Children's Singing Research Articles

Psychobiological responses to choir singing and creative arts activities in children and adolescents with mental disorders: results of apilot study.

Children and adolescents living with mental health problems often experience stress and poor mood states, which may influence their quality of life and well-being. Arts interventions may improve mood and well-being and reduce physiological stress in this vulnerable population. Acohort of patients in child and adolescent psychiatry (N = 42; age range: 12-18years) participated in one of four arts activities including choir singing (n = 11), textile design (n = 9), drama (n = 16), and clownery (n = 6). They were led by professional artists and delivered through five consecutive 90-min daily afternoon sessions over the course of 1week. Questionnaires of mood and saliva samples before and after each session served to assess short-term psychobiological changes. In addition, patients reported their quality of life and well-being at the beginning and at the end of the 1‑week program. Results showed that alertness was significantly enhanced after textile design (∆post-pre = 4.08, 95% CI [0.77, 7.39]) and after singing (∆post-pre = 2.20, 95% CI [-0.55, 4.94]). Moreover, mood tended to be positively affected by textile design (∆post-pre = 2.89, 95% CI [-0.39, 6.18]). Quality of life increased significantly after singing (∆post-pre = 5.49, 95% CI [1.05, 9.92]). Arts participation except singing was associated with significant reductions in salivary cortisol (sCort) (textile design ∆post-pre = -0.81 ng/mL, 95% CI [-1.48, -0.14]; drama ∆post-pre = -0.76 ng/mL, 95% CI [-1.28, -0.24]; clownery ∆post-pre = -0.74 ng/mL, 95% CI [-1.47, -0.01]). No significant changes were observed for well-being over the whole program and salivary immunoglobulinA (sIgA) after any of the arts activities. These results suggest that arts participation can improve mood state and reduce stress in young people with mental disorders, but there is aneed for further studies.

Identification of Religious and Cultural Elements in Arts Learning Materials at Indriyasana Somoitan Kindergarten and Mosque Syuhada Kindergarten

This research aims to describe religious and cultural elements in art learning materials in kindergarten. Art learning in early childhood is often carried out to develop various aspects of intellectual, social and spiritual maturity. This can be supported by the school's background under a religious foundation so that the learning carried out can be adapted to the existence of a religious environment in each school. The two schools use different cultural and religious elements in art learning at school. The writing of this article is the result of observations, interviews and documentation carried out using qualitative research methods with triangulation of data sources. The data analysis carried out obtained the results that the religious elements that appeared in arts learning in the two kindergartens were religious stories, religious singing, prayer activities with tunes, projects through stories in books, dancing with religious songs, playing angklung with spiritual songs, and playing gamelan with religious songs such as prayers. Meanwhile, the cultural elements applied are the introduction of traditional musical instruments, the introduction of traditional dance, the singing of children's songs, the use of traditional games associated with learning, making batik, and the use of traditional clothing in art learning.

The Effects of Singing Activities on Children’s Memory, Learning Motivation, and Creativity in an Indonesian Kindergarten for Preschoolers

Objective: This study aims to ensure that singing activities in preschool children can affect children's memory, motivate them to learn, and enhance creativity. The idea is, when a child sings, the child is in a happy state, so the brain releases the hormones dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. These hormones are interrelated, for example, when endorfins bind receptors in the central nervous system, dopamine (the hormone of pleasure) is released. These hormones are produced in the hypothalamus and produce the glands that control the hormones in the brain so that one feels satisfied and happy. As a result of the pleasure experienced by the child, the child will be easy to understand the lessons or material given by the teacher, so the child's memory or intelligence will improve. Creativity will also increase as a result of singing activities. Building creativity means sharpening the mind, and it also means increasing the sensitivity of infiltration in the child. The child is sensitive to the tone, melody, rhythm, lyrics, growing a curiosity because of the singing stimulation given. Method: Method: This study uses a quantitative experimental approach with pre-experimental characteristics of the type One Group PreTest Post-Test Design. Pre-experienced research is a method to find the influence of a treatment on a group with not too many respondents, using one group without a comparative group, with a pre-test, treatment, and post-test sequence, so that the results of the treatment are clear and accurate as compared to before the treatment. The study was conducted at Northern Jakarta Methodist School with a total of 21 children from 5-6 years of age. The research procedure comprises three stages, namely the planning stage, the implementation stage, and the assessment and analysis stage. Result: As for the calculations (using the Paired Sample T-Test) pre-test and posttest variables memory power, learning motivation, and creativity, the three showed significance values of 0,000 or < 0.05. This indicates that there are differences in pre-test and post-test data on the three variables. It can be said that, singing activity affects the memory, learning motivation, and creativity of the child. N-gain of the three variables equally showed a value of 0.5. Singing activity is said to have an impact on improving the memory, learning motivation, and creativity of children. A child's singing activity can stimulate the brain to absorb information. There is a repetition of the words to the theme song helps the child to remember the given material. Not only that, the kids also looked happy and enthusiastic during the singing activity. Children also participated more actively during the post-test in answering questions and commenting. The joy of a child when performing a singing activity also affects his or her creativity. Singing gives a child positive emotions so it keeps the child undepressed and unrestricted, making the child confident especially in presenting ideas according to his imagination. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that singing activity affects the memory, learning motivation, and creativity of children in Methodist kindergarten. This is due to differences in pre-test and post-test results that show an average increase of n-gain 0.5 (moderate increase) on each variable. Singing activity can be said to be an influential learning strategy in improving children's memory, learning motivation, and creativity.

Early Childhood Music Arts in Improving Children's Language Development in TK Citra Mandiri batang Kuis District


 
 
 
 The art of music is one of the learning methods used in learning, namely opening the lesson, carrying out the learning theme, and closing the lesson in early childhood education, one of which is formal education, namely TK/RA. The art of music in early childhood can develop aspects Early childhood development, one of which is early childhood language development, in the results of research in kindergarten schools. Citra Mandiri, Batang Subdistrict, Paya Village, picture of the teacher's strategy in developing children's language with the art of music, namely using one of the learning methods through the singing method, with the method Children's singing can develop expressive (speaking) and receptive (listening or paying attention) to develop children's language. This research will discuss how the art of music improves children's language development in kindergarten schools Citra Mandiri kecamatan Batang Paya gambar.
 
 
 

Perancangan Buku Ilustrasi “Nyanyian Anak Balam Rabab Pasisia“

The Balam Rabab Pasisia Children's Song is a folk tale from the Minangkabau people, West Sumatra, South Coast. It is said that the children's singing of Balam is a traditional healing process. In the past, someone from the family who was sick would be taken to a shaman (smart person) to carry out a healing ritual. In line with the development of the Balam Children's Song era, it has now entered the Pesisian rabab performing arts. Besides that, rabab is a performing art that tells stories about kaba from other folk tales. This is what prompted the designer to design the illustrated book ''Nyaniyan Anak Balam Rabab Pasisia''. There are still many among the younger generation who do not know the culture, traditions and folklore because there is a lack of information and dissemination is still not effective. The aim of designing the illustration book "Song of Children's Balam Rabab Pasisia" is to provide information to the Minangkabau community about the story of the Song of Children's Balam Rabab Pasisia, as well as a medium for preserving folklore in Minangkabau society. The design of the illustration "Balam Rabab Pasisia Children's Song" uses the glass box design method with the 5W1H analysis technique. The type of illustration used is a 2D semi-realist cartoon. The output of this design is a book measuring 18 cm x 18 cm which contains narrative and related illustrations to clarify the narrative and also add to the aesthetic value of the book. After carrying out a feasibility test, the results showed that the design was good starting from the colors, illustrations, fonts and layout. And it can be concluded that the Illustrated Book "Children's Songs of Balam Rabab Pasisia" was well received by respondents. In this design there is also supporting media which includes: posters, banners, bookmarks, e-books, t-shirts, tote bags, key chains, tumblers and stickers.

Didactic Principles of Organizing Music Literacy Activities in Music Classes of General Education Schools

In primary grades, children's singing in a soft tone ensures gentle and pleasant sounding of the voice. The use of hard ataka puts strain on children's voices. This interferes with the normal formation of singing skills. It has a negative effect on the development of voices. The article describes the didactic principles of organizing music literacy classes in music classes of general education schools.

Singing and Social Identity in Young Children.

A range of studies suggest that singing activities with young children can have a beneficial impact on other aspects of their development. However, there is little research examining the relationship between young children's singing and their developing social identity. In the current study, data were captured of young children's singing and social identity as part of a larger-scale, longitudinal evaluation of the nationwide Sing Up programme in England. Participants were 720 children aged 5-8 years old. The assessment of young children's singing ability employed an established measure and was undertaken individually. With adult support, the children were also asked to complete a simple questionnaire that focused on selected aspects of their social identity, both in general terms and also related to singing. Key themes embraced their attitudes to singing (at home, in school and in informal settings), singer identity (emotional engagement with singing and self-concept), and perceptions of self (self-efficacy, self-esteem, social integration). Comparative data were collected from young children of a similar age outside the programme. Findings suggested that the programme had a positive impact on children's singing ability, both overall and including the youngest children. The data analyses suggest that children could be identified as either “pupils with positive singing identity” or “pupils with less positive, or still developing singing identity.” Overall, pupils with a more positive singer identity—irrespective of Sing Up-related experience—tended to report more positive attitudes toward singing at school and other settings, had higher perceived levels of self-esteem and social integration, as well as more positive evaluations of their singing ability. Furthermore, the research suggests that successful participation in high-quality singing activities is likely to have a positive impact on young children's singing ability and, by implication, such positive singing development will also be associated with aspects of self that are related to contexualised singer identity and their sense of social inclusion.

The Psychological and Biological Impact of "In-Person" vs. "Virtual" Choir Singing in Children and Adolescents: A Pilot Study Before and After the Acute Phase of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Austria.

Psychobiological responses to music have been examined previously in various naturalistic settings in adults. Choir singing seems to be associated with positive psychobiological outcomes in adults. However, evidence on the effectiveness of singing in children and adolescents is sparse. The COVID-19 outbreak is significantly affecting society now and in the future, including how individuals engage with music. The COVID-19 pandemic is occurring at a time when virtual participation in musical experiences such as singing in a virtual choir has become more prevalent. However, it remains unclear whether virtual singing leads to different responses in comparison with in-person singing. We evaluated the psychobiological effects of in-person choral singing (7 weeks, from January to March 2020, before the COVID-19 outbreak) in comparison with the effects of virtual choral singing (7 weeks, from May to July 2020, after schools partly re-opened in Austria) in a naturalistic pilot within-subject study. A group of children and young adolescents (N = 5, age range 10–13, female = 2) from a school in Salzburg, Austria were recruited to take part in the study. Subjective measures (momentary mood, stress) were taken pre- and post-singing sessions once a week. Additionally, salivary biomarkers (cortisol and alpha-amylase) and quantity of social contacts were assessed pre- and post-singing sessions every second week. Psychological stability, self-esteem, emotional competences, and chronic stress levels were measured at the beginning of in-person singing as well as at the beginning and the end of the virtual singing. We observed a positive impact on mood after both in-person and virtual singing. Over time, in-person singing showed a pre-post decrease in salivary cortisol, while virtual singing showed a moderate increase. Moreover, a greater reduction in stress, positive change in calmness, and higher values of social contacts could be observed for the in-person setting compared to the virtual one. In addition, we observed positive changes in psychological stability, maladaptive emotional competences, chronic stress levels, hair cortisol, self-contingency and quality of life. Our preliminary findings suggest that group singing may provide benefits for children and adolescents. In-person singing in particular seems to have a stronger psychobiological effect.

Pitch Accuracy of Vocal Singing in Deaf Children With Bimodal Hearing and Bilateral Cochlear Implants.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the pitch accuracy of vocal singing in children with severe to profound hearing loss who use bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) or bimodal devices [CI at one ear and hearing aid (HA) at the other] in comparison to similarly-aged children with normal-hearing (NH). The participants included four groups: (1) 26 children with NH, (2) 13 children with bimodal devices, (3) 31 children with bilateral CIs that were implanted sequentially, and (4) 10 children with bilateral CIs that were implanted simultaneously. All participants were aged between 7 and 11 years old. Each participant was recorded singing a self-chosen song that was familiar to him or her. The fundamental frequencies (F0) of individual sung notes were extracted and normalized to facilitate cross-subject comparisons. Pitch accuracy was quantified using four pitch-based metrics calculated with reference to the target music notes: mean note deviation, contour direction, mean interval deviation, and F0 variance ratio. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare listener-group difference on each pitch metric. A principal component analysis showed that the mean note deviation best accounted for pitch accuracy in vocal singing. A regression analysis examined potential predictors of CI children's singing proficiency using mean note deviation as the dependent variable and demographic and audiological factors as independent variables. The results revealed significantly poorer performance on all four pitch-based metrics in the three groups of children with CIs in comparison to children with NH. No significant differences were found among the three CI groups. Among the children with CIs, variability in the vocal singing proficiency was large. Within the group of 13 bimodal users, the mean note deviation was significantly correlated with their unaided pure-tone average thresholds (r = 0.582, p = 0.037). The regression analysis for all children with CIs, however, revealed no significant demographic or audiological predictor for their vocal singing performance. Vocal singing performance in children with bilateral CIs or bimodal devices is not significantly different from each other on a group level. Compared to children with NH, the pediatric bimodal and bilateral CI users, in general, demonstrated significant deficits in vocal singing ability. Demographic and audiological factors, known from previous studies to be associated with good speech and language development in prelingually-deafened children with CIs, were not associated with singing accuracy for these children.

Spontaneous singing in early childhood: An examination of young children’s singing at home

Spontaneous singing is widely acknowledged as an important part of young children’s everyday musical experience. However, its fleeting and often private nature makes it difficult to study. Research into young children’s singing at home frequently relies on data gathered through parental reporting, and studies are often limited to small sample sizes. In this article, I explore the nature, extent and contexts of spontaneous singing among 15 three- and four-year-old children at home. Continuous audio recording was used to collect naturalistic data during the children’s normal everyday routines. This innovative method resulted in data that could be analysed quantitatively to provide a comprehensive overview of spontaneous singing in young children’s everyday home lives that has so far been missing from the literature. Analysis showed that all the children sang spontaneously. The singing behaviours they displayed were similar to those described in the literature, but contrary to some of the literature, the most prevalent singing behaviours were improvisatory. Spontaneous singing occurred during many everyday activities; however, the strongest influence on singing was found to be the social context in which it took place. The children used different ways of singing when interacting socially or when playing on their own, with most singing occurring when children were on their own, potentially unnoticed by adults.

„Það er ekki til ein uppskrift“ Fyrsta ár flóttabarna í leikskólum í þremur sveitarfélögum á Íslandi

Árið 2016 kom hópur sýrlenskra kvótaflóttafjölskyldna til Íslands frá Líbanon og settist að í þremur sveitarfélögum (Stjórnarráð Íslands, 2019). Markmið rannsóknarinnar, sem hófst síðla árs 2016 og er langtímarannsókn, eru að athuga reynslu flóttabarna og foreldra þeirra af leik- og grunnskólastarfi og frístundastarfi; og að athuga reynslu stjórnenda og kennara í skólum og frístundaheimilum af móttöku barnanna, skipulagi náms og samstarfi við foreldrana. Í greininni er fjallað um þær niðurstöður rannsóknarinnar er snúa að reynslu starfsfólks leikskóla af móttöku og starfi með flóttabörnum úr hópnum og foreldrum þeirra fyrsta árið. Fræðilegur grunnur rannsóknarinnar er í gagnrýnum sjónarhornum á menntun og skólastarf (Banks, 2013; May og Sleeter, 2010; Nieto, 2010) og fjöltyngismenntun til félagslegs réttlætis (Chumak-Horbatsch, 2012; Cummins, 2004; Skutnabb-Kangas, Phillipson, Mohanty og Panda, 2009). Gagnrýnin sjónarhorn á menntun og skólastarf og fjöltyngismenntun til félagslegs réttlætis eru mikilvæg tæki til að varpa gagnrýnu ljósi á reynslu barna af menntun og leggja til umbætur. Gagna var aflað með hálfstöðluðum viðtölum við starfsfólk sex leikskóla. Niðurstöður benda til þess að börnunum vegni vel í leikskólunum og samstarf við foreldra gangi almennt vel, ekki síst vegna góðs undirbúnings fyrir komu flóttabarnanna. Það eru þó ærin verkefni sem leikskólarnir standa frammi fyrir, og snerta m.a. ólík tungumál og menningu.

Colonization and Displacement

Colonization and Displacement Ayendy Bonifacio (bio) Lost Children Archive Valeria Luiselli Knopf www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/564678/lost-children-archive-by-valeria-luiselli/ 400 Pages; Cloth, $27.95 Valeria Luiselli's Lost Children Archive explores displacement, family, and the cartography of parenthood in the age of ICE detention centers. Published in February 2019, the novel interlaces parental angst with contemporaneous news about the immigration crisis at the US southern border. The characters in the novel are nameless and only distinguished by their age, gender, and familial role: "boy," "girl," "mother," and "father." The mother and father set out with their two children on a cross-country road trip from New York City to Arizona. The mother is the narrator and steers the perspectives of the story world. The father drives the car. On the road, the family discovers that their middle-class lives are adjacent to the thousands of child refugees held in ICE detention centers. The family's middle-class existence merges with news about children lost in the desert; the jargon of immigration lawyers; and tales about the Apache, the last free peoples in the Americas. The children sing and play games in the backseat of their car while the parents navigate their route and internally negotiate a growing chasm between the family. The family stops at motels, bookstores, restaurants, and gas stations throughout Virginia, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas, all while literally adding new books, stories, and news to their archive. Lost Children Archive is divided into sections called "Boxes." There are seven "Boxes" in total. In each "Box," the reader encounters polaroids taken by the boy; drawings by the girl; maps of the Southwest; passages from books, including Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1899), Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man (1952); excerpts from Ezra Pound's Cantos and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass (1855); as well as quotes by José Bergamín, Frank Stanford, Virginia Woolf, and many others. This assortment of texts, words, and genres make up a disparate and real archive. These archival boxes are also a part of the story world. They hold the family's contents and are kept in the trunk of their car. Both figurative and literal, these archival "Boxes" act as the catalysts for the novel. Through them, the reader and the narrator move forward and backward in time, leaping from scene to scene illustrating vivid vignettes of the family's past, present, and foreseeable future. The formal "Boxes" are further divided into shorter sections, mini chapters with labels like "Family Lexicon," "Foundational Myths," "Maps," "Footprints," and "Credible Fears." Like a real archive, the novel's "Boxes" give access to different perspectives, moments, and settings. In Lost Children Archive, the road becomes a metaphor for parenthood, a type of uncharted territory which the parents must safely navigate. The children are, as the narrator states, "the escape route out of the family dramas, taking us to their strangely luminous underworld, safe from our middle-class catastrophes." These "middle-class catastrophes" include their ant-infested apartment in New York City, the parents' esoteric careers as sound surveyors and their previous lives with other people. With songs and games, the children temporarily save their parents from their banal existence. These escape routes are ephemeral, however, as external and internal crises pull the parents back to their quotidian lives and coerce them to face their parental angst and individual life goals. The parents are careerists but also parents, and at times neither. They work on separate sound projects, and their next worksite is the Southwest. The father wants to record the Apache people in Arizona and the sounds of the region while the mother wants to continue to the border and record child refugees. Through stories and lessons, the parents involve the children in their research. For example, as the highways merge, the father keeps the children entertained with stories about the life Geronimo, the last Apache to surrender to the "White Eyes." The mother says that the husband's stories about Geronimo "bring time closer to us, containing it inside the car instead of letting it stretch out beyond us like an unattainable goal." In other words, these...

The Relationship Between Portuguese Children's Use of Singing Voice and Singing Accuracy when Singing with Text and a Neutral Syllable

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Portuguese children's use of singing voice and their singing accuracy on the pitches belonging to the Singing Voice Development Measure (SVDM) criterion patterns (Rutkowski, 2015), as well as the influence on singing with a neutral syllable or text on both variables. Children aged 4 to 9 (n = 137) were administered the SVDM individually and three raters evaluated recordings of the children's singing, both for the use of singing voice (i.e., effective use of pitch range and register) and singing accuracy. Prior to data analysis, the validity and reliability of the measure was examined and assured. A significant relationship was found between both variables. Favoring the neutral syllable, significant differences were found in response mode for singing accuracy, but not for use of singing voice, suggesting that the use of neutral syllable in classroom singing activities might be beneficial to improve accuracy. Older children and girls obtained higher scores for the use of singing voice and accuracy. Within a common pitch range, children with higher SVDM scores sang accurately a higher number of pitches, suggesting that expanding children's use of singing voice might also improve singing accuracy.

Association Between the Development of Pediatric Voice Disorders and Singing in Children’s Choir

Pediatric vocal fold pathology is important because having a healthy voice free from disorders is crucial in a child's emotional and educational development. To determine whether there is an association between singing in a children's choir and the development of voice disorders. Prospective cohort study of children (aged 8 to 14 years) singers selected from local children's choirs and nonsingers selected from local schools evaluated at Clarós Otorhinolaryngology Clinic in Barcelona, Spain, from October 2016 through April 2018. Singing for a mean time of 7.5 hours per week for 2.5 years. The primary outcome of the study was the prevalence of voice disorders measured using videostroboscopy. The obtained values were analyzed statistically and used to compare the characteristics of the children and the frequency of voice disorders between the groups. Of 1495 enrolled children (745 male [49.8%]; median age, 9.3 years [range, 8-14 years]), 752 were singers and 743 were nonsingers. No differences in baseline characteristics were observed between the groups. Voice disorders were more frequent in the nonsinging group than in the singing group (32.4% vs 15.6%; difference, 16.8%; 95% CI, 12.3%-21.4%). Of 12 voice disorders considered in this study, all 12 were more frequent in the nonsinging group. Functional voice disorders were more frequent in the nonsinging group than in the singing group (20.2% vs 9.4%; difference, 10.8%; 95% CI, 7.2%-14.3%), as were organic voice disorders (12.2% vs 6.1%; difference, 6.1%; 95% CI, 2.6%-9.6%). Voice disorders were less common among children in the cohort who sing in choirs, possibly because of voice training and the commonly observed habit of attending regular ear, nose, and throat examination. Voice disorders may be prevented in nonsinging children if the same solicitude for voice is observed.

Comparative Analysis of Vital Capacities of Athletes, Singers and Other Students of Age 13-14 Years: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

Physical activity when performed regularly has beneficial effects on all systems of the body, including pulmonary functions. This study, conducted at Springdales School in Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi, aimed to determine the effect of sports and singing on the vital capacity (the maximum amount of air a person can expel from the lungs after a maximum inhalation), an important measure of pulmonary health. Vital capacity was assessed in 60 healthy students of 13-14 years of age with an equal number of athletes, singers, and non-athletes non-singers, as well as an equal number of males and females in each group. Vital capacity was measured by Student’s spirometer. Anthropometric data was also matched with spirometric parameter. Athletes (3452.5±696.7 cm3) and singers (3015±346.83 cm3) had significantly higher vital capacity than the control group (2625±543.74 cm3). The vital capacities of athletes and singers were also significantly different. Non-athletes non-singers had a significantly higher body mass index (23.87±2.35 kg/m2) as compared to athletes (20.66±1.52 kg/m2) and singers (22.6±1.84 kg/m2). In conclusion, both athletes and singers had better pulmonary function compared to control, with a positive correlation to body mass index. Athletes also exhibited better vital capacity than singers. This implies that encouraging regular exercise and singing in children improves cardiorespiratory functions.

Choral singing and the acquisition of educational values

The main objective of this study was to observe the extent to which the practice of collective singing in children’s and youth choirs offers a way of teaching values. The main working tool used was a questionnaire that was completed by the choir conductors and singers of the different choirs surveyed. The purpose of the questionnaire was to assess if choral singing can be a space for working on and developing values, and if these values lead to improvements in the overall education of the person. On the one hand, choir conductors considered respect to be the most important value for a choral group and friendship the most valuable aspect for singers. This view was not shared by the singers, who considered friendship to be less important. On the other hand, they agreed on the influence of respect and communication and that spontaneity is undervalued.

Research on the Development of the Preschool Children’s Musical Ability

The paper mainly discusses the development of children's musical ability from three aspects: the ability of children's singing, the ability of rhythm and the ability of music appreciation. It concentrates on the development of the preschool children’s musical ability. With the methods of field survey, logic analysis, and literature review, the paper make the conclusion that the main task of preschool education is to improve the children's perception of music, appreciation and music performance ability. For preschool music teaching, the important things is not only the musical techniques, but also to meet the special spiritual demand. Music education is conducive to the all-round development of human personality, edify sentiment, to establish a positive and optimistic attitude toward life, pay more attention to enhance the humanities accomplishment. Elegant music is an important source of personal perception of aesthetics. Therefore, for the growth sensitive period for young children, multi-faceted and multi-level musical ability training is particularly important. Music is a natural expression of human thoughts and feelings, is the means of emotional catharsis. Music can be defined as specific combinations of sounds to reflect the emotion and the objective reality of a category of art; it is a kind of human spiritual products. Music is composed of organized musical auditory imagery and shape the image expression of emotional and social reality of life, a kind of art form.

Non-Situated Learning and the Arts

It is the Christmas season in Cairns and the end of the school year. In art class, Grade 1 & 2 children are folding white square paper into eighths, then making careful cuts into the folds and around the edges. The end result – a snowflake to be displayed on the bulletin board. During music, children sing, “I'm dreaming of a White Christmas” and “Santa Claus is coming to Town.” Sprayed-on snow decorates the mural with the large red sleigh in which sits Santa Claus, decked in long red pants, a red jacket with white fur trim, tall black boots, a toque and scarf.

Objective Identification of Prepubertal Female Singers and Non-singers by Singing Power Ratio Using Matlab

The field of music is increasingly gaining scope and attracting researchers from varied fields in terms of improvising the art of voice modulation in singing. There has been a lot of competition, and young budding singers are emerging with more talent. This study is aimed to develop software to differentiate a prepubertal voice as that of a singer or a non-singer using an objective tool-singing power ratio (SPR)-as an objective measure to quantify the resonant voice quality. Recordings of singing and phonation were obtained from 30 singers and 30 non-singer girls (8-10 years). Three professional singers perceptually evaluated all samples using a rating scale and categorized them as singers or non-singers. Using Matlab, a program was developed to automatically calculate the SPR of a particular sample and classify it into either of two groups based on the normative values of SPR developed manually. Positive correlation for SPR of phonation or singing was found between perceptual and manual ratings, and objective values of SPR. Software could automatically give the SPR values for samples that are fed and could further differentiate them as singer or non-singer. Researchers need not depend on professional singers or musicians for the judgment of voice for research purposes. This software uses an objective tool, which serves as an instrument to judge singing talent using singing and phonation samples of children. Also, it can be used as a first line of judgment in any singing audition process, which could ease the work of professionals.

Intergenerational Learning – Children Singing Along with Older People – Possibilities and Complications in a Project Context

Culture for Older People is a project funded by Swedish Arts Council. The aim of the project, managed by heads of department’s för the preschool, the older care and the culture school, is increased well-being for older people. In this article one of the activities, Children Singing Along with Older People is scrutinised in an ongoing evaluation. In this subproject, headed by expert music teachers together with preschool teachers and care home staff, five-year old preschoolers visit care homes for singing along with the residents. The project is poly-motivated; besides improved well-being for older people, also enhanced learning for the children and interprofessional learning for staff. The concept musicking, which highlights music as an activity creating community and relations between participators, is used for discussing the meetings between the children and older people. Results are based on observations of activities and interviews with staff. Music is an activity that can be used for enhanced well-being and creating relations as well as learning. Nonetheless there are issues in the project that need to be discussed e. g. children’s participation and role, the older’s activity or desire for passivity and support for learning among the staff as well among children and older.