An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Onset Age of Musical Lessons and Levels of Sociability in Childhood

Abstract

Previous studies have suggested that musical training in childhood is beneficial for sociability. However, it remains unclear how age of onset of group music lessons is associated with the late sociability of children from a long-term perspective. This study investigated associations between group music lessons conducted at a music school and children’s levels of sociability by focusing on the age of onset of the lessons. We conducted a survey of 276 children aged 4–5 years (M = 58.5 months) and 6–7 years (M = 82.7 months) who commenced music lessons at ages 1, 2, 4, and 6 years. We found that (1) the empathy scores of children aged 6–7 years who began lessons when 1-year-old were greater than those who began lessons when 4-years-old, (2) the communication scores of children aged 4–5 years who began lessons when 1-year-old were greater than those who began lessons when older than 1 year, and (3) the empathy and extraversion scores were high in those aged 6–7 years who began lessons in that age range. The results suggest that early onset of music lessons could positively influence children’s sociability; in contrast, after about age 7 years, children who already had high sociability may be more inclined to select group music lessons. By focusing on the impact of regular group music lessons from a very young age on later levels of sociability, these results further elucidate the effects of musical lessons. In sum, participation in group music lessons 2–4 times per month can be effective social training for very young children and foster their later sociability.

Do socio-demographic factors predict children’s engagement in arts and culture? Comparisons of in-school and out-of-school participation in the Taking Part Survey

“…There has been a steady decrease in arts and cultural participation between 2008 and 2018 among children in the UK [49,50]. Subjects like Art and Design and Music are not currently included in the national curriculum at secondary Key Stage 4 level (ages around [14][15][16] [51]. Students in schools where these subjects are not available at this level may have limited opportunities to participate in artistic activities during school lessons where supplies, materials and resources are usually provided or subsidised.…”

“…Students in schools where these subjects are not available at this level may have limited opportunities to participate in artistic activities during school lessons where supplies, materials and resources are usually provided or subsidised. Further, more schools have also reduced or completely removed Music in the curriculum as early as for secondary year 7 students (around age 11) or have changed Music as an optional subject at secondary Key Stage 3 level (ages around [11][12][13][14] despite Music being in the National Curriculum for these school years [52,53]. In the absence of obligatory engagement in the arts, there has been an ongoing decrease in voluntary uptake of arts subjects at school [54,55].…”

“…Visiting museums and archives help youth develop critical thinking, engage in meaningful learning activities, facilitate positive relationships with peers and allow them to be exposed to positive values [9,10]. Further, it has been shown that arts engagement (including musical activities, dance, drama, reading for pleasure, visual arts and museum and archives engagement) can improve classroom behaviours such as attention [11,12], as well as promoting prosocial behaviours [13][14][15][16], enhancing emotional competency [17,18], reducing competitive dynamics in classrooms [19], and reducing bullying [20][21][22][23]; all of which support educational outcomes. It has also been demonstrated that art classes could help support students' creative interests and self-reflection and help cultivate their artistic interests that may have implications on other subjects [24].…”

Musical Training in the Development of Empathy and Prosocial Behaviors

“…An earlier onset of musical training (i.e., aged ≤7 years) not only yielded greater cognitive and motor abilities ( Watanabe et al, 2007 ; Bailey and Penhune, 2013 ) but also boosted the development of empathy. For example, Kawase et al (2018) conducted a survey of 276 children aged 4–5 years and 6–7 years who started musical training at 1, 2, 4, and 6 years old. The results showed that the empathy scores of children aged 6–7 years who began training at 1 year old were greater than those who started at 4 years old, suggesting that early onset of music training positively influenced children’s empathy.…”

“…Music activities also promote synchrony. Synchronization among group members is suggested to be a key to promoting sociability ( Weinstein et al, 2016 ; Kawase et al, 2018 ). Both social interaction and synchrony contribute to cultural identity and encourage the formation of cooperative networks.…”