Results of the exploratory stage of the study on the levels of rhythm perception development in young children during musical-rhythmic play activities
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2311-2409.2025.4417Abstract
. The article examines the significance of music as a factor in the harmonious development of young children. The author analyzes scientific approaches to understanding the impact of music on the physical and emotional development of the child. It is determined that musical activities contribute to the formation of motor skills, coordination, rhythmicity, and overall motor development. Special attention is given to the emotional influence of music, which serves as a means of developing the sensory sphere, positive experiences, and social interaction. The article emphasizes that music stimulates cognitive activity, speech development, and the ability for self-expression. The role of musical-rhythmic games in the formation of rhythm perception and emotional sensitivity in children is highlighted. The author notes that early engagement in music fosters aesthetic needs and contributes to the development of personal qualities. Pedagogical conditions for the effective impact of music are analyzed, including the creation of a positive emotional environment and the use of various forms of musical activity. It is emphasized that educators should consider the individual characteristics of each child when organizing music lessons. Music is viewed not only as an art form but also as a means of comprehensive child development. The study underscores the unity of physical, emotional, and cognitive development through musical activity. The necessity of integrating music into the educational process of preschool institutions is substantiated. Analysis of data collected during observations of young children, as well as surveys of specialists and families, indicates that a significant number of children demonstrate an underdeveloped sense of rhythm. This situation justifies the need and feasibility of implementing a specially designed methodology aimed at developing rhythmic skills through music-based play activities. Thus, the results of the initial assessment clearly demonstrate the need for systematic work on the development of rhythm perception in young children.
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References
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Hetland, L. (2000). Learning to make music enhances spatial reasoning. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 34(3/4), 179–238. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333643
Ho, Y. C., Cheung, M. C., & Chan, A. S. (2003). Music training improves verbal but not visual memory: Cross-sectional and longitudinal explorations in children. Neuropsychology, 17(3), 439–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/0894-4105.17.3.439
Kim, H. K., & Kemple, K. M. (2011). Is music an active developmental tool or simply a supplement? Early childhood preservice teachers’ beliefs about music. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 32(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2011.572228
Masataka, N., & Perlovsky, L. (2012). The efficacy of musical emotions provoked by Mozart's music for the reconciliation of cognitive dissonance. Scientific Reports, 2, 694. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00694
Moreno, S., Bialystok, E., Barac, R., Schellenberg, E. G., Cepeda, N. J., & Chau, T. (2011). Short-term music training enhances verbal intelligence and executive function. Psychological Science, 22(11), 1425–1433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611416999
Moritz, C., Yampolsky, S., Papadelis, G., et al. (2013). Links between early rhythm skills, musical training, and phonological awareness. Reading and Writing, 26, 739–769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-012-9389-0
Schlaug, G. (2015). Musicians and music making as a model for the study of brain plasticity. Progress in Brain Research, 217, 37–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.020
Silvia, P. J., Thomas, K. S., Nusbaum, E. C., Beaty, R. E., & Hodges, D. A. (2016). How does music training predict cognitive abilities? A bifactor approach to musical expertise and intelligence. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 10(2), 184–190. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000058
Williams, K. E., Barrett, M. S., Welch, G. F., Abad, V., & Broughton, M. (2015). Associations between early shared music activities in the home and later child outcomes: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31, 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.01.004
Zuk, J., Benjamin, C., Kenyon, A., & Gaab, N. (2014). Behavioral and neural correlates of executive functioning in musicians and non-musicians. PLoS ONE, 9(6), e99868. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099868
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Anvari, S. H., Trainor, L. J., Woodside, J., & Levy, B. A. (2002). Relations among musical skills, phonological processing, and early reading ability in preschool children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 83(2), 111–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-0965(02)00124-8 [in English]
Barrett, M. S. (2010). Musical narratives: A study of a young child’s identity work in and through music-making. Psychology of Music, 39(4), 403–423. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735610373054 [in English]
Barrett, M. S. (2012). Music learning and education in early childhood: An overview. In G. E. McPherson & G. F. Welch (Eds.), Oxford handbook of music education (Vol. 1, pp. 227–228). Oxford University Press. [in English]
Barrett, M. S. (2015). Attending to “culture in the small”: A narrative analysis of the role of play, thought and music in young children’s world-making. Research Studies in Music Education, 38(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X15603557 [in English]
Barrett, M. S. (2017). From small stories: Laying the foundations for narrative identities in and through music. In R. MacDonald, D. J. Hargreaves, & D. Miell (Eds.), Handbook of Musical Identities (1st ed.). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679485.003.0004 [in English]
Bengtsson, S. L., Nagy, Z., Skare, S., Forsman, L., Forssberg, H., & Ullén, F. (2005). Extensive piano practicing has regionally specific effects on white matter development. Nature Neuroscience, 8(9), 1148–1150. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn1516 [in English]
Bowmer, A., Mason, K., Knight, J., & Welch, G. (2018). Investigating the impact of a musical intervention on preschool children’s executive function. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 2389. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02389 [in English]
Cohrdes, C., Grolig, L., & Schroeder, S. (2016). Relating language and music skills in young children: A first approach to systemize and compare distinct competencies on different levels. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article 1616. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01616 [in English]
Derri, V., Tsapakidou, A., Zachopoulou, E., & Kioumourtzoglou, E. (2001). Effect of a music and movement programme on development of locomotor skills by children 4 to 6 years of age. European Journal of Physical Education, 6(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/1740898010060103 [in English]
Dingle, G. A., Brander, C., Ballantyne, J., & Baker, F. A. (2012). ‘To be heard’: The social and mental health benefits of choir singing for disadvantaged adults. Psychology of Music, 41(4), 405–421. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735611430081 [in English]
Eerola, P. S., & Eerola, T. (2013). Extended music education enhances the quality of school life. Music Education Research, 16(1), 88–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2013.829428 [in English]
Gaser, C., & Schlaug, G. (2003). Brain structures differ between musicians and non-musicians. Journal of Neuroscience, 23(27), 9240–9245. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.23-27-09240.2003 [in English]
Gordon, R. L., Fehd, H. M., & McCandliss, B. D. (2015). Does music training enhance literacy skills? A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, Article 1777. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01777 [in English]
Habib, M., Lardy, C., Desiles, T., Commeiras, C., Chobert, J., & Besson, M. (2016). Music and dyslexia: A new musical training method to improve reading and related disorders. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, Article 26. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00026 [in English]
Hallam, S. (2015). The power of music: A research synthesis of the impact of actively making music on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Music Education Research Centre (iMerc). https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1541288/1/hallam_imerc_mec_2014_with_cover_ROYAL.pdf [in English]
Halwani, G. F., Loui, P., Rueber, T., & Schlaug, G. (2011). Effects of practice and experience on the arcuate fasciculus: Comparing singers, instrumentalists, and non-musicians. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, Article 156. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00156 [in English]
Hargreaves, D. (2014). Foreword to The music miracle: The scientific secret to unlocking your child's full potential. In L. Henriksson-Macaulay (Ed.), The music miracle: The scientific secret to unlocking your child's full potential. Earnest House Publishing. [in English]
Hetland, L. (2000). Learning to make music enhances spatial reasoning. The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 34(3/4), 179–238. https://doi.org/10.2307/3333643 [in English]
Ho, Y. C., Cheung, M. C., & Chan, A. S. (2003). Music training improves verbal but not visual memory: Cross-sectional and longitudinal explorations in children. Neuropsychology, 17(3), 439–450. https://doi.org/10.1037/0894-4105.17.3.439 [in English]
Kim, H. K., & Kemple, K. M. (2011). Is music an active developmental tool or simply a supplement? Early childhood preservice teachers’ beliefs about music. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 32(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1080/10901027.2011.572228 [in English]
Masataka, N., & Perlovsky, L. (2012). The efficacy of musical emotions provoked by Mozart's music for the reconciliation of cognitive dissonance. Scientific Reports, 2, 694. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep00694 [in English]
Moreno, S., Bialystok, E., Barac, R., Schellenberg, E. G., Cepeda, N. J., & Chau, T. (2011). Short-term music training enhances verbal intelligence and executive function. Psychological Science, 22(11), 1425–1433. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797611416999 [in English]
Moritz, C., Yampolsky, S., Papadelis, G., et al. (2013). Links between early rhythm skills, musical training, and phonological awareness. Reading and Writing, 26, 739–769. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-012-9389-0 [in English]
Schlaug, G. (2015). Musicians and music making as a model for the study of brain plasticity. Progress in Brain Research, 217, 37–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.020 [in English]
Silvia, P. J., Thomas, K. S., Nusbaum, E. C., Beaty, R. E., & Hodges, D. A. (2016). How does music training predict cognitive abilities? A bifactor approach to musical expertise and intelligence. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 10(2), 184–190. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000058 [in English]
Williams, K. E., Barrett, M. S., Welch, G. F., Abad, V., & Broughton, M. (2015). Associations between early shared music activities in the home and later child outcomes: Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 31, 113–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2015.01.004 [in English]
Zuk, J., Benjamin, C., Kenyon, A., & Gaab, N. (2014). Behavioral and neural correlates of executive functioning in musicians and non-musicians. PLoS ONE, 9(6), e99868. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0099868 [in English]
