Supporting Children's Musical Development, Birth to Age 5: Intersections of Research and Practice

This article documents, from a North American perspective, the current situation regarding early music education. After a brief description of the beginnings of early childhood music education in the US, a selective review of the literature (2015 - 2015) serves to outline current research efforts around the globe. Next, four research-based recommendations for early childhood initiatives and interventions are presented. These are then used to assess two examples of partnerships that brought together community organizations, universities, funding agencies, and families ("Early On: Musical Playgroup for Children with Disabilities or Developmental Delays"; "Musical Neighborhoods: Enriching Musical Classrooms for Urban Children"). In the conclusion the author argues for more research (meta-analyses, longitudinal studies), highlights fruitful benefits of interdisciplinarity for both early childhood educators and music educators, and calls for more in-service programs for these professionals.