Musical development in early childhood: A review of literature

Abstract

If you have ever spent time with infants and small children you have probably noticed that music seems to attract their attention very easily. Whether it is from recordings, musical toys, instruments, human singing or other forms, music seems to elicit strong reactions from small children. Music often induces physical reactions such as rhythmic movements, followed by positive emotional behavior, which looks very much like dancing and musical enjoyment in older children and adults. Parents and caretakers are often amazed at these responses in very young infants because they give an impression of a sophisticated perception and behavior not necessarily associated with early infancy. But how much is known about the musical abilities of infants and toddlers? And what can this information tell us about the role of music in the life of infants and toddlers? There seems to be a consensus in the modern music psychology literature that the human is born musical. That is, a normal human is born with the capacity to hear, understand and learn music. In fact, infants learn early on to hear and expect certain patterns inherent in the music of their own culture and are capable of displaying various physical and emotional responses to different types of music. Furthermore, music seems to be a powerful medium for conveying basic human emotions and can consequently affect the emotional states of individuals. Cognitive abilities appear early in life, demonstrating that an infant is capable of more complex processing of their sound environment than previously thought. Moreover, it is clear that some learning can take place before birth in terms of processing auditory stimuli. The fetus is capable of hearing, processing and remembering musical patterns of sound heard during the third trimester of pregnancy, and sound is the most complex stimulus available prenatally. It is therefore worth considering the role of music and the auditory environment as a relatively stable feature in the transition from the fetal stage into infancy. What we can learn from systematic experiments and observations of infants is that we should not underestimate their musical and cognitive abilities. Because infants develop music production abilities much later than their music perception abilities, there is a tendency to dismiss and overlook what infants are capable of understanding in terms of music. There is very strong evidence supporting the idea that all infants are born musical or at least with a predisposition for becoming musical beings. However, caretakers of infants and small children should be aware that individuals may follow different paths in their musical development, and these differences need to be respected rather than used to label some infants musical but not others. In respect to fostering musicality, it is important that parents and music educators search for a balance in how to approach young children’s music education. A balance between the child’s free musical exploration and a stimulating educational environment is probably the best strategy for encouraging musical growth. Too much emphasis on formal education in early childhood may limit the child’s potential in musical development. On the other hand, some opportunities may be missed if children are not exposed to a rich musical environment in the early years. This is true both in terms of exposure through casual music listening and also through stimulating musical communication with adults and older children. Unfortunately there is no magic formula for this balance and the proportion between free exploration and a more structured educational environment must vary according to individual needs, as every individual is different and affected by the cultural context. Nevertheless, guidelines constructed from research findings would suggest that infants should be provided with a rich musical environment supporting the infant’s natural predisposition towards acquiring musical elements in the culture and even beyond, perhaps including a varied repertoire of tonalities and rhythms from foreign cultures. It would also be suggested that caregivers systematically attend to the ability of infants to be aroused and calmed by music, both as passive and participatory activities. The power of musical material to affect and regulate mood in young infants and toddlers can be further enhanced through skillful use of material previously associated with positive musical experiences with others. Finally, it would be suggested that parents and caregivers make good use of infants’ innate need for communicating musically through musical acts in social situations and be aware of the great potential for social bonding through common musical experiences.