The Development of Musical Skills of Underprivileged Children Over the Course of 1 Year: A Study in the Context of an El Sistema-Inspired Program

Abstract

Developmental research in music has typically centered on the study of single musical skills (e.g., singing, listening) and has been conducted with middle class children who learn music in schools and conservatories. Information on the musical development of children from different social strata, who are enrolled in community-based music programs, remains elusive. This study examined the development of musical skills in underprivileged children who were attending an El Sistema-inspired program in Los Angeles. We investigated how children, predominantly of Latino ethnicity, developed musically with respect to the following musical skills – pitch and rhythmic discrimination, pitch matching, singing a song from memory, and rhythmic entrainment – over the course of 1 year. Results suggested that participation in an El Sistema-inspired program affects children’s musical development in distinct ways; with pitch perception and production skills developing faster than rhythmic skills. Furthermore, children from the same ethnic and social background, who did not participate in the El Sistema-inspired music program, showed a decline in singing and pitch discrimination skills over the course of 1 year. Taken together, these results are consistent with the idea of musical development as a complex, spiraling and recursive process that is influenced by several factors including type of musical training. Implications for future research are outlined.

Contributions of age of start, cognitive abilities and practice to musical task performance in childhood

“…Very recently, six-year-old children were assigned to group music training following the El Sistema model, team sports training, or no systemic training [11]. After one year, children in the music group showed better performance on a task in which they synchronized drumming patterns with an adult [12]. After two years, children in the music group showed enhanced connectivity in the corpus callosum and better tonal discrimination compared to the two control groups [13].…”

Music and Speech Perception in Children Using Sung Speech

“…Although it was less available now than in previous generations, music education was once a core activity in public and private schools, where there might be greater access to instruments and music lessons. A recent study by Ilari, Keller, Damasio, and Habibi (2016) investigated the benefits of 1 year of music training in school in underprivileged Latino children. Results showed better pitch perception and production in students who participated in the program and declining performance in those who did not.…”

Orff-Based Music Training Enhances Children’s Manual Dexterity and Bimanual Coordination

“…The effects of music training in school-aged children have deserved a lot of research attention, as childhood is a period of major developmental changes in cognitive, social and motor areas, and it is also when music training typically begins. When compared to control groups without music training, musically trained children have enhanced music-related skills, such as pitch discrimination (Ilari et al, 2016) and rhythm perception/production abilities (Matthews et al, 2016), and also advantages in non-musical domains, such as verbal abilities (Moreno et al, 2008, 2011; Degé and Schwarzer, 2011; Roden et al, 2012), executive functions (Degé et al, 2011; Moreno et al, 2011; Zuk et al, 2014), and even IQ (Schellenberg, 2004; Moreno et al, 2008; Degé et al, 2011). Less explored is how music training affects motor abilities.…”