The identification of behavioral indicators of musicality can lead to a broader understanding of how (conceptions of) musicality change(s) across different target ages and serve as a starting point for the development of age-appropriate test procedures, which can then be used to determine early musical skills and to map individual developmental trajectories. Therefore, it is necessary to identify indicators that reliably reflect the construct. The social construct of musicality cannot be assessed directly because it can manifest itself through a wide range of observable behaviors with relation to music. In contrast to the term musicality, the term musical ability is often associated with musical perception or production skills assessed by traditional behavioral tests. We here use the term musicality to describe a broader understanding of musical ability that includes not only musical perception and production, but also emotional responses to music, emotional expressiveness through music, and interest and motivation in musical activities. This diversity is due to the fact that musicality is not a natural category, but a social construct that can take on different meanings in different cultures, subgroups, and even individuals ( Blacking, 1971 Hallam and Prince, 2003). Strikingly, these instruments are based on a very diverse range of different theoretical models and conceptions of musical ability ( Shuter-Dyson, 1999). Our results suggest that, in order to capture musicality in young children, a wider range of skills and observable behaviors should be taken into account than those assessed by traditional musical ability tests for young children.Īcross the last century, a wide range of tests have been developed to measure musical ability in childhood (e.g., Gordon, 1965, 1979, 1982, 1989a, b Bentley, 1966 Seashore, 1967 Wing, 1981).
DEFINITION OF MUSICALITY PROFESSIONAL
Professional background and musical expertise of the respondents did not significantly influence participants’ conceptions. PCA analysis revealed 4 components of musical abilities and behaviors in under-3-year-olds: Musical Communication, Enthusiasm and Motivation, Adaptive Expressiveness, and Musical Abilities as traditionally defined. Participants were asked to rate how indicative these behaviors were of musicality in infants and toddlers. Based on previous studies on adult and child musicality, we designed a survey containing 41 statements describing musical behaviors in children. Using this approach, we surveyed 174 German adults, asking about their view and conceptions regarding behaviors that characterize a musical child under 3 years.
Therefore, one way to get a clearer picture of infant musicality is to assess conceptions of musicality in the general population. However, musicality can be seen as a social construct that can take on different meanings across cultures, sub-groups, and individuals, and may be subject to change over time.
A fundamental problem has been the lack of a clear definition of what constitutes “general musicality” or “musical ability” in infants and toddlers, resulting in a wide range of test procedures that rely on different models of musicality. 2Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdomĭespite major advances in research on musical ability in infants, relatively little attention has been paid to individual differences in general musicality in infants.
Musicality is a noun that means sensitivity to, knowledge of, or talent for music. Freebase (0.00 / 0 votes) Rate this definition:
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