Vocalizations of infants (9—11 months old) in response to musical and linguistic stimuli

Abstract

This study analyzes infant vocal responses in order to determine whether infants exposed to both linguistic and musical stimuli exhibit different types of vocalizations in response to those two different kinds of stimulation. Twenty-one infants, from 9 to 11 months of age, were observed in four weekly sessions over the period of a month. Each session consisted of two presentations: musical, in which the experimenter sang, and linguistic, in which the experimenter narrated poems. Infants’ vocalizations were recorded and submitted to aural and acoustic analysis. The results showed that infants’ vocalizations in response to both presentations displayed different characteristics of duration and vocal extension. Infant vocalizations in response to musical stimuli consisted predominantly of isolated sounds, with a high percentage of first and third steps of the scale of the musical stimuli as well as a predominance of melodic intervals and contours outlining important scalar steps of the stimuli. Descending intervals were also a characteristic of infant vocal production in response to musical stimuli.

Infant Vocal Imitation of Music

“…Studies of infant music learning (e.g., Addessi, 2016;Reigado, Rocha, & Rodrigues, 2011;Tafuri & Villa, 2002) were some of the first to directly describe the development of music production skills. Such work is laudable and provides starting points for future research.…”

“…At 2 months, Tanya imitated short intonation patterns from ID speech; at 3.5 months, she matched pitches that her parents sung or played to her on the piano; at 4 months, she imitated longer contours of ID speech; and at 11.5 months, she hummed pieces of the melody and rhythm of certain songs. Papoušek Both Malloch (1999) and Papoušek and Papoušek (1981) Instead of focusing on the significance of infant music production for social interactions, some studies have begun to describe the role of such vocalizations for music learning (Addessi, 2016;Reigado et al, 2011;Tafuri & Villa, 2002). The few studies that take this approach suggest that infants do in fact make music during their interactions with adults.…”

Linguagem musical em instituições infantis: avaliação de duas propostas para formação docente

“…For example: the use of musical elements (rhythm, melody), exploring the properties of sound -duration, pitch (bass and treble), intensity (weak and strong), timber (sound differentiation); listening and singing along of folkloric and children's songs; singing and dancing to music, children's games and songs, among others. All these activities use musical elements and are registered in the methodologies for the teaching of music to children, especially by the best known musical pedagogues in the field of musical learning for children such as Dalcroze (methodology with a focus on movement), Zoltán Kodály (emphasis on the use of voice); Willems (emphasis on auditory education), Carl Orff (use of musical instruments, of sounds and voice in movement, rhythms with body movements); Suzuki (emphasis on repetition and memorization) (Reigado, Rocha, & Rodrigues, 2011), among other great musical educators of the 20 th century, who bring suggestions of musical activities as well as pedagogical musical materials (printed and in media) to be used with the children.…”

“…It is important to clarify that some musical methodologies by major musical pedagogues of the 20 th century, such as Jaques-Dalcroze, Edgar Willems, Carl Orff, Zoltán Kodály, and so on, believed that it was not possible to learn music before de age of three because three-year-old children haven't yet developed enough linguistic, motor, socio-affective and logical-formal competences (Reigado, Rocha, & Rodrigues, 2011). However, influences especially by Piaget, Vigotski and Bruner on children's cognitive development added great contributions by means of later studies on children's musical development.…”

“…Nevertheless, Broock (2007), Reigado et al (2011) provide evidence of changes that have taken place in the last decades regarding the future of musical learning in early childhood thanks to investigators like Jonh Sloboda, Sandra Trehub, Laurel Trainor, W. Jay Dowling, David Hargreaves and Edwin Gordon. They have promoted new pedagogical resources for the formation of educators by means of musical activities in the realm of musical teaching for babies and pre--school children.…”