The Impact of Early Years Music Making
Turning Their Ears On summary
The impact of music making on 0 - 5 year olds.
Turning Their Ears On, a three year long Youth Music funded study carried out by Northumbria University, explored the effect of music making on over 400 under five year olds who attended Sure Start nurseries in two Youth Music Early Years Zones.
The study concluded that although there is no proof that passive listening to music can affect a child's intellectual capacity, active participation in a progressive, expertly delivered music curriculum can greatly improve a very young child's capacity to develop skills to give them a great head-start before they progress to full-time education.
Key findings relating to establishing future god practice:
Musicians as a focal point:
If a musician is visiting regularly, the enhanced music environment is more productive and has a higher impact on the children's learning. Regular contact with a musician is significant in supporting regular, everyday musical opportunities.
Impact of having parents and carers involved with the children in the music sessions:
This greatly enhanced the children's music development as the parents are directly involved with what the child has been introduced to and have a shared experience to continue to develop beyond the music session.
Key findings relating to children's and parents' development:
The study found that regular, structured, active and creative music making (rather than passive listening/watching), led by an expert musician with skills in working with this age group, resulted in the following benefits for under 5's:
Development in communication and language skills, e.g.
- Increasing amount and quality of speech
- Increased vocabulary
- Development of understanding of rhyming through singing
- Learning how conversation works through 'call and response' activities
Development of mathematical skills, e.g.
- Counting within music making supporting counting in live maths situations
- Sequencing in counting songs
- Learning basic addition and subtraction
Development of musical skills, e.g.
- Developing their own songs and playing with the form, tune and words
of familiar songs - Improved technical skills in sound production with improved hand eye
co-ordination - Increased 'attentive listening' and greater concentration span
Emotional, social, physical and cultural development
As well as allowing the musicians and early years practitioners to learn from each other, the music projects had a positive impact upon the parents and carers whose children had been involved. These benefits included:
- A sense of pride in the progress of their child
- A wish to support their child when they have seen how engaged they are in music
- Opportunities to connect and discuss with other parents
- Development of confidence and competence levels
- Having something to share as a common activity with their child
Executive Summary
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Turning_Their_Ears_On_Executive_Summary.pdf To download the executive summary of Turning Their Ears On in pdf format, please click on the above link (file size: 3 MB). |
Information
- Music & early years
- Boutique Babysitting
- Early Years Music on Twitter
- Baby Loves Disco
- What’s Sing Up all about?
- Singing to your baby
- Mr Ray's Start Dreaming album
- Mr Ray interview
- The Wiggles interview
- Introduction To Early Years Music Making
- The Impact Of Early Years Music Making
- Your child's hearing
- Music therapy
- Why music?
- Music For Little People
- Interview: Playmusicplay
- ‘Crying to get the music back’
- Megan's Musical Journey
- Music & pregnancy
- Music at home
- A parent's view
Resources
In Your Area
Youth Music
Youth Music exists to facilitate and fund high quality and diverse musical experiences for young people up to the age of 18, particularly those living in areas of social and economic need.
