Early childhood musical experiences: Contributing to pre-service elementary teachers's self-concept in music and success in music education (during student age)

Abstract

SUMMARY This article studies early childhood musical experiences of Finnish pre-service elementary teachers (N=590). The article also analyses their connections between musical self-concept at student age and musical progress in teacher education. Research material was gathered by a questionnaire, which posed retrospective questions about childhood as well as questions about musical self-concept in real time. The musical self-concept of student teachers was analysed through factor analysis within a field of six sectors: the general concept of one's own musicality, music conducting, musical taste, playing, singing and listening to music. The highest correlations between self-concept in music and the variables of early childhood experiences were the following: the pleasure of singing, the amount of singing, inventing one's own songs and appreciation of music in the home. The most important impulses encouraging the playing of musical instruments proved to be the amount of playing of family members, the number of musical instruments in the home and the existence of a piano or other keyboard instrument at home. As mentioned before, early childhood musical experiences were also connected with the scores given for singing and piano playing in teacher education. The research results proved the importance of early childhood musical experiences, because they even at an adult age they still significantly correlate with the individual's musical progress and his or her self-concept in music. At the same time they are part of his or her total personality.