The Effects of Music Technology Curriculum on Young Children's Research Paper

The Effects of Music Technology Curriculum on Young Children's Learning in Early Childhood Education - Research Paper Example When one thinks of early childhood education, they typically navigate towards the consideration of reading, writing, and arithmetic. While these core academic areas are certainly the pillars of educational necessity for children, one needs to also consider the fine arts as another area that contributes greatly to the cognitive development of an individual. One such outlet for creative expression is music. Music class has long been a part of the curriculum in early childhood education, but recent research has indicated that there are numerous benefits in terms of development that had not previously been considered. In addition, technology has enhanced the way that music can be integrated into other disciplines, making this particular area even more worthy of study. Simply put, music technology curriculum is composed of different types of technology that is directly related to the musical arts. This usually entails the use of various electronic devices, combined with computer software, that allows the playback, recording, composition, storage, analysis and performance of any given piece. While this particular curriculum can be implemented at any grade level, all the way through the university, our primary focus in this study will be on early childhood education. In particular, this paper will examine the effects that music technology curriculum has on the learning development of young children. While technology today is rapidly changing, the concept of music technology has been around since the 1980’s.... in early childhood education, but recent research has indicated that there are numerous benefits in terms of development that had not previously been considered. In addition, technology has enhanced the way that music can be integrated into other disciplines, making this particular area even more worth of study. Simply put, music technology curriculum is composed of different types of technology that is directly related to the musical arts. This usually entails the use of various electronic devices, combined with computer software, that allows the playback, recording, composition, storage, analysis and performance of any given piece (Branscome, 2012, p. 113). While this particular curriculum can be implemented at any grade level, all the way through the university, our primary focus in this study will be on early childhood education. In particular, this paper will examine the effects that music technology curriculum has on the learning development of young children. Literature Review and Propositions Development While technology today is rapidly changing, the concept of music technology has been around since the 1980’s. The concept can be interconnected across disciplines because of its focus on artistic and technological creativity in many realms (Andang’o and Mugo, 2007, p. 44). Young children can be taught to use music to express themselves through the arts, and technology has expanded in recent decades to create new devices to enable them to do just that. In essence, music technology can be said to encompass the scientific aspect of music that many individuals never consider. These components, when properly implemented in a music technology curriculum, can have an enormous and positive effect on young children (Hoffman, 1991, p. 23) Importance, Value, and