Possible Effects of Early Childhood Music on Mathematical Achievement.

Abstract

Assuming that young children's involvement in music programs provides a conceptual foundation for subjects such as mathematics, this study examined the impact of music education on mathematics achievement in preschool children. A pseudo-experimental design was used in which 35 preschool children involved in a music program treatment were compared at school entry to 39 preschool children without musical experience. All children were from families with similar socioeconomic levels. The music program was based on Kodaly techniques, sequenced to teach concepts of pitch, dynamics, duration, timbre, and form, as well as skills in moving, listening, singing, and organizing sounds. Children participated in one 1-hour session per week for 10 months. They were compared on the Test of Early Mathematics Ability-2 (TEMA-2). Initial results indicated that the music group had higher TEMA-2 mean scores than children without musical experience. However, musical experience in the home and other pre-existing differences may have contributed to group differences. The experimental group was further divided into two groups, children with home music, and children with no music at home. There were no differences in mathematics achievement between the comparison group and the experimental group without music at home. However, the experimental group with music at home scored higher in mathematics achievement than the experimental group without music at home. Two home music activities were related to mathematics achievement: listening to their own music collection, and listening to a family member sing to them. (Contains 25 references.) (KDFB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ************************************************************************

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