Music and Language in Early Childhood Development and Learning

Abstract

This article, which investigates the relationship between music and language in development and learning during early childhood, does so by considering the potentials and inborn abilities in early childhood, the environmental influences, and the interactions between music and language development in children. Finally, it discusses implications for education, suggesting an integrated approach to music and language learning.

School-based integrated curriculum: An integrated music approach in one Hong Kong kindergarten

“…. Singing a song is, therefore, an experience not just in music, but in language as well’ (Chen–Hafteck & Mang, 2012, p. 270). Therefore, when children sing, there are effects on language such as promoting sensitivity to prosodic structures (Wong et al, 2007), and increasing brain responses to violations in musical pitch (Magne, Schon & Besson, 2006) and syntactic structure (Jentschke, Koelsch & Friederici, 2005).…”

“…For instance, the Orff approach for children starts with ‘speech rhythm, traditional rhymes, and songs, which are then integrated with musical expression, movement, and creativity’ (p. 274). Music and language learning experiences can become an integrated whole as they do in the Kodaly approach, with each enhancing the other (Chen–Hefteck & Mang, 2012).…”

The Educational Neuroscience Perspective of ABR and Lullabies: Setting Up an Infants Brain Development Study

“…Ilari [35] has proven throughout her studies that infants in the first instances of their lives crave to come into contact with game-songs and lullabies achieving through this process to minimise their stress levels while promoting psychological bonding between them and their caregivers. Numerous studies [38] have brought to the fore lullabies' soothing function as they set up a calm and secure context for the newborn.…”

Music Early Learning Programs: Parental beliefs, aspirations and participation

“…Emotional expression is more central to music than to language, thus using music to express and regulate emotions requires interaction with old evolutionary parts of the human brain (Turner & Ioannides, 2009). Mithen (2007) further hypothesised that our early ancestors developed a means to communicate that lay between music and language prior to the two developing into separate symbol systems that allowed early humans to communicate through sounds (Chen-Hafteck & Mang, 2012). Music may have been used as a regulator of emotions and a way to synchronise the emotional status of a group of people.…”

“…Singing to children is a practice that crosses cultures and time . Every culture has a dedicated infant music genre, which includes lullabies in all and play songs in some (Chen-Hafteck & Mang, 2012;Trehub, 2006). These songs exist to transmit sociocultural values and customs to the new generation (Chen-Hafteck & Mang, 2012).…”