Oh, E.J., Kim, Y., and Lee, K.M.* (2023, August). Effect of online music class on linguistic, cognitive, and musical abilities in Korean preschool children: A pilot study. 17th International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition (ICMPC), Tokyo.
Abstract
Introduction
Many studies have shown the effect of music classes on language and cognitive skills (Dége & Schwarzer, 2011; Flaugnacco et al., 2015). Particularly, music interventions are beneficial to the development of preschool-aged children (Dumont et al., 2017) because processing musical elements (e.g., rhythm and melody) requires sensory-motor coordination and cognitive functions important for language learning (Besson & Schön, 2001). Does online music class have the same effect on language and cognitive ability? While online music learning has risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its effect has not been investigated in depth.
Aims
This study aimed to investigate whether an online music program improves the reading, cognitive, and musical abilities of 5–6 year old children with typical development. We hypothesized that online music classes would be less effective since the interactions between teachers and children are more limited than in-person.
Methods
The music program was developed based on Dalcroze methods. Training sessions were conducted via the Zoom platform twice a week for 30 minutes per session with a total duration of six weeks (12 sessions). The musical activities included singing along to a song, expressing music with body movement (eurhythmics), and improvisation. A Dalcroze specialist accompanied by a piano instructed each session. Twenty-one children aged 5–6 years participated in the study. The BASA-EL (Kim, 2011), K-WISC-V (from Wechsler, 2014), and KMAT (Hyun, 2016) assessments were used to measure the participants’ abilities in reading, cognition, and music before and after training.
Results
A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (time x subtest; time for pre and post; subtest for a total of 10 subtests from BASA-EL, K-WISC-V, and KMAT) demonstrated significant main effects of the time (p < .001) and subtest variables (p < .001). Two-way ANOVA conducted for each of the three tests (time x BASA-EL; time x K-WISC-V; time x KMAT) also showed a main effect of time (p < .001; p < .01; p < .05). There were no other significant interactions.
Conclusion
Results indicated that online music education improves overall reading, cognitive, and musical skills in preschool children. While previous studies have shown the effect of in-person music classes, this pilot study suggests the potential value of non-face-to-face music education for the language and cognitive development of children. Further research will compare the advantages and disadvantages of online and in-person music learning in depth by conducting the same music class in-person.
References
Besson, M., & Schön, D. (2001). Comparison between language and music. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 930(1), 232-258.
Degé, F., & Schwarzer, G. (2011). The effect of a music program on phonological awareness in preschoolers. Frontiers in psychology, 2, 124.
Dumont, E., Syurina, E. V., Feron, F. J., & van Hooren, S. (2017). Music interventions and child development: a critical review and further directions. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1694.
Flaugnacco, E., Lopez, L., Terribili, C., Montico, M., Zoia, S., & Schön, D. (2015). Music training increases phonological awareness and reading skills in developmental dyslexia: A randomized control trial. PloS one, 10(9), e0138715.
Hyun, G. S. (2016). Kids’ Music Aptitude Test. Seoul: Inpsyt.
Kim, D. I. (2011). Basic Academic Skills Assessment: Early Literacy (BASA: Early Literacy). Seoul: Hakjisa.
Wechsler, D. J. S. A. P. C. (2014). Wechsler intelligence scale for children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Bloomington, MN: Pearson.
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