Children's Emotional Responsiveness to Music as Measured by the Continuous Response Digital Interface and Verbal Response

• Other Authors: Paul, Phyllis M. (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Music
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-2120

The purpose of this study was to explore the emotional responsiveness of elementary aged children to music. Sixty students participated from three intact classes of public school fourth graders. While listening to Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini, Op. 43, Variation 18, by Sergei Rachmaninoff, students indicated their aesthetic reactions by manipulating the dial of the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI). Immediately after the listening exercise, using a highly flexible retrospective interview process to allow for maximum individualized response, subjects' verbal responses were recorded and later transcribed. The study was also an exploration of the CRDI as a tool for measuring aesthetic response from younger students. The object of the investigation was not to focus on group results as they pertain to prediction of attitude, behavior, or preference but to provide the music educator and therapist with individualized, descriptive information regarding the emotional responses of young children to a musical stimulus. The study did in fact indicate that music elicited deeply emotional responses from these elementary-aged children. As evidenced by their poignant verbal responses, fourth grade students in this investigation were able to make immediate, highly personal, and completely individualized emotional connections after hearing an unfamiliar piece of music one time. The CRDI proved to be an effective, efficient method for gathering aesthetic response data from fourth grade students. Such information would seem to provide a consequential contribution to our understanding of the young child's emotional interactions with, and reactions to, music and can serve as a tool to enhance our ability to develop those responses. === A Dissertation Submitted to the School of Music in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. === Summer Semester, 2003. === July 2, 2003. === Emotional Responsiveness Of Children To Music === Includes bibliographical references. === Clifford K. Madsen, Professor Directing Dissertation; Judy Bowers, Committee Member; Dianne Gregory, Committee Member; Carol Lynch-Brown, Outside Committee Member; Jayne M. Standley, Committee Member.