The purpose of this study was to examine young children's definitions of what it means to be a "good musician" and perceptions of themselves as good musicians. The researcher conducted interviews with 347 students in grades 1 through 4 in one US school district, coded the transcripts for salient characteristics and calculated…

This paper reports on the results of a study carried out with 105 children, aged between three and four years in three nursery units in London and Surrey, UK. The aim of this study was to explore the level of association which young children have between various musical instruments, musical styles and a particular gender. However, we also aimed to…

In this paper, we report on two studies carried out to further explore the level of listening and discriminatory abilities present in very young children through the development of an age appropriate methodology. Working with children aged between 3 and 4 years of age, our first study explored the level of performance achieved on a matching task…

This multiple case study examined the musical experiences of five hard-of-hearing/deaf children (hearing loss ranging from 35-95 dB) and four typical-hearing children, ages 3-4. Their responses to various musical activities were observed and analysed using flow indicators. It was found that both groups of children: (1) were capable of engaging in…

When observing children playing rhythm echoes with percussion instruments it was noticed that they can repeat a certain number of sounds accurately and that this number increases depending on the children's age and musical experience. It was thought likely that this number has a direct correlation not only with the children's stage of motor…

One of the forms of first musical conduct is the exploration of sound sources. When young children produce sounds with any object, these sounds may surprise them and so they make the sounds again--not exactly the same, but introducing some variation. A process of repetition with slight changes is set in motion which can be analysed, as did Piaget,…

This article looks at how children between three and six years of age use recorded music in their everyday lives. In Norway, where the project is situated, most children in this age group probably have access to CDs and/or Mp3 files, both in their family homes and pedagogical day-care facilities. Thus recorded music and the way it is used by…

Current preservice teacher education students are tomorrow's teachers and what they believe about the priority and challenges of music education in elementary schools is important, as it will impact on their attitudes and practice when they are teaching in schools. This study examines the state of primary music education and investigates the…

This article investigates the way future teachers can be encouraged to frame their pedagogy for music teaching through reflection. During student teachers' first experience of teaching music to children in preschool settings, data were gathered through questionnaires, real time and video observations of teaching, discussions and reflective…

This paper outlines a novel approach to studying children's singing that enables a more accurate and global picture to be drawn of children's actual level of singing achievement across a range of tasks. It enables predictions to be made about their potential singing development in a formal school setting. It draws on a two-year longitudinal field…

Musical creativity during early childhood is readily exemplified in vocal behaviours. This paper is a discussion of observations on children's performance of learned songs and self-generated songs. Longitudinal observations suggest that self-generated songs may be seen as referent-guided improvisation using source materials derived from learned…

Flow experience is an optimal state determined by an individual's perception of high skill and high challenge for a given task. In this study, young children's flow experience is examined in four naturally occurring music learning environments: infants and two-year-olds in childcare settings, and school-age children in Suzuki violin and Dalcroze…

This paper aims to establish a link between the felt quality in musical expression and the psycho-somatic structure of the person playing. This includes specific areas of the body, a corresponding set of emotions and thought patterns, as well as the deeper needs of the person. Discernment of felt quality is facilitated by using the symbolic…