Even adults without formal music training have implicit musical knowledge that they have acquired through day-to-day exposure to the music of their culture. Two of the more sophisticated musical abilities to develop in childhood are knowledge of key membership (which notes belong in a key) and harmony (chords and chord progressions). Previous research suggests sensitivity to key membership by 4 or 5 years, but provides no behavioral evidence of harmony perception until 6 or 7. Thus, we examined knowledge of key membership and harmony in 4- and 5-year-old children using a simple task and a familiar song. In line with previous research, we found that even the youngest children had acquired key membership. Furthermore, even 4-year-olds demonstrated some knowledge of Western harmony, which continued to develop between 4 and 5 years of age. In sum, our results indicate that harmony perception begins to develop earlier than has been previously suggested.
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December 2010
Research Article|
December 01 2010
Musical Enculturation in Preschool Children: Acquisition of Key and Harmonic Knowledge
Kathleen A. Corrigall,
Kathleen A. Corrigall
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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Laurel J. Trainor
Laurel J. Trainor
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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Music Perception (2010) 28 (2): 195–200.
Citation
Kathleen A. Corrigall, Laurel J. Trainor; Musical Enculturation in Preschool Children: Acquisition of Key and Harmonic Knowledge. Music Perception 1 December 2010; 28 (2): 195–200. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/mp.2010.28.2.195
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