|Influences of Musical Modeling Sessions on Korean Mothers' Interactions with their 2-Year-Old Children|
Young Joo Park
Uploaded by: Pocket Masters
Pockets: 2012 (May) Teachers College Columbia University Ed.D. Dissertations, Gottesman Libraries Archive, Historical Dissertations
Tags: Korean mothers, musical interactions, musical modeling
Description/Abstract: This study examined the influences of researcher-designed Music Modeling sessions on five Korean mothers’ musical interactions with their 2-year-old children. The Music Modeling (MM) sessions were designed within a constructivist framework, using scaffolding strategies to empower mothers to interact musically with their children and to facilitate self-sufficiency - in essence, to encourage mothers to be their own child’s music teacher. The curriculum for the six Music Modeling sessions was created based on initial interviews and observations. The participating mothers’ experiences were then examined through journaling, documenting their musical interactions with their children during MM sessions, conducting interviews, observations, a follow-up survey, and analyzing field notes collected by the researcher to determine the effectiveness of this approach.
The results of the study demonstrate that awareness of musical ideas and the mother’s ability to interact musically with their children could be improved in a relatively short period of time. During the study, mothers constructed their musical knowledge and pedagogical skills by modeling and imitating the researcher and their peers, as well as by using self-evaluations, self-modification, and self-reflection. In addition, they constructed their learning approaches from their experiences. Results suggest that the quality and quantity of musical interactions between mothers and their children depend more on their personal circumstances and personalities than on their musical backgrounds. This was because, at the completion of the study, all mothers were still engaged in various kinds of musical interactions with their children, but the frequency of the interactions decreased following changes in circumstances, such as pregnancy or the resumption of work outside the home. Further study into how to structure such programs and build ineffective follow-up to enhance continued parent-child musical interactions is suggested. Offering one-day sessions after completion of the MM sessions, offering single day MM session, or utilizing social media platforms may help parents sustain their commitment to engaging in continued musical interactions with their children. While this study was conducted in Busan, Korea, it is believed the results have implications for parents and music educators in other parts of Korea, as well as other countries and cultural contexts.