Music's Representation in Parenting Magazines

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the types, quantity, and quality of information regarding music that parents of young children receive from parenting magazines. Content analysis procedures were used to obtain and analyze the data for this study. All issues of the three most widely circulated parenting magazines in the United States for the calendar year 2004 were examined. Text or photos from articles or advertisements including music, musical topics, or musical objects served as data points. Music was featured as the primary topic in only five articles or columns, and there were 103 mentions in articles that included information or advice about a variety of nonmusical topics. Although music was represented with reasonable frequency and accuracy in these magazines, the messages readers received about music's role in children's and families' lives were primarily utilitarian—music's role for stress reduction and entertainment accounted for approximately half of the items.