Favorite songs, melodic elements, and a familiar tune: Performance of children from Brazil and the United States on components of the ATBSS

Abstract

The AIRS Test Battery of Singing Skills (ATBSS) is a comprehensive instrument that was designed to acquire data from varied age, cultural and ethnic groups. The aim of the present research was twofold. First, it aimed to examine favorite songs and singing of melodic elements and a familiar tune using tasks from the ATBSS in two underrepresented groups of children: Brazilians in Brazil and Latinos in the United States. Second, the research aimed at contributing cultural data to the body of knowledge on the ATBSS. Two studies investigated singing behaviors in 48 children using two components from the ATBSS and a researcher-developed scale of children’s musical habits that was completed by their parents. Findings were equivalent across both studies in that girls significantly outperformed boys in two singing tasks. Latino children in the U.S., however, showed higher singing test scores than their Brazilian counterparts. Consistent with previous research, these results suggest that gender and culture play important roles in singing development in middle childhood.

The Development of Musical Skills of Underprivileged Children Over the Course of 1 Year: A Study in the Context of an El Sistema-Inspired Program

“…To determine the degree of children’s motivation for and engagement with music in daily life, at the onset of the study, a measure of musical habits was created. This measure was modeled after Kirschner and Ilari (2014) and Ilari and Habibi (2015) and calculated in terms of mean ratings for 10 questions on children’s appreciation of music in daily life and spontaneous and demanded musical behaviors such as singing, listening, and moving (e.g., “My child sings spontaneously”/“My child sings when asked”; “My child enjoys listening to music,” etc.).…”

“…Musical development is a complex and dynamic, non-linear process that is spiraled and recurring ( Bamberger, 2005 ). It is influenced by a wide range of interrelated factors, including maturation of the brain and body, cultural practices and values, and degree and quality of engagement with music through formal and informal learning experiences (see Lamont, 1998 ; Hargreaves et al, 2003 ; McPherson, 2009 , 2016 ; Mapana, 2011 ; Putkinen et al, 2014 ; Ilari and Habibi, 2015 ). Although there is some agreement that musical development occurs across the lifespan, most research conducted to date centers on changes that occur between childhood and adulthood ( Gembris, 2006 ).…”

“…As an example, Mang (2006) argued that pitch matching (imitation) and singing a song from memory, which are common tasks used in developmental singing research, make different demands on the human brain and body, which explains why they are often not correlated. Additionally, the development of singing is a cultural matter (see Ilari and Habibi, 2015 ). As Welch (1994 , p. 5) suggested, “musical judgments about singing are more about ‘goodness of fit’ in relation to the dominant cultures and are normally culture-specific.”…”

Lapsele laulmise fenomen koduses kasvatuskultuuris

“…Laste kasvades hakkab laste muusikalist maitset mõjutama muusikatööstus. Analoogne küsitlus Brasiilia ja California seitsme-ja kaheksa-aastaste laste hulgas näitas, et selle vanuserühma lemmiklaulud olid valdavalt popmuusika hitid, enamasti ingliskeelsed (Ilari & Habibi 2015). Parim uute lastelaulude tutvustaja, levitaja ja õpetaja on tänapäeval meedia.…”

‘My Favorite Song’: understanding a music learning ecology of children from interaction among media, family and school contexts

“…Although professional interest in the musical activity of young children from a broader perspective than that of the school is increasing and different researchers have broadened the framework of understanding to encompass the home, family and recreation spaces (Welch, 2005a;Barrett, 2009Barrett, , 2012Trevarthen & Malloch, 2012;Ilari, & Habibi, 2015;Ilari, 2016), this research is still rather limited, perhaps due to the 'difficulties in accessing the intimate private worlds of children and their families' (Barrett, 2009, p. 116), with most research focusing on somewhat older young people (Green, 2001;Lamont et al, 2003).…”