Music is ubiquitous in young children's experiences, but as they get older their experiences become more diverse. Defining the trajectories of musical development is thus complex; explaining them is still more challenging. This article begins by considering definitions of musical development. It reviews research on how children understand separate elements of music, individually (pitch/harmony, rhythm/metre, timbre) and in combination (structure, form, style), drawing on research that isolates and explores these experimentally and evidence from more ecologically valid tasks such as singing and composing. The article then evaluates our understanding of musical development in culture and context.
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