Teaching music to kindergarten children in Saudi Arabia: parents' perspectives

This exploratory mixed-method study was conducted to understand parents' perspectives on teaching music in Saudi kindergartens. The researcher surveyed 466 parents of children aged 3-6 years in public, private, and international kindergartens in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Of these, 35 participated in an open-ended written questionnaire to better understand their attitudes towards music. The results suggest that most Saudi parents do not accept teaching music to their children in kindergarten, primarily due to cultural and religious factors. Overall, Participants believed teaching music in kindergarten was unimportant and did not improve their children's learning and development. Suggestions, implications, and recommendations for future research are offered.