Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont CGU Theses & Dissertations CGU Student Scholarship 2012 Investigating Young Children's Music-making Behavior: A Developmental Theory Paul G. Morehouse Claremont Graduate University Recommended Citation Morehouse, Paul G., "Investigating Young Children's Music-making Behavior: A Developmental Theory" (2012). CGU Theses & Dissertations. Paper 73. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/73 DOI: 10.5642/cguetd/73 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the CGU Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in CGU Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Investigating young children’s music-making behavior: A development theory by Paul Morehouse A final project submitted to the Faculty of Claremont Graduate University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in Education. Claremont Graduate University 2012 Approved by Dr. Mary Poplin Committee Chair © Copyright Paul G. Morehouse, 2012 All right reserved. APPROVAL OF THE DISSERTATION COMMITTEE We, the undersigned, certify that we have read, reviewed, and critiqued the dissertation of Paul Morehouse and do hereby approve it as adequate in scope and quality for meriting the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, School of Educational Studies, Claremont Graduate University. Mary Poplin, Ph.D. Committee chair, School of Educational Studies Philip Dreyer, Ph.D. Committee member, School of Educational Studies DeLacy Ganley, Ph.D. Committee member, School of Educational Studies Lu Elrod, Ph.D. Committee member, outside examiner, Professor Emeritus, Music Education, California State University, Los Angeles Abstract Investigating young children’s music-making behavior: A development theory Paul Morehouse Claremont Graduate University 2012 We have many developmental theories contributing to our understanding of children as they meander steadfastly toward maturation. Yet, none have reported on how young children interpret the qualitative meaning and importance of their own music-making experiences. Music created by average, not prodigious, young children is perceived by adults as “play” music rather than “real” music. But do young children take the same view as adults? When Piaget speaks of the young child’s qualitatively unique view and experience of the world (Ginsberg & Opper, 1988), can we assume that his statement encompasses young children’s predispositions related to music-making? Music is understood to occur when people act intentionally to produce and organize sound into rhythm and form. The guiding questions for this study are, What evidence is there to show that, when following an adult music leader, young children can engage in authentic music-making behavior and produce identifiable musical structures that move beyond random sounds or ‘noise’? What evidence is there to show that children's music-making behavior develops according to developmental stages? This qualitative field study observed and videotaped over 100 children between 2 and 7 years old who chose to engage in music-making behavior in a socially-rich school environment during structured activities guided by an adult “music leader.” The data gathered from this study suggest that young children’s motivation to make music derive from predispositions unrelated to notions of cultural and artistic expression thereby differing from adult musical needs and are instead based on more primary responses to their own developmental needs and their social environment. Functioning as “music leader,” the PI appeared to serve as an indispensable interface for assuring authenticity in the children’s music-making at all stages of development. The older children did not introduce any novel behavior specifically related to making music. However, due to the progression of cognitive and social maturity across the range of ages, new extra-musical behavior (EMB) slowly emerged at each developmental stage always seeming to enrich the experience relative to a particular group. Dedication This work is dedicated to all adults, past, present and future, who have acted or will act accordingly, to create a musical Zone of Proximal Development, out of wisdom and love, on behalf of the true nature of young children’s relationship with music, as music-makers. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my wife, Marti, for her essential love, support, patience and friendship that was so generously expressed throughout the many years needed to develop and complete this dissertation. I extend the same love and appreciation to my son, Idris, and daughter, Jahnna, whose unique spirits gave me much more inspiration than they realized. Timeless gratitude and appreciation is given to my mentor, colleague and friend of thirty-five years, Dr. Lu Elrod, who saw something in me many years before I saw it in myself. I would also like to thank my friend and cohort Paul Bockhorst, for a unique blend of soul-infused wisdom and scrutiny that inspired and steadied both the vision and the work. Heartfelt and undying appreciation is extended to the chair of my committee, Dr. Mary Poplin, truly the mid-wife of this birthing, for helping to expand the framework and giving full support to that which then became illuminated. I offer endless gratitude to my committee members, Dr. Philip Dreyer and Dr. DeLacy Ganley, for their professional and personal insight, encouragement and faith which they offered without hesitation, somehow being able to see through my eyes and understand. I offer my deepest respect and appreciation to Barbara Schutte and Lisa Wilkin, whose unwavering commitment to have music in the lives of young children provided the backdrop for this dissertation; and the administrative staff, dedicated teachers, parents and music-loving children at Child Development Consortium, Los Angeles for giving full support to the music program that served as the launch pad for this work. Finally, I offer timeless thanks and heartfelt gratitude to the directors, administrative staff, dedicated teachers, families and children at the three sites in Los Angeles County where the study took place, whose understanding and support in this study was essential for the vision to bear fruit. vi Table of Contents Chapter 1 Proposal p. 1 Introduction p. 2 Research Problem p. 11 Theoretical Framework p. 13 Purpose of study p. 15 Research Questions p. 17 Chapter 2 Methods p. 18 Introduction p. 19 Purposeful sampling p. 21 Organization of subjects p. 22 Identification mapping p. 23 Location of subjects p. 24 Procurement of subjects and site permission p. 25 Parent/Guardian permission p. 26 Protection of subjects p. 27 Procedure during study p. 27 Data analysis p. 30 Observation protocol p. 33 Chapter 3 Piaget p. 38 Chapter 4 Vygotsky p. 57 Chapter 5 Montessori p. 85 Chapter 6 Evolution of A Theory p. 104 Chapter 7 Introduction to Analysis and Overview of Observation Protocol p. 116 Introduction to analysis p. 117 I. Sound p. 119 II. Organization of sound p. 121 III. Intention p. 124 IV. The pedagogical and sociocultural natures of children’s music-making in a school environment p. 125 Introduction to Observation Protocol p. 128 Overview of Observation Protocol p. 131 vii Chapter 8 Presentation of Findings p. 140 A. Toddlers, 2-3 years old p. 141 B. Preschool, 3-5 years old p. 165 C. Kindergarten, 5-6 years old p. 193 D. Primary, 6-7 years old (includes four 8-year-old children) p. 214 Discussion of findings from qualitative data p. 238 Discussion of findings from quantitative data p. 241 Chapter 9 A Developmental Theory p. 246 Chapter 10 Model for Developmental Theory p. 281 Epilogue p. 302 References p. 306 Appendix A Theorists’ Charts p. 313 Appendix B Graphic depiction of theoretical model p. 324 Appendix C Quantitative Graphs p. 325 viii CHAPTER1 Proposal Introduction Research Problem Theoretical Framework Purpose of Study Research Questions 1 Introduction Music is not an obscure or neglected subject. On a global scale, the range and scope of human involvement in music is almost immeasurable. In the US alone, the net sum of expenditures related to the production and consumption of music reaches into the billions of dollars annually (NAMM, 2007). Clearly, our world is a world of music and, according to Miller (2000), evidence shows it’s been that way for at least the past forty thousand years and probably much, much longer. Music is considered by many to be a defining human conceptual artifact that emerges from deep within the human psyche and is intimately connected to the human ethos. Even the most fleeting glance at American history shows that, from the earliest period, our citizens have shown a strong attraction to and an appreciation for music (Keene, 1982). Accordingly, the value that music brings into the lives of children has never escaped the sensibility of many people. In the education sector, fervent advocates have relentlessly voiced the importance of maintaining a place for music in our education system. Some people who currently fall into this latter category are involved in early childhood education. This is fortunate because conclusions drawn from an examination of recent musical practices, musical preparation, and music education needs, as reported by early childhood professionals in the United States indicate that 1) music is recognized as having an important role in child development and 2) there is now