ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to recognize the importance of early childhood music, to discover how very young children learn music and to determine how very young children might best be taught music based on Edwin Gordon`s music learning theory. Young children should have the effective and systematic guidance to achieve the necessary readiness prior to formal music instruction in school. According to his theory, a child`s music aptitude continues to decrease until his music environment becomes appropriate. When the music environment becomes appropriate, a child`s music aptitude will begin to increase toward its birth level. By the time a child reaches approximately age nine, his level of music aptitude is no longer affected by his music environment, even by a music environment of extremely high quality. When we look at the music development through Cordon`s eyes, we can see the orders and invariant sequences applying to each stage of every human being`s early childhood. However, we can not conclude yet definetely that the specific music behavior and its linked and sequential guidance drawn from his experimental research should be applied to the children who are in the different cultural context. In this respect, diverse experimental researches on the early childhood music should be carried on, which can render the general acceptance regardless of racial and cultural difference.