The Role Music Plays in the Lives of Pre-School Children in the Offinso Municipality

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the role of music in the lives of pre-school children in the Offinso Municipality and also examines how children respond to music within the pre-school learning environment. To arrive at a detailed description and identify pre-school musical experiences that will nurture their musical potential and also to observe and outline children’s actions and responses when they engage or participate in musical activities in pre-school learning environment, the researcher adopted a qualitative method approach in a conjunction with interpretivists’ paradigm and implemented the case study research strategy. The instruments used were interviews and observation. The study revealed that Children learn language structure, word formation, pronunciation, grammar, meaning, and usage of the words in the songs that they sing. Music is used for enrichment, enjoyment, self-esteem, language development, or for teaching other subjects. Children are natural musicians, and exposure to music during the early years enhances the learning process by promoting language development, creativity, coordination, and social interaction. There is a need to develop the early childhood music programme from the following perspectives; self-selected activities, opportunities for individual and small-group interaction, and developmentally and educationally sound musical activities.