third group).