A pedagogical approach to improving improvisational musical activity for children

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K04796
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Education on school subjects and activities
• Research Institution: Nagoya College
• Principal Investigator: Takasu Hiromi 名古屋短期大学, 保育科, 准教授 (80413285)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: 子どもの歌 / 即興的表現

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Children who frequently improvise songs have mothers who listen to them attentively and think that it is important to sing together, not to promote intellectual development or to hone musical skills, but for relaxation and emotional stability. I discuss how children create songs using off-beat rhythms and other musical qualities that appear to be strongly influenced by J-pop, anime, and other modern media that the children are exposed to at home. I examine the lyrical and melodic characteristics of songs improvised by 5-to-6-year-olds, showing how onomatopoeia, extended sounds, and rising pitches are defining characteristics of the songs. We need to pay attention to contemporary music trends and refine how we teach traditional folk songs to keep them fresh and interesting to the children of today and tomorrow. These interview responses will give us a clue as to how early childhood educators’ involvement in musical activities at preschools can make children more musically expressive.

Free Research Field

幼児教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は, 音楽づくりの基礎になるものとして活用されることが期待される。子どもの内在する感情を言葉にして表現する前段階として, 即興的な作り歌やリズムによる遊びは, 模倣する段階から自己表現へとつながるプロセスとして重要視されるべき分野である。子どもが遊びの中で豊かに表現活動を行なっていることを教育実践者が深く受容することは, 楽曲を記譜通りに演奏する, いわゆる一斉保育の音楽表現活動のみならず、自由な遊びの中においても音楽に関わる創造性を発見する視点を広げる。また自己主体性に応える音やリズムを通したやりとりを実践するアプローチ, 保育者の感性を再考する知見として活用できる。