| dc.description.abstract | Extensive research has been shown to support the idea that joint music making
experiences significantly increase a sense of social connectedness among its participants.
Research has further shown that shared musical experiences which include alignment to a central
beat promote prosocial behaviors. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether joint
music making experiences added during the morning session of a small private Montessori threeto
six-year-old classroom would increase the prosocial and emotional behaviors of a four-yearold
student who had been struggling in these areas. During the study, fifteen to twenty minutes of
joint music making sessions were added every morning for two weeks, followed by one week of
no joint music making sessions. This cycle repeated itself three times, creating a nine-week
study. During the study, the child was observed and tally marks were collected noting a variety
of social and emotional behaviors. The child’s behaviors and attitudes were also monitored and
recorded on a rating sheet by his parent at the time of pick up and during the fifteen-minute ride
home from school. A pre and post parental survey noted the effect of the sessions on the child’s
behavior and attitude in the home. The cumulative results of the study showed that there was an
increase in positive social and emotional behaviors throughout the nine-week period of the study.
This study lends support to the idea that adding just fifteen minutes of joint music making
experiences to early childhood classrooms may increase a sense of social connectedness among
the students and increase prosocial behaviors. | en_US |
