November, 2011
Article by Jennifer Stevens-Ballenger, MEd.
SCENARIO 2: A musical milestone
Abigail
Abigail is approaching her third birthday, and has been regularly attending music classes with her mum since she was 8-months-old. She has grown quite comfortable with her teacher and peers, and over the past year or so, has grown to the point where she frequently participates in the music activities; singing, moving, responding and playing instruments. However, her mum has noticed that, lately, she appears to just “stare into space” mid-activity, especially during activities where the children play instruments only during certain sections of the music and/or when they take it in turns to play. Mum is confused by this, and wonders if Abigail is developing a problem with learning, or perhaps even with her hearing.
What does this mean?
Does this behaviour indicate that Abigail has a learning or hearing disability? Absolutely not!!!* Abigail is just busy processing an enormous amount of information. Just as babies understand language before they can speak it, so too do children internalise music before they can play it.
After a number of years participating in music class, Abigail has experienced and mastered the concepts inherent in playing music tutti (all together at once). However, activities where young children play music only during a section of music, especially when asked to do this individually or in a small group (i.e. in parts), are very sophisticated indeed. There are many new concepts for Abigail to process: the motor skills required for playing a particular instrument; sharing and (often) passing of instruments amongst peers; watching for social cues to indicate when it is time to play; aurally processing the sections of the music to indicate when it is time to play; playing the given rhythm and/or melody accurately; watching and aurally processing the musical sections to know when to stop playing; and maintaining attention throughout the activity, sometimes for up to 5 minutes or more. Wow! Is it any wonder that Abigail needs time to think about and experience these activities many times, before mastering them?
How do I know that Abigail is learning?
Even if Abigail appears to be blankly staring into space, during activities where the children play instruments only during certain sections of the music and/or when they take it in turns to play, there are a number of ways that her mum can be sure that learning is taking place:
- Abigail participates to some degree in the activity. Perhaps she passes the instrument to another peer (social learning), sings certain sections of the song (musical learning about pitch, rhythm and structure, and language learning), or plays her instrument at some time during, before or after the activity (kinaesthetic learning);
- Abigail watches the teacher or her peers participating in the activity (social learning and musical learning about structure);
- Abigail simply listens to the teacher and her peers sing and play (musical learning, language learning, and the development of neural pathways in the brain).
As weeks go by, if mum watches closely, she might even begin to see some external evidence that learning is taking place:
- Perhaps she will see Abigail nodding or moving rhythmically, as the teacher and/or her peers are having their turn;
- Perhaps she might observe Abigail playing during another child’s part, showing that she is developing her motor skills and her musical understanding;
- She may notice that Abigail’s eyes are following the action around the music circle, as the different musical parts enter and exit, showing that she is learning that music is made up of different sections.
Remember, if you cannot see any external evidence that learning is taking place with your child, do not be concerned! Often a child will internalise many of these concepts before they will display them in the music class. Moving on from playing tutti is quite a developmental milestone. The ability to play only certain sections of a piece of music is something that will develop slowly over time, and always at a pace set by each individual child.
* If your child shows other signs of a learning or hearing problem, please discuss your concern with your doctor or local Maternal and Child Health professional.
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October, 2010
Article by Jennifer Stevens-Ballenger, MEd.
SCENARIO 1: The independence-dependence conflict
Michael
Young Michael likes to sit quietly in Mummy’s lap during toddler group music sessions. He is reluctant to ‘perform’ when it is his turn to play/sing/respond. He often buries his head in Mummy’s lap, and likes to be picked up during movement activities. Sometimes he cries if this request is not met.
Mummy feels confused. She knows Michael knows the answers. He sings and dances to the songs at home, and is very musical. He is also incredibly independent in other settings, and has a large expressive vocabulary.
So, what is going on here?
Michael is exhibiting very ‘normal’ and appropriate behaviour. At this stage of development, young children may experience an independence-dependence conflict. On one hand, their awareness of themselves, as separate from their caregiver, is rapidly developing. They may exhibit a strong desire to “do it myself!” When comfortable or familiar with a situation, they wander further from their parent and may play unaccompanied for short periods of time. However, toddlers are not entirely self-sufficient. Biologically, they are not yet ready to break from the herd! They are dependent on parents for survival (food, shelter, protection) and for emotional nurturing and social guidance.
Michael is not misbehaving. He is clearly showing Mummy that he relies on her for guidance in this social situation. It is ok for Mummy to comfort and protect Michael in the music session. She can model the social behaviour that she feels is appropriate for Michael to develop. As he moves through this stage of development, or becomes more comfortable with the environment, his independence will become more apparent and he will rely less on his caregiver for assurance.
* Please note: The independence-dependence conflict can also be seen in children who wander from parents during music class and/or throw tantrums!
Is Michael actually learning anything?
YES!!! Young children primarily learn music through listening. Neuro-musical research shows that children who are regularly exposed to music from an early age develop pathways in their brain for music, mathematics and literacy. Interestingly, the affect on the brain is not as prominent in children only exposed to recorded music. Live singing (or playing) to young children is by far the most affective approach. Therefore, we know that just by attending the regular music session, Michael is learning a great deal about music. His understanding of the musical elements – duration, pitch, dynamics, tone-colour, and structure – will become more externally evident as his development allows (ie. when his motor-skills and independence catch up to his internal knowing). Furthermore, from Mummy’s behavioural modelling, and from observing the other children and adults, Michael is also learning about social conventions and expectations.
