Music and Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Abstract This chapter is designed to provide current information regarding the philosophical and theoretical bases of the field of early childhood education that is most relevant to issues underpinning music education for children, from birth to age 8. In addition, it will summarize existing music research, as well as interdisciplinary research supporting the major issues in early childhood music education. The studies selected represent a body of research published in major journals and books from approximately the mid- to late 1980s to the present that provides the reader with some understanding of the emerging issues and questions about musical development in young children. Generally, efforts were made to focus only on the target ages, birth to 8. However, some studies incorporating a wider age span are cited if results related to the younger ages have been deemed important for inclusion. The organization of the chapter consists of four sections: research and theories on the development of young children, research on specific nonmusical and musical abilities, curricular practices in early childhood classrooms, and recommendations for research. The first section consists of research on development in early childhood education and music education, beginning with an overview of the conceptualizations of childhood in today’s society that have guided both researchers and practitioners in the field. Much emphasis is devoted in this section to cognitive development: the neurological findings resulting from brain research and their relevance to spatial ability and issues related to musical development are briefly highlighted. The second section includes research focused on musical abilities, including aural discrimination, vocal abilities and song acquisition, and movement and rhythmic skills. The third section includes a summary of various ideological positions governing current practice both in education and music education, as well as comparisons of specific models and approaches and the contributions they have made to the profession. The chapter concludes with directions for the future in terms of research and practice and recommendations for many of the unanswered questions that remain about how children learn, perform, and understand music.