Environment—A Factor in Conceptual Listening Skills of Elementary School Children

An attempt was made to determine the role of environment in elementary school children's identification of selected musical concepts through aural experience with orchestral literature. A listening test was developed for this purpose, as well as a pilot study that was conducted with two fourth grade populations from constrasting socioeconomic backgrounds.

Results from the investigation showed that the middle-class fourth grade children scored significantly higher on the listening test than did the lower-class children. Among the variables tested, multiple regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between mental age and musical concept identification for the middle-class children. The test itself, while proving acceptable in terms of reliability for the middle-class children, did not prove so for the lower-class children because no significant relationships among any of the variables were found. The results of this study reaffirm the necessity to continue the development of appropriate materials and methods to teach music to lower-class children.