The Role of Music in Families of Children With Hearing Loss and Normal Hearing in Australia, Finland, and the UK

Abstract

The primary aim of this current study was to compare the role, importance and value placed on music by families with normally hearing (NH) children, to those who had a child with a hearing loss (HL) who wore either hearing aids and/or cochlear implants. A secondary aim was to see whether this differed between the countries. Parents of children aged 2–6 years living in Australia, Finland, and the United Kingdom were invited to complete the Role of Music in Families Questionnaire (RMFQ). Two groups of participants were recruited from each country: (i) parents of NH children, and (ii) parents of children with a HL. The RMFQ had seven subsections covering topics such as music participation, attitudes to music, importance of music in the family, and future perspectives on music. Three hundred and twenty-two families of NH children, and 56 families of children with HL completed the questionnaire (Australia: 50 NH, 25 HL; Finland: 242 NH, 21 HL; United Kingdom: 30 NH, 10 HL). Analyses compared between NH and HL groups within each country, and between the three countries for the NH group, and the HL group, independently. Overall, there were few significant differences between the participation levels, role, or importance of music in families with NH children compared to those with a child who had a HL, regardless of whether the families lived in Australia, Finland or the United Kingdom. Children first started to respond to music at similar ages, and overall music participation frequency, and music enjoyment were relatively similar. The importance of music in the family was also similar between the NH and HL groups. In comparing between the countries, Finnish children had a tendency to have higher participation rates in musical activities, with few other differences noted. Overall, the results of this study indicate that children, regardless of hearing levels or country of residence, have similar levels of music engagement and enjoyment, and HL is not seen as a contraindication to music participation and involvement by the parents involved in this study.

Music Education for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Full-Inclusion Context

“…For these families, it may be that the expectations and beliefs about the benefits of music education for their children with ASD reflect how they feel about music more generally. This is in line with research examining musical engagement for children with hearing loss, in which families that valued and participated in music considered musical involvement for their children with hearing loss to be important (Driscoll et al, 2015; Looi et al, 2019). These families believed in music for music’s sake and, as such, expected that music education for their children would have the same outcomes that it does for any child: the chance to be musical.…”

Beyond Audition: Psychosocial Benefits of Music Training for Children With Hearing Loss

“…A combination of both generic and specific measures is recommended to fully comprehend the full extent of quality of life (Solans et al 2008;Warner-Czyz et al 2011). Formal Music Experience • The Role of Music in Families Questionnaire (RMFQ) was developed to evaluate the role of music in families of children with hearing loss, and their general attitudes and level of engagement with music (Looi et al 2018(Looi et al , 2019. One section of the RMFQ (Childhood Music Participation and Experiences) was used in the present study to appraise the level of formal music participation and experience each participant had received before commencement of the present study.…”

“…However, perceptual skills generally have little bearing on music appreciation and enjoyment (Looi et al 2012). Furthermore, family attitudes and support appear to have a greater impact on music engagement than perceptual factors (Gfeller et al 2019;Looi et al 2019).…”

Exploring the Interdisciplinary Relationship between Music and Language for Enhanced Bilingual Curriculum

“…Interventions involving rhythm or musical activities have the potential to enhance temporal attention, rhythmic aptitude, and foundational timekeeping capabilities, leading to improvements in language processing, reading proficiency, and the fundamental skills that support learning and literacy. Moreover, in the study by Looi et al (2018), cognitive and neural mechanisms play a role in the observed enhancements of language perception and auditory skills in children with cochlear implants. Schön and Tillmann (2015) also argued that processes such as spectrotemporal analysis, phonological awareness, implicit learning, syllabic processing, and speech segmentation affect these mechanisms and enhance language rehabilitation.…”