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thesis entitled

ASSESSMENT OF PARENTAL MOTIVATION FOR
ENROLLING A CHILD IN EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC
INSTRUCTION

presented by

Namsoon Park

has been accepted towards fulﬁllment
of the requirements for the

Master of degree in Music Education
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ASSESSMENT OF PARENTAL MOTIVATION FOR ENROLLING A CHILD IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC INSTRUCTION

By

Namsoon Park

A THESIS
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulﬁllment of the requirements
for the degree of
MASTER OF MUSIC EDUCATION
School of Music

2004

ABSTRACT

ASSESSMENT OF PARENTAL MOTIVATION FOR ENROLLING A CHILD IN
EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC INSTRUCTION

By
Namsoon Park

The purpose of this study is to provide information about parental expectations that
can be used to improve the learning environment in early childhood music classes. More
speciﬁcally, this study is to identify the reasons parents pursue early childhood music
instruction for their children. Forty-two parents and caregivers participated in this study
by completing a survey about their reasons for enrolling their child in the program. Data
were collected and analyzed for the reasons parents pursue early childhood music
instruction for their children. The reasons were classiﬁed according to importance as
reported by the parents. Also, the results were examined according to age group,
education level, and musical background of the parents/caregivers. The ﬁve reasons in
order of greatest salience were: exposure to music, music appreciation, social

development, enjoy class, and brain development.

Copyrighted by
NAMSOONPARK

2004

Dedicated to my family whom I love

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to thank my advisor, Dr. Cynthia Taggart, for her tremendous assistance
throughout my degree program and the writing of my thesis. Her model of excellence and
professionalism will be a constant example for me.

Appreciation is expressed to my committee members Drs. Jonathan Reed, and
Michelle Robinson for their many contributions in the preparation of this document.

A special thank-you goes to my older brother and his wife for all they had done for
me. Thanks are also extended to my mother for helping out with my son. I also wish to
thank my older sister for her support. My study would not have been possible without
them. My thanks and love are extended to my husband, Suil for his unfailing love,
friendship and dedication to helping me reach higher.

Most importantly, my gratitude goes to my God.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

 

viii

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION 1
Musical Play 2
Role of Caregivers 5
Environment and Aptitude Development 9
Summary 12
Purpose and Problem 14

CHAPTER 2

RELATED RESEARCH 15
Musical Play and Parenting 15
Parents’ Expectations 21
Summary 21

CHAPTER 3

METHOD 23
Subjects 23
Procedure 24
Analysis 24

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS 25

CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 37
Implications for Early Childhood Music Instruction 39
Suggestions for Future Research 39

 

APPENDIX

vi

A. HUMAN SUBJECTS APPROVAL
B. CONSENT FORM

 

 

 

C. SURVEY FORM

REFERENCES

 

vii

42

46

49

LIST OF TABLES

 

 

 

 

Table Page

1. Age Groups in This Study 25
2. Highest Completed Levels of Education 26
3. Each Respondent’s Musical Background (Sing or Play an Instrument) 27
4. Other Musical Background in Each Respondent’s Family 27

5. All Reasons in Order of Importance for Enrolling Early Childhood Music Program --32
6. Five Reasons in Order of Importance by Highest completed Levels of Education --- 34
7. Five Reasons in Order of Importance by Respondents’ Own Musical Background -- 35

8. Five Reasons in Order of Importance by Respondents’ Family Musical Background -36

viii

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Most music educators believe that music making is an essential part of childhood.
Music is one of life’s essential ingredients. According to Gordon (1997), “Music is
unique to humans and, like the other arts, is as basic as language to human development
and experience. Through music, children gain insights into themselves, into others, and
into life itself” (p. 3). Also, most music educators insist that music education in early
childhood is important to children’s musical development. Gordon (1997) states,
“Although music is a literature and not a language, children learn music in much the
same way they learn language. So, structured or unstructured guidance at home is
necessary if children are to develop musical understanding, and it should be similar to
that which is given to encourage them to engage in language babble and continue the
sequential process of learning their native language”(p. 5). Campbell & Scott-Kassner
(2002) insist that music is essential to children’s lives, as it is the substance of their
playful exploration of and experience in the world around them, the center of their
socialization and expressive communication with one another, and the refuge in which
they ﬁnd peace, joy, and fulﬁllment away from the worries of their young lives for
children. Most music educators agree that a central purpose of music teaching is to enable

students to understand music. Moreover, Gordon (1997) believes that it is only through
1

understanding music that children can learn to appropriate music fully and make music a
meaningful part of their lives. Another purpose of music teaching is to help children to
develop their music aptitudes. According to Gordon (1997), a child’s music aptitude is
innate, but it is also is affected by the quality of the child’s environment. Children’s
music aptitudes stabilize when they reach approximately nine years of age. Because of
this, providing an optimal environment in which young children can experience music is
an important responsibility of parents and music educators.

Recently, many early childhood music programs have become available to very
young children, and many parents have chosen to enroll their children in those programs.
This study will investigate the reasons why parents pursue early childhood music
instruction for their children. To provide the background for this study, the author will
discuss musical play, parenting, and music environments, all of which are related to
potential reasons for enrolling a child in an early childhood music program.

Musical Play

Researchers have studied music in early childhood. Many of these scholars in music
education equate appropriate music education at this level to musical play (Littleton,
1998; Tamowski, 1999; Heyge and Sillick, 1998; Taggart, 2003).

Littleton (1998) states, “Play contributes to each child’s attachment, adaptation, and
growth as play contributes to the evolution of a whole culture. Children play with music,
and musical play consists of activities that allow children to explore, improvise, and
create with sound” (p. 8). She describes three categories of musical play based on the

types of cognitive play that were ﬁrst described by Piaget and Smilansky: Functional
2

play, constructive play and dramatic play. Functional play is activity in which children
use their bodies to run, jump, or repetitively manipulate objects in order to learn about the
world around them. Constructive play is that activity in which children use objects to
create structures or forms: painting, building with Legos, or playing with sand. In
dramatic play, children engage in role-playing or the transformation objects. In
Littleton’s musical play, functional musical play might include exploring vocal,
instrumental, and environmental sounds, as well as the way in which these sounds are
made. Constructive musical play may be seen as an extension of functional play, in
which sound explorations begin to exhibit a sense of structure through patterns of rhythm,
melody, tempo, dynamics, or tone color. Dramatic musical play might involve the use of
songs or instruments within a musical or nonmusical play theme. Littleton believes,
“Acknowledgement of the importance of music-play on the developing infant and young
child poses a shift in the paradigm concerning music education in early childhood” (p.
14). This shiﬁ requires that the teacher focuses on the developmental needs of each child
rather than on formal instructional goals that may have been developed by the teacher.
She also insists, “Naturalistic, observational studies demonstrate that young children in
free-play in music settings are capable of self-pleasing, self-initiated, self-directed,
complex music behaviors, and that ecological factors, including the interactions of adults
with children, of children with peers, the learning settings, the amount of space, ﬁxed
materials, loose parts, and the presence and absence of music-making materials inﬂuence
young children’s cognitive, social, and musical development. To date, the most

successful practices in early childhood music education can complete playful and multi-
3

sensory experiences within a rich musical language of feeling and expressiveness” (p.
14).

Stone (1995) insists that play serves a crucial role for children, and musical play is a
natural type of learning for children. She states, “Play provides the natural and
experiential learning that supports the child’s construction of his own knowledge of the
world and his place in it. It signiﬁcantly affects the development of the whole child (p.
45). She believes that play enhances children’s cognitive development and gives children
the opportunity to interact socially and “dc-center” their thinking from themselves by
focusing on a playmate. Stone also believes that music may allow children to express
their feelings, helping them cope better with emotional stress, and that it may help
children develop self-esteem.

Heyge and Sillick (1998) believe that music educators have come to realize that the
music and movement of children’s own bodies are the foundations of their musical lives.
Infants are pre-programmed to activate these instruments at birth. In an enriched musical
environment, infants will naturally hear music and will begin to listen and respond as
they become more acquainted with the sounds they hear; they feel the warmth of music
and absorb its meter, tonality, and patterns: the foundation of musical language. Children
move as their ﬁrst visible response to music. Hicks (1993) insists that, as children are
continuously acculturated to music, some young children anticipate music and often
physically and independently respond to music during silence. Also, young children who
are exposed to songs without texts performed by adults who accompany themselves with

movement, respond to those stimuli without verbally or nonverbally being asked to
4

respond or being told to respond. The movement responses made by young children to
music are developmental and are at least dependent upon the ﬂuctuation of physical and
audiation maturation. Moreover, young children being to make purposeful vocal response
to music. Hicks believes that young children who are acculturated to variety of tonalities
and meters can proﬁt from those experiences. Heyge and Sillick believe that movement
and listening responses lay the foundation for speaking the language of music. As babies
develop favorite activities, they will begin imitating short vocal sounds or patterns in the
activity. Adults can encourage this response through imitation and improvisation.

Taggart (2003) insists on the importance of play in music learning environments.
She says, “Play is important in early childhood music learning environments. Children
learn music through musical play. By watching a child play musically, educators gain
insights into child’s musical development and that how to facilitate future music
learning” (p. 16). Also, she proposes that guided musical play is the best way to facilitate
children’s music learning, believing that, even within group activities, children must be
allowed to listen, watch, and musically explore as they wish (2000). She suggests that
aspects of free musical play enhance group activities and that children must be immersed
in a playful music environment in which their music utterances are nurtured and valued.
Role of Caregivers

Some music educators rely strongly on parental involvement in music education
(Heyge and Sillick, 1998; Adachi, 1994; Levinowitz, 1999; Jarjisian, 1999; Guilmartin,
1999; Szabo, 1999; Nelly, 2001; Taggart, 2003). According to Heyge and Sillick (1998),

music is vital in constructing a harmonious and supportive environment in which children
5

grow and develop. Musical play offers loving parents a means to meet the physical,
psychological, and emotional needs of their young children, while addressing their
children’s needs in a vital, understandable, and non-threatening way. Through musical
play, caregivers can comfort, console, and stimulate an infant, thus facilitating
development using the natural forces of rhythm and melody to interact with a baby.

Trehub (1999) describes the ﬁinction of parental singing. She believes that singing
to infants could serve some or all following functions: easing the burden of physical labor
required of parenting, relieving the pressure of daily life, fostering identiﬁcation between
caregiver and child, generating feelings of well-being for both parent and child, and
providing an outlet for the expression of negative feelings. Usually parent/infant
interactions are private, allowing expression of a wide range of both positive and negative
emotions on the part of the parent. Trehub has observed that parental singing to infants
may enhance the emotional ties between the parent and infant and that infants show
preference to the higher pitch level of their mothers’ over their fathers’ voice.

Adachi (1994) insists on the importance of the caregiver’s role in music learning. He
proposes that children do not learn cultural signs as separate entities from the social
interaction, but they learn them as a part of the social process. Thus, the process of
internalizing cultural signs inevitably involves the process of internalizing social process
in which these signs are originally introduced to children. In music learning, adults
transmit musical culture to children.

Levinowitz (1999) states that, not only teachers, but also parents can nurture a

child’s disposition toward music. She sees parental involvement as absolutely crucial.
6

She recommends what she calls the ABCs of music education for teachers’ sharing music
with parents: A. Make the music accessible to parents, B. Understand that the music
needs to be beautiful for optimal effect, and C. Ensure that parents are conﬁdent in their
understanding of their child’s development so that they can share music with their
children as they grow.

The advantages that Jarjisian (1999) sees in parental involvement in the classroom
are that one or both parents can observe how their children interact in large groups and
could administer to them as needed, through hugs, rest periods, snacks, and visits to the
bathroom. Parents and children are also enjoying sharing music together.

Guilmartin (1999) proposes that the developmental rule of nature is model-
imperative and that children learn the disposition for making music only from their
primary caregivers. He believes that music educators are only beginning to understand
the developmental importance of including parents in early childhood music classes and
that the job of music educator is not to teach the children musical skills but to create an
environment in which adult primary caregivers learn to model those skills.

Szabo (1999) also believes that parents and caregivers have a role in children’s
music learning. Szabo states, “Parents and caregivers can make a very signiﬁcant
contribution to infants’ musical development by singing to them routinely and
encouraging their tonal babble response” (p. 19).

Neclly (2001) insists that children and adults make powerful learning connections as
they engage in singing musical conversations, moving interpretively, improvising on

familiar songs, and playing rhythm patterns on percussion instruments. The quality of a
7

music learning experience for young children depends not only on musical materials, but
also on ways in which adults shape the experience to create personal meaning for a child.
As adults include musical conversations throughout children’s daily routines, they
provide opportunities for mutual musical problem solving, decision-making, and
reﬂecting on musical choices. Both children and adults can learn and grow musicians and
people.

Taggart (2003) states that, ideally, early childhood music classes should include
parents and caregivers. When immersed in an appropriate music environment with their
children and when provided with models of appropriate musical interactions, these adults
may improve their own musical skills as well as the music environments they provide for
their children outside of music class.

Parental involvement in early childhood music leaning is crucial, and there are
several positive effects. First, adults can be a musical model in their children’s music
learning. From musical activities with adults, children can learn how they sing, move,
and respond to music. Second, parents and caregivers can see how to interact musically to
facilitate their children’s music learning. They can understand how they need to interact
musically in children’s music learning outside of music class. Third, parental
involvement in the music class can be a good time for bonding parents and children.
Many early childhood music programs include parental involvement. Through parental
involvement, parents and children develop deeper attachments to one another for other.

Parents and children also are able to enjoy developing musical skills together.

Environment and Aptitude Develcmment

Researchers believe that a rich musical environment has a positive effect on the
development of a child’s music aptitude, thus laying a foundation for future success and
involvement with music (Doxey and Wright, 1990; Moore, 1990; Pond, 1981; Simons,
1986). Some researchers insist that providing a balance between spontaneity and structure
is central to providing a learning environment to facilitate young children’s aptitude and
brain development. Andress (1999) believes that age-appropriate activities must include
both spontaneous and structured experiences and that spontaneity should be a dominant
part of the approach with young children for “therein lies the true creative spirit of the
medium” (p. 31).

Jarjisian (1999) states that young children thrive on structure but with spontaneity as
a part of that structure. Children like routine and activities that begin and end in the same
way. She says, “This helps them to develop a sense of competence because they know
how a procedure goes and what happens next” (p. 31). She insists that spontaneity should
be structured into the routine, and it should be acknowledged that sometimes the children
may have a better idea of how to do something than the standard way in which a teacher
might approach it. For example, when children engage in rhythm activity as a part of
music class, they might request rhythm sticks as well as provide ideas for using them.

Roebuke (1999) believes in balancing structure and spontaneity. She recommends
that teachers expose children to a musical goal in class that will stimulate their interest
and curiosity and then encourage them to follow through and explore it during free time.

Roebuke asserts that children need to be encouraged to explore musically on their own.
9

Flohr (1999) insists that music learning is related to brain function in children and
that early childhood programs need to provide music education for children. Flohr states,
“A variety of new research techniques are now being used to investigate brain function
and development in young children. Preliminary results indicate that music may have an
impact on brain activity, especially during the early childhood years, when human
development hinges on the interplay between nature and nurture” (p. 41). According to
Flohr, “The impact of music education may be dramatic and speciﬁc, not merely
inﬂuencing the general direction of development but also affecting the circuitry of the
human brain” (p. 43). Early care and nurturing have a decisive, long lasting impact on
how people develop, their ability to learn, and their capacity to regulate their own
emotions. Because of this, preschool education programs need to emphasize music as a
part of this care and nurturing. The human brain has a remarkable capacity to change, but
timing is crucial. It appears that early childhood is a signiﬁcant window of opportunity
for music learning” (p. 54).

Gardner (1993), in his theory of multiple intelligences, states that there are separate
intelligences. Each person possesses linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical-rhythmic,
visual-spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal-social, and intrapersonal-emotional,
naturalistic, existential, and each of these is discrete. According to Gardner, all children
deserve to have all nine intelligences nourished so that they can develop to their full
potential. If any of the intelligences are overlooked during early childhood, essential

learning stages may be missed and that potential intelligence may diminish. Because of

10

this, Gardner believes that music instruction is crucial to early childhood education in the
development of music as an independent intelligence.

According to Feierabend (1990), early childhood specialists have embraced the
integration of music into their curricula and rationalized its use because of the
extramusical beneﬁts in the areas of social, cognitive, motor, affective, and creative
development. However, he, like Gardner, insists that success in singing and moving to
music involves a type of intelligence independent of other intellectual skills and that the
foundation for these skills are optimally laid in early childhood.

Gordon ( 1997) believes that every child has music aptitude, and providing a rich
music environment in early childhood is important for developing music aptitude. He
asserts that every child has at least some music aptitude from birth. His research supports
that music aptitude is innate, but that a child’s environment can affect his or her level of
music aptitude from birth or even before. By the time a child reaches appropriately age
nine, his or her music aptitude has stabilized. Even though the child may have a good
musical environment, that child cannot develop her or his music aptitude after age nine.
Only his or her achievement can increase. Because of this, Gordon insists that providing a
musical environment is important to children in their early childhood years.

Sims (1997) proposes that providing appropriate environments for young children is
crucial to their developing positive attitudes about music. Sims states that some
researchers have found that, during early childhood, children show positive attitudes
toward many kinds of music. Because of these positive attitudes, early childhood is an

ideal time to provide children exposure to music from a wide range of genres, styles, and
11

cultures. She also states that researchers have found that children are able to perceive and
respond to more sophisticated musical discriminations than can be documented using
most assessment methods. Young children need to be provided with stimulating,
appropriate experiences and opportunities to create a strong foundation for future music
learning.

Also, Costa-Giomi (1999) believes that various experiences with music are good for
developing music aptitude in young children. Costa-Giomi states that moving to music,
dancing, playing instruments, and experimentation with materials that make sounds are
all helpful to the development of toddlers. She believes that doing, in addition to
listening, offers the greatest positive beneﬁt in all aspects of learning, especially in music.

According to Neelly, musical experience affects children’s overall development.
Neelly (2001) proposes that, for young children, the greater the quality and frequency of
the musical experience, the greater the gains in all areas of a child’s learning. “Moving,
singing, and listening experiences that provide interactive, success-oriented opportunities
for children are avenues for children’s overall grth and development. When planning
these opportunities, we must remember that music is not just another part of children’s
day, it is an essential part of their makeup”(p.36).

Summag

Music is an essential part of childhood, and music education in early childhood is
important to children. Musical play is a natural learning mode for children, and they
should have opportunities to develop themselves through musical play. Experience with

music has a variety of effects on children. Through experiencing music, children can
12

develop their intellectual, physical, emotional, and musical aptitudes. Also, when parents
and caregivers become involved with children’s experience with music, their children can
more easily engage in music and parent/child bonds are reinforced.

Providing an appropriate music learning environment in early childhood is essential
for music aptitude development (Gordon, 1997). Making early childhood music learning
environments as appropriate as possible is also crucial in light of what is known about
brain development and the development of music aptitude in early childhood. However,
researchers have not investigated the reasons behind why their children in early
childhood music programs. These reasons may shape the parent/child/teacher triangle in
important ways. Because parents have a much deeper understanding of their child as an
individual than a music teacher, who only sees the child once a week, they may have
reasons that are not musically related for enrolling their child in music classes. For
example, they may be concerned about the social, cognitive, or emotional development of
their child more than their child’s musical development. Also, the publicity surrounding
the “Mozart Effect” over the past 10 years has trumpeted to the public that music can
make children smarter. However, most music teachers have music goals as their primary
focus. If teachers are made aware of the reasons for enrolling children in their music
programs, the interactions between all of the participants in the early childhood music
classroom might be made more rich and better meet of needs of the child. In addition,
parents’ expectations for the classes can be addressed, either through education or

through adapting instruction to meet those expectations.

13

Purpose and Problem

Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide information about parental
expectations that can be used to improve the learning environment in early childhood
music classes. The problem of this study is to identify the reasons parents pursue early

childhood music instruction for their children.

14

CHAPTER 2
RELATED RESEARCH

Introduction

How teachers teach music to children is of central concern to the early childhood
music profession. Several music educators and scholars have developed early childhood
music programs for children, some of which have been the focus of research. However,
this study will focus on the beliefs, expectations, and goals of parents rather than the
goals and methodologies of teachers. This chapter contains a discussion of the few
research studies that are related to the following topics in early childhood music
education: musical play and parenting and expectations of parents of young children.
Musical Play and Parenting

Recently, musical play has become a common theme of discussion in early
childhood music classrooms, as has parental involvement in the musical play with their
children. The following studies focus on the effect of musical play and musical parenting
in early childhood music instruction.

Berger and Cooper (2003) studied musical play in their case study of preschool
children and parents. The setting for this study was a music education program called
“Musical Play,” which consisted of 10 weekly classes for parents and preschool children

at a major university in the southwestern United States. Primary participants were the 18
15

children enrolled in the Musical Play program. The researchers divided the children into
two groups according to the children’s chronological ages. The ﬁrst group of nine
children (ages two to three) included four girls and ﬁve boys; the second group of nine
(ages four to ﬁve) included six girls and three boys. Secondary participants included the
parents of the children, as well as visiting children and adults. The researchers divided the
45-minute sessions into four sections: opening free play, guided group activities, middle
free play, and a closing group activity. During free musical play, children chose music
centers for musical play alone and with others. Group sessions included singing, moving,
listening, and readings of children’s literature, with all activities involving both parent
and child. The researchers observed the musical behaviors of preschool children in free
and structured musical play environments to discover how children explore sound alone
and with others. Analysis of the data revealed three themes: unﬁnished play,
extinguishing play, and enhancing play. The children communicated their need for free
musical play to adults and other children through statements, requests, gesture, and
actions. The researchers identiﬁed conditions that interrupted, modiﬁed, or enhanced
children’s musical play. The researchers concluded that children needed extended,
uninterrupted time for play episodes as well as appropriate materials in the environment.
Adult valuing of all children’s musical utterances and ﬂexibility within structured lessons
enhanced play.

Levinowitz and Estrin (1996) studied parent-child interactions during a preschool
music class. The purpose of this study was to explore parent-child interactions in a

preschool music class environment in which parent education was a major component of
16

program. Speciﬁcally, the following questions were posed: (1) In what types of teaching
do parents engage most often when participating in a music class environment? (2) What
types of responses do children most often display toward their parents’ teaching style? (3)
How do parents respond to the child’s feedback? (4) What are the styles of social/verbal
interaction? Twenty-nine parent-child dyads participated in this study. “Music in Parent
Child Relationships,” the program in which the subjects were enrolled, was a family
music experience for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their parents and /or caregivers.
The Program consisted of a two-year cycle of three ten-week sessions per year. Classes,
which were based on the Music Together curriculum, met for 45 minutes once a week.
The emphasis of the program was twofold: (a) to nurture the musical growth of young
children through developmentally appropriate music activities; and (b) to prepare parents
and/or caregivers to foster an enriched music environment outside the music class. A
critical tenet of this program was that parental involvement and support is key to the
child’s early success and enjoyment in music, regardless of parent’s own musical ability.
The researchers observed the parent/child interactions over a two-year period. Based on
information collected during these observations, the researcher concluded that the
interactions between parent and child in a music learning environment does assist parents
in developing realistic expectations for their children’s music behaviors. The researchers
also concluded that such interactions contribute to and possibly enhance parent-child
attachments and the child’s self-esteem, which subsequently positively affects the child’s

performance and competence.

l7

Custodero and Johnson-Green (2003) studied the musical parenting of infants. The
purpose of this study was to investigate the possible inﬂuences of experience and media
messages on musical parenting. Using data from a national survey of 2,250 parents,
researchers examined the degree to which parents’ musical experiences were associated
with how often they themselves sing and play for their young infants. The researchers
also examined differences in the degree to which experience was associated with musical
parenting between those who received the Smart Symphonies CD at the time of their
child’s birth and those who did not receive the CD. The parents’ Use of Music with
Infants Survey was administrated through in-depth telephone interviews with a regional-
focused national sample of English-speaking parents with children 4 to 6 months of age.
The respondents ranged in age from 15 to 55 years, and the vast majority (90%) resided
in two-parent households. Most participants were women (73%), and a similar majority
was white. Respondents in this study tended to be more highly educated than the national
average. On average, it took 22 minutes to conduct the interviews. The following
questions addressed parents’ musical experience: “Did your mother/father sing to you?
Do you play a musical instrument? Have you ever sung in a choir or other musical group?
Have you ever taken music lessons? Frequency of playing and singing music was
determined by responses to the following questions: How often do you get a chance to
play music for your child? How often do you get a chance to sing to your child?” The
style of music played by parents for infants was addressed in this question, which
allowed for multiple responses: “What types of music do you play when your child is

around?” The type of musical literature sung by parents was addressed in this question,
18

which allowed for multiple responses: “What do you usually sing to your child?” The
researchers found that experience matters; parents with speciﬁc music educational
experiences as well as memories of being parented musically were much more likely to
sing and play music with their infants than those without experiences. This differs from
Illari’s (2002) ﬁndings that musical experience did not affect mothers’ listening or
singing behaviors. Results of this study provide insight into which types of experiences
may be most salient in the musical parenting of infants. The results support a systems
view of the child in the context of families and society and have implications about
indirect effects of music education.

Adachi (1994) studied the adult role as a practice partner. He lived with a preschool
child and her family for three months. The child and he had an half-hour “music time”
every morning. Activities included singing, chanting, body movements, playing
instruments, listening games, and music reading. He also gave her a weekly music lesson
with other preschool children. Music time was largely a spontaneous event, whereas the
music lesson was conducted within an instructional framework. During these sessions,
various musical signs were transmitted to the child, signs which the child subsequently
transmitted from her to her parents, her nanny, and her friend. The researcher discovered
that the musical interactions through which the child transmitted learned musical signs to
others were not simple replications of what she had done with him. From this study, he
concluded that the adult introduces and transmits musical signs through the adult-child
interactions. Therefore, the adult’s role as a practice partner should be considered as

important new cultural signs.
19

Kelly and Smith (1987) studied the adult role as a transmitter of musical signs to the
child. They observed the musical productivity of three female children in their homes
from birth to the age of 2. One child’s (Child A’s) family consisted of professional
musicians. The second child (Child B) was raised in a musical environment, although the
family members were not professional musicians. The third child (Child C) was not
raised in a musically oriented home. In the Child C’s home, musical interaction between
the child and any family member was not observed throughout the study, whereas in the
other homes musical interactions were observed. In Child C’s home, although the child
produced standard songs, she did not produce spontaneous songs. The two other children
produced spontaneous songs before standard songs, and the traits of spontaneous songs
showed similar patterns in development: descending glissando, three-note contour, and
alternating third intervals. By the end of two years, Child A and Child B became able to
produce sung pitch in their singing, while Child C’s singing was more spoken than sung.
Thus, through early musical interaction with the adult in the family, a sung pitch was
transmitted to the children as a musical sign to be used for singing. From this study, the
researcher concluded that one of the keys for a child to become able to function musically
is whether the adult introduces and transmits musical signs through adult-child
interactions. However, little research has been conducted to determine whether this plays
a role in parents seeking music experiences for their children outside of the home.

Although there is some research concerning musical play and parenting, none of this

research focuses speciﬁcally on parental expectations and beliefs about early childhood

20

music instruction. There is only one study that speciﬁcally addresses the reasons parents
pursue early childhood music instruction for their children.
Parents’ Expectations

Hornbach (2003) investigated parental reasons for enrolling young children in early
childhood music classes. The purpose of her study was to understand the reasons why a
parent ﬁrst enrolled and continues to enroll his/her child in early Childhood Music
Classes for parents of infants/toddlers at Michigan State University’s Community Music
School. Because this was a qualitative study, the participants were limited to one parent
with a previously and currently enrolled child in the Early Childhood Music Program and
one of the administrators of Community Music School. Interviews were conducted with a
parent/caregiver of an infant/toddler currently and previously enrolled in Early Childhood
Music Program. The data was triangulated between an administrator and a parent, artifact
collection, ﬁeld notes, and personal experience as an instructor at Community Music
School. From this study, she found that the parent enrolled as a result of the following
goals: children’s social development, knowledge or learning, musical development, play,
providing environment-home and school, and interaction with parent or family.
Summag

Musical play and parenting in early childhood music programs are a common theme
through the research literature. Through musical play, children can have extended and
uninterrupted time for exploring music, which is enhanced by having appropriate
materials in the musical environment. Parental involvement within structured music also

can enhance children’s music learning. Children learn musical signs from the adults.
21

Also, the interactions between parent and child in a music learning environment assist
parents in developing realistic expectations for their children’s music behaviors. Such
interactions also contribute to and possibly enhance parent-child attachments and the
child’s self-esteem, which subsequently affects the child’s performance and competence
positively. Although these are documents beneﬁts of early childhood music instruction,
they may not be related to the reasons that parents have for enrolling their children in
early childhood music classes. Hombach’s study shows that, the parent in her study
enrolled her children as a result of the following goals: children’s social development,
knowledge or learning, musical development, play, providing environment at home and
school, and interaction with parent or family. However, Hornbach’s study was limited to
one family because of her methodological approach and design. In this study, the author
will gather information more broadly as to the various reasons parents pursue early
childhood music instruction for their children. These reasons might be helpful to children,
parents, and teachers. They may shape the parent/child/teacher instructional triangle. For
example, if the teacher is aware of the parents’ expectations for the music class, the
teacher might be able to interact with the children and parents more meaningfully to
fulﬁll parental goals, if appropriate, while continuing to pursue the ﬁindamental goals in

the view of the teacher, resulting in a better, richer learning environment for all involved.

22

CHAPTER 3
METHOD

m

Subjects were 42 parents and caregivers who have children participating in Early
Childhood Music Classes of the Community Music School of Michigan State University
in East Lansing, Michigan. The Early Childhood Music classes offered through the
music program at MSU are designed to create a rich music environment in which the
child can interact with music in whatever way she or he feels most comfortable. There are
two age-level groups: infant/toddler, for up to ten children from birth through three, and
preschool, for up to twelve children from ages three to ﬁve. Each class of more than six
children has one instructor and an assistant teacher. For classes with less then six
children, there is a teacher and no assistant. Although classes differ according to the age
level and readiness of the children, all classes include singing and chanting for the
children in a wide variety of tonalities and meters. Many songs are performed in class
without words, and the classes provide many opportunities for age-appropriate
movement, with a focus on guiding children to move in a sustained, continuous, relaxed
way. Children also are exposed to a vocabulary of tonal and rhythm patterns, which they
may or may not perform in class or later at home. There is a limited amount of

exploration of simple percussion instruments, but no expectations toward correctness.
23

Parents or caregivers accompany their children to the classes and participate as musical
role models for their children. Each class meets for 45 minutes once a week.
Procedure

All subjects received a survey (see Appendix A) and were asked to complete it. The
researcher distributed the survey to each subject during the subject’s regularly scheduled
music class. Each survey was collected by the researcher at class the following week.
Return of the survey constituted agreement to participate in the study, as approved by
University Committee on research Involving Human Subjects. The survey was given
again to subjects who do not return the survey for collection the following week. Finally,
those who still did not return the survey were given a third survey and an addressed,
stamped envelope in which to return their completed surveys.
Analysis

Data were collected and analyzed for the reasons parents pursue early childhood
music instruction for their children. The reasons were classiﬁed according to importance
as reported by the parents. Also, the results were examined according to age group,
education level, and musical background of the parents/caregivers. Results were not

examined according to gender, as all but three of the respondents were female.

24

CHAPTER 4
RESULTS

Of the 60 surveys that were distributed, 42 were returned. This is a 70% response
rate. All but one of the 42 respondents were parents, with the other respondent being a
grandparent. Thirty nine respondents were female (mothers and one grandmother) and
three male (fathers). Respondents were grouped four age groups: 15-30, 30-40, 40-50,
and 50+. See Table l for the results of this grouping. Most parent/caregivers were in the
30-40 age group, with the other groups consisting of few subjects.
Table 1

Age Groups in This Study

 

 

Age group Number
15-30 3
30-40 3 1
40-50 6

50 + 2

 

Respondents in this study tended to be highly educated. Eighteen respondents had
graduate degrees, seventeen respondents had undergraduate degrees, one respondent had

a high school degree, and six respondents had post-graduate degrees (see Table 2).
25

Table 2

Highest Completed Levels of Education

 

 

Levels of Education Number
High School Degree 1
Undergraduate School 17
Graduate School 18
Post Graduate 6

 

The survey contained the question, “Do you sing or play a musical instrument?”
Sixteen respondents had no musical background, and twenty-six respondents had at least
some musical background. Subjects who responded that they had musical background
reported singing in choir, taking instrument or voice lessons, or playing an instrument in
band at some point. No respondents reported participating in informal music settings,
such as in a folk music community or a garage band. Some of the respondents reported
that they can play several kinds of instruments. Also, two respondents studied music
education as their major. Thirteen respondents clearly reported that they did not have any
musical background. However, two respondents reported no musical background but
reported that they had played ﬂute or violin brieﬂy when they were very young. Another
respondent answered, “No, I just took accordion lesson forty years ago.” Because these
respondents did not consider their music participation as meaningful, the researcher
considered these three respondents as having no musical background, which is what they

themselves reported (Table 3).
26

Table 3

Each Respondent ’s Musical Background (Sing or Play an Instrument)

 

 

Musical Background Number
Yes 26
No 1 6

 

The subjects were also asked to respond to “What other musical backgrounds are
represented in your family?” Thirty-one respondents had others in their families with
musical background. Most of them said that their husbands, wives, grandparents, their
siblings, or their other children played or have played music instruments, or sing or have
sung in choir. Eleven respondents did not have any other musical background in their
family (Table 4).

Table 4

Other Musical Background in Each Respondent ’s Family

 

 

Other Musical Background Number
Yes 3 1
No 1 1

 

The subjects were asked, “What are your reasons for enrolling your child/children in
an early childhood music program? List ﬁve reasons in order of importance.” Six
respondents answered all ﬁve reasons in order of importance, and thirty four respondents

listed three or four reasons for enrolling their child/children. There were twenty two
27

identiﬁable reasons for enrolling their children in the Early Childhood Music Program.
These are listed below, along with samples of responses representative of that category of
response. As respondents were asked to list, the sample responses are often brief.
1. Brain development: responses in this category related to musical experiences
facilitating the natural wiring of the brain.

Sample response: “Affecting positively brain development.”
2. Building foundation for future music learning: these responses centered on the
importance of early childhood music experiences as the foundation of future music
learning.

Sample response: “To help set the foundation for future music learning.”
3. Child shows musical response: the caregivers who responded in this way had noticed
the child responding musically at home. As a result, they wanted to encourage this type
of response by enrolling their child in a music class.

Sample response: “My child shows musical response.”
4. Complement of Suzuki program: in these responses, a child was in both Suzuki
instrumental instruction and early childhood music classes. The respondents believed that
the two programs supported one another educationally.

Sample response: “Good complement to Suzuki program.”
5. Development of music aptitude: responses in this category related to music aptitude
development in early childhood. Respondents enrolled their child/children in order to
develop the music aptitudes the child.

Sample response: “To encourage musical abilities.”
28

6. Enjoy class: responses in this category came only from those who had been enrolled in
a class in the past. The respondents stated that their child enjoyed the class, so they
continued to enroll.

Sample response: “My child really enjoys class.”
7. Enjoy music: for this category, the respondents reported that they want their child to
enjoy music. They enrolled the child because of this enjoyment.

Sample response: “He loves music and loves listening and singing.”
8. Expand horizons: these responses related to wanting children to have as broad a range
of opportunities in early childhood as possible and included music classes as such an
opportunity.

Sample response: “Expand horizons.”
9. Exposure to music: these responses related to the parent wanting their children to be
exposed to music as a young child.

Sample response: “Exposure to the musical environment.”
10. Explore emotions through music: the responses in this category related to music as a
means through which to feel and express emotions. Parents/caregiver enrolled the
child/children so that they could learn to use music as an expressive tool.

Sample response: “Explore emotions through music.”
11. Facilitates cognitive development: the responses in this category related to enrolling a
child in early childhood music classes to make them smarter in other non-deﬁned areas of
achievement.

Sample response: “Stimulate mental development.”
29

12. Facilitates language development: these responses focused on using music to improve
skill in language learning.

Sample response: “Promote speech.”
13. Family time: responses in this category centered on the importance of members of the
family participating in music class together as a means of bonding and deeping personal
relationships.

Sample response: “To provide and enjoyable time for us to share outside of our
everyday routine.”
14. Finding interest in/ability toward music: these responses centered upon music class as
a means of identifying musical talent and interest.

Sample response: “See if he has any interest/ability toward music.”
15. Friend enrolled: responses in this category referred to a preexisting personal
relationship outside of class as the reason for enrolling.

Sample response: “A friend was enrolling her child.”
16. Improve math skills: these responses focused on using music to improve skills in
math learning.

Sample response: “The link between math skills and appreciating sound/tonal
combinations.”
17. Learn to play musical instrument: these responses centered on early childhood music
classes as readiness for instrumental music learning.

Sample response: “learn to play a musical instrument.”

30

18. Meet other parents: responses in this category related to a parent’s desire to meet
other parents with children of similar ages.

Sample response: “Meet other parents.”
19. Music appreciation: these responses focused on the parent/caregiver wanting their
child to appreciate music in the future. They are enrolling their child/children to lay the
foundation for this appreciation.

Sample response: “Music appreciation.”
20. Parents enjoy class: these responses centered on the parent/caregiver enjoying the
class as a reason for enrolling a child.

Sample response: “ I, as a parent, enjoy attending classes too.”
21. Philosophy of program: these responses referred to a congruence between the
educational philosophy of the program and that of the person enrolling the child.

Sample response: “MSU music school program philosophy.”
22. Social development: these responses centered on enrolling children in the class so that
they have contact with other children, which facilitates social development.

Sample response: “Interact with other kids.”

After all of the responses were identiﬁed according to category, the researcher gave
a score to each reason in order of importance. The reason listed ﬁrst received a 5, the
reason listed second received a 4, and so on. Then the total number of points in each
category was calculated to determine the salience of the reason for enrollment.
Table 5 shows reasons in order of importance for enrolling the early childhood

music program, using the point totals in each category. In the list of the ﬁve reasons, 21
31

respondents included ‘Exposure to Music’, 24 respondents included ‘Social
Development’, 20 respondents included ‘ Music Appreciation’, 16 respondents included ‘
Enjoy Class’, and 13 respondents included ‘Brain Development.’ Other categories all
received fewer than 10 responses. Although Social Development was referred to most
preferred lists, it was prioritized to a less degree than Exposure to Music and Music
Appreciation.

Table 5

All Reasons in Order of Importance for Enrolling Early Childhood Music Program

 

 

Reasons Rating
1. Exposure to music 95 (n=21)
2. Music Appreciation 72 (n=20)
3. Social development 71 (n=24)
4. Enjoy Class 50 (n= 1 6)
5. Brain Development 45 (n=12)
6. Building foundation for future music learning 43 (n=1 1)
7. Enjoy music 2 9 (n = 6)
8. Child shows musical response 2 2 (n = 6)
9. Development of music aptitude 1 9 (n = 6)
10. Family time i 18 (n=5)
1 1. Facilitates language development 1 8 (n = 4 )
12. Learn to play musical instrument 1 3 (n = 3 )

 

32

Table 5 (cont’d)

 

13. Facilitates cognitive development ’ 6 (n = 2 )
14. Expand horizons 6 ( n = 2 )
15. Finding interest in/ability toward music 5 (n = 1 )
16. Improve math skills 4 (n = 1 )
17. Complement of Suzuki 3 (n = 1 )
18. Explore emotions through music 3 (n = l )
19. Friend enrolled 3 ( n = 2 )
20. Meet other parents 2 ( n = 2 )
21. Parents enjoy class 1 (n = l )
22. Philosophy of program 1 (n = 1 )

 

The researcher also compared the most salient ﬁve reasons for each of the three
highest completed levels of education: Undergraduate, Graduate, and Post Graduate
Levels (see Table 6). Because only one respondent had a high school degree as the
highest completed degree, that level was not included in this analysis. Exposure to music,
Music appreciation, and Enjoy class appeared in all three lists. Social development, Brain
development, and Building foundation for future learning appeared in two of the three
lists, and Music aptitude appeared only on the list of those with post-graduate degrees.

Overall, the lists were similar.

33

Table 6

Five Reasons in Order of Importance by Highest Completed Levels of Education

 

 

 

Undergraduate Graduate Post Graduate
Reasons Rating Reasons Rating Reasons Rating

Exposure to 50(n=11) Brain 34 (n=9) Enjoy Class 16 (n=5)

Music Development

Social 33(n=12) Music 33(n=10) Exposure to 14 (n=3)

Development Appreciation Music

Music 29 (n=7) Exposure to 31 (n=7) Music 13 (n=3)

Appreciation Music Appreciation

Building 17 (n=5) Social 26 (n=9) Building 10 (n=3)

foundation development foundation for

for future future

learning learning

Enjoy class 13 (n=4) Enjoy class 21 (n=7) Music 6 (n=2)

Aptitude

 

The researcher compared the ﬁve most salient reasons in order of importance
according to the musical backgrounds of the respondents (Table 7). Exposure to music
was the most salient factor, regardless of the musical background of the respondent.
Social development, Music appreciation, and Brain development also appeared

prominently in both lists. Enjoy class only appeared on the list of those who had musical
34

background, whereas Enjoy music only appeared as one of the ﬁve salient reasons for

those with no musical background.
Table 7

Five Reasons in Order of Importance by Respondents’ Own Musical Background

 

 

 

Musical Background Non-Musical Background
Reasons Rating Reasons Rating
1. Exposure to Music 55 (n=12) 1. Exposure to Music 40 (n=9)
2. Music Appreciation 39 (n=6) 2. Social Development 39 (n=13)
3. Social Development 32 (n=10) 3.’Music Appreciation 36 (n=10)
4. Enjoy Class 30 (n=] 1) 4. Brain Development 25 (n=7)
5. Brain Development 20 (n=5) 5. Enjoy Music 24 (n=5)

 

Also, the researcher compared the ﬁve most salient reasons according to
respondents’ family musical background (see Table 8). Exposure to music, Music
appreciation, and Social development appeared on both lists. Building a foundation for
future learning and Enjoy class appeared only on the salience list for those with musical
background, whereas Enjoy music and Brain development appeared only on the list of
those with non-musical backgrounds.

Table 8

Five Reasons in Order of Importance by Respondents ’ Family Musical Background

 

Musical Background Non-Musical Background

 

35

 

Table 8 (con’td)

 

 

Reasons Rating Reasons Rating
1. Exposure to Music 75 (n=16) 1. Music Appreciation 2 5 (n = 7)
2. Social Development 49 (n=15 2. Enjoy Music 2 0 ( n = 5 )
3. Music Appreciation 47 (n=13) 3. Brain Development 2 O ( n = 6 )
4. Building Foundation 41 (n=11) 4. Social Development 2 5 ( n = 7 )
For Learning
5. Enjoy Class 35(n=12) 5. Exposure to Music 2 0 ( n = 5 )

 

36

CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Forty two parents and caregivers from the Michigan State University participated in
this study by completing a survey about their reasons for enrolling their child in the
program. In addition, they provided information about their levels of education, their
musical background, and the musical background of other family members. Twenty-two
reasons emerged for enrolling children in the Early Childhood Music Program in this
study. These are listed below: 1. brain development, 2. building foundation for future
music learning, 3. child shows musical response, 4. complement of Suzuki program, 5.
development of music aptitude, 6. enjoy class, 7. enjoy music, 8. expand horizons, 9.
exposure to music, 10. explore emotions through music, 11. facilitates cognitive
development, 12. facilitates language development, 13. family time, 14. ﬁnding interest
in/ability toward music, 15. friend enrolled, 16. improve math skills, 17. learn to play
musical instrument, 18 .meet other parents, 19 .music appreciation, 20. parents enjoy
class, 21. philosophy of music program, 22. social development. The ﬁve reasons in order
of greatest salience were: exposure to music, music appreciation, social development,
enjoy class, and brain development.

Also, the researcher found that there are small differences in the salient reasons

when the respondents were grouped by highest completed levels of education, with
37

undergraduate degree, graduate degree, and post-graduate degree as grouping categories.
Exposure to music, Music appreciation, and Enjoy class appeared in all three lists. Social
development, Brain development, and Building foundation for future learning appeared
in two of the three lists, and Music aptitude appeared only on the list of those with post-
graduate degrees. Overall, the lists were similar.

The researcher compared the ﬁve salient reasons when the respondents were
grouped according to musical backgrounds, with musical background and no musical
background as the categories. Exposure to music was the most salient factor, regardless
of the musical background of the respondent. Social development, Music appreciation,
and Brain development also appeared prominently in both lists.

Also, the researcher found that there are some differences in order of importance by
respondents’ family musical backgrounds, with no musical background and musical
background being the two categories. Exposure to music, Music appreciation, and Social
development appeared on both lists. Building a foundation for future learning and Enjoy
class appeared only on the salience list for those with musical background, whereas
Enjoy music and Brain development appeared only on the list of those with non-musical
backgrounds.

The researcher concludes that there are many reasons parents and caregivers have
for choosing to enroll their children in early childhood music programs. Some of these
are intrinsically musical, such as development of music appreciation and understanding,

and others are non-musical, such as social development and development of cognitive

38

skills. Teachers and administrators of early childhood music programs should be aware
of this when planning their interactions with parents and children in the program.
Implications for Early Childhood Music Instruction

Results regarding the reasons parents pursue early childhood music instruction for
their children revealed ﬁve primary reasons for enrolling in the music program: exposure
to music, music appreciation, social development, enjoy music, and brain development.

Many early childhood music programs have become available to very young
children, and many parents have chosen to enroll their children in these programs.
Providing an optimal environment in which young children can experience music is an
important responsibility of parents and music educators. For teachers, especially,
knowing reasons parents pursue early childhood music instruction for their children is
essential. Perhaps parent orientations prior to beginning instruction would be helpful to
facilitate communication between teachers and parents regarding their expectations for
the class. Also, channels of communication between parents and teachers should be built
into the educational structure of such programs. The interactions between all of the
participants in the early childhood music classroom might be made richer and better meet
of needs of the child when the reasons are shared and possibly addressed.
Suggestions for Future Research

In this study, subjects were 42 parents and caregivers who had children participating
in Early Childhood Music Classes of the Community Music School of Michigan State
University in East Lansing, Michigan. Future research is needed that includes a larger

number of subjects. In this study, the researcher hoped for 100 subjects, but the survey
39

was distributed and completed during one of the three summer sessions, in which fewer
children were enrolled, so there were fewer subjects than expected. If future research has
a greater number of subjects, better generalizability of the results will be possible. Also,
replicating this study with other populations would increase its generalizability.

Further, future studies might compare the expectations of teachers with those of
parents. If there is a large disparity between these two sets of expectations, the
instructional process may be compromised for all.

Finally, once sets of expectations are established for both teachers and parents,
researchers might investigate the effect of sharing these expectations on the educational
environment in terms of student learning, parent satisfaction, student engagement, and

teacher satisfaction.

40

APPENDIX A

41

 

OFFICE OF
RESEARCH
ETHICS AND
STANDARDS

slty Committee on
Iesearch Involving
Human Subjects

ilgan State University
202 Olds Hall

East Lansing. MI
48824

51 7/355-2180
FAX 517/432-4503

msuedu/user/ucrihs
lail- ucrlns@msu.edu

is an affirms ‘iw-action.

Revision
Application
Approval

MICHIGAN STATE

U N l V E R S | T Y
December 7. 2004

T03 Cynthia Taggart
209 Music Practice Bldg.

Category: EXEMPT 1-2
December 7, 2004
June 9, 2005

Re: IRB ll 04-419
Revision Approval Date:
Project Expiration Date:

Title: ASSESSMENT OF PARENTAL MOTIVATION FOR ENROLLING A CHILD IN EARLY
CHILDHOOD MUSIC INSTRUCTION

The University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects (UCRIHS) has completed their review of
your project. i am pleased to advise you that the revision has been approved.

This letter also acknowledges the request for a title change.

The review by the committee has found that your revision is consistent with the continued protection of the
rights and welfare of human subjects. and meets the requirements of MSU's Federal Wide Assurance and the
Federal Guidelines (45 CFR 46 and 21 OF R Part 50). The protection of human subjects in research is a
partnership between the IRS and the investigators. We look forward to working with you as we both fulﬁll our

responsibilities.

Renewals: UCRIHS approval is valid until the expiration date listed above. If you are continuing your project,
you must submit an Application for Renewal application at least one month before expiration. lithe project is
completed. please submit an Application for Permanent Closure.

Revisions: UCRIHS must review any changes in the project, prior to initiation of the change. Please submit an
Application for Revision to have your changes reviewed. it changes are made at the time of renewal. please
include an Application for Revision with the renewal application.

Problems: If issues should arise during the conduct of the research. such as unanticipated problems adverse
events or any problem that may increase the risk to the human subjects. notify UCRIHS promptly. Forms are
available to report these issues.

Please use the IRB number listed above on any forms submitted which relate to this project. or on any
correspondence with UCRIHS.

Good luck in your research. if we can be of further assistance. please contact us at 517-355-2180 or via email
at UCRIHS@msu.edu. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

yéoﬂg.

Peter Vasilenko. PhD.

UCRIHS Chair
42

CI Namsoon Park
801 Cherry Lane #201
East Lansing, MI 48823

APPENDIX B

43

The Reasons Parents Pursue Early Childhood Music Instruction for
Children

Written Consent Form

The purpose of this study is to gain information about the reasons parents pursue
early childhood music instruction for their children. We hope that by gathering this
information, we can better meet the needs of families who enroll in early childhood
music program. This survey will take ten to twenty minutes. Participation is voluntary,
you may choose not to participate at all, or you may refuse to participate in certain
procedures or answer certain questions or discontinue your participation at any time
without penalty or loss of beneﬁts. Your privacywill be protected to the maximum extent
allowable by law. Your responses will be conﬁdential; no identiﬁcation of respondents
will occur in any written or oral form of the report. If you have any questions about this
study, contact Dr. Cynthia Taggart by phone: (517) 432-9678, fax: (517) 432-2880, e-
mail: taggartc@msu.edu, or regular mail: 209 Music Practice Building, East Lansing, MI
48824. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant,
please feel free to contact Peter Vasilenko, Ph.D., Michigan State University’s Chair of
the University Committee on Researchllnvolving Human Subject (UCRIHS) by phone:
(517) 355-2180, fax: (517) 432-4503, e-mail: <UCRIHS@msu.edu>, or regular mail: 202
Olds Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824.

Your responses will be very helpful in improving music instruction for children in the

future. UCRIHS APPROVAL FOR
- THIS protect EXPIRE
Sincerely, ,.
Namsoon Park
Cynthia Taggart 4.4 J UN 9 2005
SUBMIT REN
om; uoﬁiﬁtéigé‘fé’m

ABOVE DATE TO CONTINUE

APPENDIX C

45

APPENDIX C

SURVEY FORM

1. What is your gender?
El Female [:1 Male
2. What is your relationship to the child who you accompanied to music class?

[:1 Parent El Grandparent El Other

 

Please specify

3. What is your age group?

CI 20-30 [I 30-40 E] 40-50 El 50+

4. What is your highest completed level of education?

El High School Degree

El Undergraduate School

El Graduate School

46

Cl Post Graduate School

5. Do you sing or play a musical instrument? Describe your musical background.

6. What other musical back grounds are represented in your family? Please describe.

7. What are your reasons for enrolling your child/children in an early childhood music
program? List the reasons in order of importance.
1)
2)
3)
4)

5)

47

REFERENCES

48

REFERENCES

Achilles, E. (1999). What’s happening in early childhood music education? Teaching
Music (October), 30-37.

Adachi, M. (1994). The role of the adult in the child’s early musical socialization: a
Vygotskian perspective. The Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning (5)
3, 26—35.

Andress, B. (1999). What’s happening in early childhood music education? Teaching
Music (October), 30-37.

Berger, A. A. and Cooper, S. (2003). Music Play: A case study of preschool children and
parents. Journal of Research in Music Education 51(2), 151-165.

Campbell, S. and Scott-Kassner, C. (2002). Music in childhood (From preschool through
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