Beginnings and Endings in the Musical Improvisations of Children Aged 7 to 10 Years

Abstract

Many factors influence the activation and maturation of the compositional process in children. Although there are numerous studies on children's processes, production and behaviour, little has been done concerning the influence of the didactic strategies used by the teacher, which may actually encourage or suppress such processes. Children are generally asked to create a composition that has a beginning, a middle and end, but we wondered whether it was really necessary to request this structure or if children of a certain age already adopt it spontaneously, so teachers can use such skills as building blocks for further learning. We investigated if children, without any specific music education, possess a certain ability to use specific types of beginnings and/or endings and how they improve. We asked 132 primary school children, aged 7–10, to perform six improvisations, five with a soprano glockenspiel, and one with tambourine. A total of 792 pieces were recorded and analysed using a specific classification system. After referring to studies on musical theory and semiotics to clarify the concept of beginning and ending in a piece of music, we are presenting the results which show that a certain percentage of children aged 7 already possess the mentioned skills, and that there is a gradual spontaneous acquisition of the beginning/ending conventions. Children improve year by year, with greater progress between 8 and 9 years.