One, Two, Three, and Do, Re, Mi: Early Childhood Musical Development for Music Therapists

Dana Bolton, M.Ed., MMT, MT-BC

Bolton Music Therapy, Murfreesboro, TN

Introduction

When asked to define music therapy, many music therapists respond, “We use music to reach non-musical goals.” For music therapists working in early childhood education, these non-musical goals fall under categories such as fine and gross motor skills, cognitive and preacademic/academic skills, communication skills, social skills, and adaptive or self-help skills. When focusing on these non-musical goals, music therapy practitioners must have in mind how musical skills typically develop in young children. Hence, the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) includes learning and development of musical behaviors in the Professional Competencies document (AMTA, 2009).

Models of Musical Development

Luce (2004, p. 26) states that the field of music therapy has not yet accepted a single model of musical development as a common knowledge base or vocabulary among practitioners. He lists the following three advantages for music therapists in understanding musical development of children:

1. ๏Recognizing developmental levels as they are related to musical ability, process or progress.
   

2. ๏Providing a musical vocabulary from which to describe musical experiences that occurred and translating those musical experiences into psychophysiological progress.
   

3. ๏Providing a musical framework or model from which to structure and implement clinical sessions.
   

Barrickman (1989) states that music therapists must consider realistic musical abilities and responses when planning music therapy interventions for young children. Briggs (1991) concludes that understanding musical development assists music therapists in more accurate evaluation and in developing interventions during treatment. The Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile (IMTAP) includes a musicality section to assist music therapists with designing individualized interventions for clients (Baxter et al., 2007). Schwartz (2008) asserts that a thorough understanding of musical development is a foundational skill for music therapists practicing in the early childhood field.

There are multiple models of musical development, including age-specific and stage-specific models. Guilmartin and Levinowitz (2008) believe that children progress through identifiable stages of primary music development in early childhood, but that children develop at different rates depending on factors such as the richness of the musical environment and their natural aptitude. They also state that rhythmic and tonal development do not necessarily develop in parallel with each other. Their model, based on Gordon’s music learning theory, provides broad age ranges for the stages of rhythmic and tonal development. Children begin with reflexive responses to music and move towards achieving basic music competence (the ability to sing a song in tune and move to a steady beat) at around 3 to 6 years of age.

Briggs and Bruscia, as described by Schwartz (2008), provide another stage-specific model, which places musical development in the context of models of developmental psychology. Each phase has a broad age range, with age ranges for specific skills also noted. Phases included are the reflex stage (approximately birth to 12 months), the intention phase (approximately 9 to 18 months), the control phases (approximately 18 months to 3 years), and the integration phase (approximately 3 to 7 years). According to Briggs (1991), “This model is intended to contribute to the literature a structure that will allow clinicians to observe and understand musical behaviors in meaningful and applicable ways” (p. 2).

The Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile (IMTAP) is a tool designed for music therapists to use for ongoing assessment during treatment. It includes a musicality section that examines intrinsic skills (infant/toddler skills usually developed by 18 months of age), basic skills (toddler skills usually developed by 3 years of age), and learned skills (preschool skills usually developed by 5 years of age) (Baxter et al., 2007). The musicality section looks at innate responses to music, as well as the ability and desire to participate in music.

Andress (1998) provides a description of typical music behaviors at various chronological ages in early childhood. Although she breaks behaviors down between infants (6-18 months), toddlers, three-year-olds, four-year-olds, and five-year-olds, she recognizes that musical skills will develop at different rates due to individual differences among children. In addition to musical skills that children learn, children’s aesthetic responses to music at various ages are included.

In another age-specific model, Campbell and Scott-Kassner (1995) describe natural and incipient musical behaviors in the areas of rhythm, pitch, singing, listening, moving, playing, and creating. Their purpose is to provide educators with recommendations for creating musical experiences. Skills listed are very specific and include vocal ranges for children of different ages and suggestions for appropriate musical instruments at various ages.

Schwartz (2008) synthesizes musical development research and provides an overview of musical behaviors in relation to chronological age. This model includes developed and learned musical skills, as well as information on how children process music at different ages. Like the previous model, Schwartz includes specific information on vocal ranges and intervals easiest for children to sing.

Each model and checklist differs in the scope and specificity of the musical behaviors included, and readers are encouraged to consult the original sources to access the full information. However, there are multiple skills (e.g., spontaneous repeated movements to music, singing spontaneous songs, and moving to a beat that does not match the music) that appear on all or most of the models at around the same chronological age. These skills are compiled into Table 1, with video examples available for many of the skills.

Conclusion

Music therapists should be familiar with the musical skills listed on multiple models as they appear to be the most widely researched and agreed upon. Just as knowledge of early childhood development is necessary for setting appropriate goals and objects in early childhood music therapy, knowledge of early childhood musical development is necessary for designing appropriate interventions to meet those goals. Familiarity with multiple models will allow music therapists to develop a comprehensive view and strong interventions.

References

American Music Therapy Association. (2009). AMTA professional competencies. Retrieved from http://www.musictherapy.org/about/competencies/

Andress, B. (1998). Music for young children. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

Barrickman, J. (1989). A developmental music therapy approach for preschool hospitalized children. Music Therapy Perspectives, 7, 10-16.

Baxter, H. T., Berghofer, J. A., MacEwan, L., Nelson, J., Peters, K., & Roberts, P. (2007). The Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Briggs, C. A. (1991). A model for understanding musical development. Music Therapy, 10, 1-21.

Campbell, P. S., & Scott-Kassner, C. (1995). Music in childhood: From preschool through the elementary grades. New York: Schirmer Books.

Guilmartin, K. K., & Levinowitz, L. M. (2008). Introducing Music Together®: Book 2. Princeton, NJ: Center for Music and Young Children.

Luce, D. W. (2004). Music learning theory and audiation: Implications for music therapy clinical practice. Music Therapy Perspectives, 22, 26-33.

Schwartz, E. (2008). Music, therapy, and early childhood: A developmental approach. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

About the Author

Dana Bolton, MEd, MMT, MT-BC co-owns Bolton Music Therapy in Murfreesboro, TN, and has worked in the early intervention field for 11 years. Dana is a new member of the imagine editorial team.

Contact: dana@boltonmusictherapy.com