In response to a blog post on preparatory audiation

First, it’s great to see this post. (See below.) Early childhood music education and the learning theories behind it are relatively new to the music education profession and extremely important to its future.

Having been an early childhood music specialist for 20 years and also having been in class with Dr. Gordon as he was in the process writing the manuscript for “A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children,” I’d like to respond with some of my thoughts.

I think Doc would say that absorption, the first stage of Acculturation, begins even before birth—for sure during the last trimester, if not before. Some studies (Sandra Trehub, et. al.) show the fetus responding to music at 5 months in utero. Dozens of mothers I’ve spoken to know their child’s favorite songs prior to their birth and often use that music to comfort the child in the first months and years of life outside the womb.

In response to this blog:

http://musicinsight.blogspot.com/2011/04/preparatory-audiation-type-1.html

Re: songs without words

I believe that different parts of the brain are stimulated when children hear songs and chants without words, and vice versa. If children listen to songs and chants that are always coupled with language, they attend to both and thus (Doc believes) they are “distracted” by language away from more pure attention to the musical qualities. Still, songs with words—think most lullabies—have a significant cultural place in the home and in society. This does not mean they are of more value to the musical development of children. And, in my opinion, nor does it mean they are of lessor value. They are simply different. Both concurrently stimulate various areas of the brain, and in the one case including a portion that processes language and music simultaneously. Perhaps there is decent benefit for language development through music, but I would argue that language development would occur best when music would not always be coupled with it. So, like Doc, I would tend to take the inverse position as well: music development is probably better when language is not present.

Still, when songs and chants have words associated to them, parents learn them more easily. So, if that means they sing a wider vareity of repertoire throughout the week, that value outweighs the value for children to hear songs without words (ususally for a 45 minute class once a week) simply because it is “more appropriate for their music development.” In EC music classes, aren’t we modelling behaviors we want parents to take home as much as performing for the babies and toddlers? I think we can do some of both. Many parents find songs and chants without words uncomfortable and sometimes just weird. Even still, this is no excuse to avoid them. In the end, I differ with Doc on this in practice, but not in theory

Regarding recordings, I believe them not to be supplementary but indispensible to a child’s music environment. How many live concerts of orchestral music will they see before turning two years old? Modeling musical behaviors in live interactions is key whether one is performing vocally or not. In listening to recorded music, we are modeling movement, but I also accentuate and sing along with the music while I dance. I see no philosophical difference. As to the continous fluid movement Doc purports to be most valuable, I tend to believe him, but again, some parents can find this uncomfortable to do or watch so I do both. I have found a balance between what Gordon believes to be most appropriate for our youngest children and what I am comfortable with in providing while maintaining a strong and vibrant music program for babies and young children.

Please share your questions. I love the dialogue and am happy to hear anyone’s thoughts. Let's keep sharing. Thanks.

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Here is the post I responded to.

Preparatory Audiation Type 1: Acculturation

Acculturation is the first type of preparatory audiation in Gordon’s Music Learning Theory. It begins at birth. The primary characteristic is that infants and toddlers are becoming accustomed to the musical culture which surrounds them, in much the same manner as they grow accustomed to language. One of the hallmarks of the three stages of acculturation is that children should hear a great variety of songs and chants without words performed live by a parent or a teacher. I needed some time to think this over, since I have fond memories of hearing music withwords as a young child. In fact, I can’t recall ever hearing music without words performed for me. According to Gordon, the purest musical development occurs when language is not present at the time, which gives me pause. Does this also mean that the inverse is true? Does the purest language development occur when no music is present? What if we consider the development of the whole child. What is the right balance among music and language, and other stimuli for developing a healthy balance of musicality, language readiness, and countless other mental and physical necessities? Should music and language always be separated for infants? This seems to be what Gordon is asserting, and I’m not so sure that I agree. However, I do appreciate the importance of performing without words at times for infants, and exposing them to a variety of meters, modalities and styles. I also agree with Gordon that recordings should be viewed as supplementary to live, face-to-face interactions. Gordon also states that one should move continuously while performing songs and chants without words. P

Here are the three stages within Acculturation according to Gordon’s text:

Absorbtion: In this stage, the infant or child is listening and absorbing the musical environment, even if s/he does not appear to be attentive at the moment.

Random Response: This is commonly referred to as music babble. This is where the child responds, but the responses aren’t necessarily coordinated to what is occurring in the environment. Though these responses may not have all of the musical context that we as adults recognize, they carry some meaning for the child, and should be encouraged.

Perposeful response: The only difference that I could gleen between this stage and the last, is that the child is responding intentionally to the environment rather than by chance. The above principle still holds true, regarding the nature of the responses. articularly when children are in stage 3, there are times when the tonal and rhythmic aspects of music ought to be separated for the child, with the chanting and singing of rhythm and tonal patterns so that the child may more readily attend to each. Use a neutral syllable such as Bah or Bum when doing this.

The above summary is from Chapter 5 of:

Gordon, E. E., (1990) A Music Learning Theory for Newborn and Young Children.Chicago. GIA.

This is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of all material contained in this chapter, simply a brief overview. If I have misinterpreted any of the information within it, please feel free to correct me. Afterall, one of the aims of this means of communication is to compare and share ideas.