The Effects of Community-Based Music Enrichment on Language Environment During Early Childhood

• In Event: Wholistic Aspects of Early Childhood: Language, Music, Play and Health

Abstract

Abstract (500 words)
Background: The language environment has a crucial impact on a child’s language development, and long-term academic success (Anderson, Graham, Prime, Jenkens & Madigan, 2021). Conversational turns, vocal exchanges between a parent and child, are a pivotal component of the language environment because they associate with growth in specific brain regions responsible for language and cognitive development (Ferjan Ramirez, Lytle, & Kuhl, 2020; Romeo et al., 2021). Interventions that target conversational turns during daily routines can increase these interactions for children as young as 6 months (Walker et al., 2020), yet barriers such as low enrollment and lack of parent follow-through can prevent long-term success. Music enrichment programs benefit overall development and are engaging for parents and children. Herein, we conducted a secondary analysis to determine whether participation in Music Together® classes could enhance conversational turns and parent verbal quality.
Method: Children aged 9- to 15-month-old at baseline (n=89) were randomly assigned to intervention (music) or control (playgroup) groups and attended weekly classes with a caregiver for 12-months. During the Music Together ® classes, the trained facilitator provided musical activities for dyads to participate in singing, moving, or using musical instruments. Families in the control group attended playdates, with age-appropriate toys, at the same intervals as the music group. Conversational turns were assessed using an established coding scheme (Ramirez et al., 2021) at baseline, month-6, and month-12 from dyad play interactions recorded in a laboratory setting. The primary outcomes [total conversational turns (Total CT), total number of conversational episodes (Total CE), average duration of episodes (Duration CE), average conversational turns per episode (Average CT), and quality of parent vocalizations (quality)] were analyzed using a two-way mixed ANOVA with group as the between subject factor and time as the within subject factor.
Results: There were significant differential group changes across time for Total CT (group*month; p=0.013) in that the music group had significantly greater Total CT increases compared with the control group from baseline to month 6 (music change=18.80; control change=6.04; p=0.004). We also observed significant differential group changes across time for Duration CE (group*month; p=0.016) in that the music group had a significantly higher increase in Duration CE compared with the control group from baseline to month 6 (music change=0.67, control change=-17.12; p=0.010). Lastly, we observed significant differential group changes across time for Average CT (group*month; p=0.001) in that the music group had a significantly higher increase in Average CT compared with the control group from baseline to month 6 (music change=1.66, control change=-1.27; p=0.001), and baseline to month 12 (music change=2.78, control change=0.07; p=0.003). There was no overall differential group change across time for the Total CE (group*month; p=0.473).
There was no significant differential group change for Quality (group*month; p=0.087); however, a significantly higher increase in Quality was observed for the music group compared with the control group from month 6 to month 12 (music change=0.40, control change=0.02; p=0.04)
Conclusion: Community-based music classes may be a promising strategy to improve children’s early language environment.

Authors

• Amy R. Smith, Children’s Mercy
  Presenting Author

• Brenda J Salley, University of Kansas Medical Center

• Deanna Hanson-Abromeit

• Hideko Engel

• Rocco Paluch

• Jacqueline Piazza

• Kai Ling Kong, State University of New York, Buffalo