International Journal of Music in Early Childhood - Volume 16, Issue 2, 2021

Music is increasingly recognized as having a social role, insofar as it is linked to emotional regulation and to early interactions in infancy and the preschool years. The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine the impact of participating in an early childhood music programme on indices of socioemotional development in children under 6 years of age. The overall result showed a moderate effect size (N = 681, k = 11, d = 0.57, p < 0.001). Moderation analyses revealed that the type of assessment (observational measure, reported measure or other types of assessment) significantly influenced effect size (Q′ = 25.26, p < 0.001). No other moderation analysis was significant. Although these findings are promising, suggesting that participation in an early childhood music programme contribute to children’s socioemotional development, more rigorous studies are needed to assess the impact of participating in a music programme on socioemotional development.

The purpose of this article is to provide feasibility and application information on the nature of music therapy in a telehealth environment. We created a twelve-week telehealth music therapy programme with group and individual sessions that took place between August 2020 and February 2021. This report details (1) the telehealth music therapy services, (2) session design and examples and (3) perceived benefits and barriers of telehealth music therapy and technology. It includes guidance for early childhood professionals who may also want to interact musically with young children.

Children with hearing loss (HL) who use listening and spoken language as their methods of communication are now being integrated into classrooms with typically hearing peers upon school entry due to the development of sophisticated hearing technology. However, areas in overall development may lag as the delay in accessibility to speech and language makes it difficult to reach age-appropriate levels in time for kindergarten. Supporting development in these areas of the challenge requires explicit teaching of, and experience with, listening, language, social and executive function, literacy and balance. Participating in a group music and movement class with a focus on areas of challenge for children with HL using neurologic music therapy techniques allows for goal-directed therapy and practice, along with the opportunity to interact with peers in a supportive environment. An overview of the specific techniques for each area of interest and how they can be used is discussed along with a sample curriculum.

Review of: Adult Perspectives on Children and Music in Early Childhood, Aleksandra Acker and Berenice Nyland (2020)

Cham: Springer Nature, 163 pp.,

ISBN 978-3-03057-698-1, e-book, USD 89.00