Browsing by Subject "musiikkiharrastus"
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(2018)Many studies have shown that music training is connected to many cognitive skills. Recently, studies have focused on whether there could be an association between music training and executive functions. Executive functions consist of many components which can be divided to three main functions. They are inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory. It has been argued that executive functions are connected to academic skills in children. However, it is challenging to examine the association between music training and executive functions, because the definition of executive functions isn’t clear and there are many different tests to measure it. The aim of this literature review is to clarify the definition of executive functions and examine whether music training is associated with its components. The review covers only studies focused on preschool and elementary school aged children with no cognitive or developmental disorders. In general, several studies suggest that a positive association between music training and executive functions exists. The association has been examined either comparing structured music training to some other activity or musically trained children to musically untrained children. The studies showed that music training improved performance in tasks that measure inhibition, cognitive flexibility and working memory. In addition, music group performed better in most tasks compered to visual art group, science group and passive control group. However, the difference between groups wasn’t found in all of the studies when measuring inhibitory control and selective attention. Also, in one study it was noticed that the longer the participants had been training music, the better they performed in tasks which measures different components of executive functions. It seems that music training can be used to improve child’s executive function skills. Music training could play an important role for example in schools when supporting children’s executive function skills. In addition, it has been showed that executive functions are associated with subsequent academic achievement. Therefore, supporting executive functions could be a way to support school performance in general. However, it is still uncertain whether music training has some special impact compared to other activities. Therefore, more research about the subject is needed.
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(2016)Goals. My bachelor’s thesis studies connections between music education and music hobby. More accurately, I’m studying what kind of effects obligatory elementary school music education has had on music hobby and motivation of hobby in young adult amateur musicians’ experiences. Music hobby is marginally noticed in elementary school curriculum 1994 and 2004. These two have been in use during the study participants’ elementary school years. For me as a same age amateur musician, my study’s subject offers an interesting survey to experiences of amateur musicians. Methods. In my study I did a case study by interviewing four young adult amateur musicians. My interview method was qualitative semi-structured theme interview which subjects were connected to my theory part. In interviews interviewees narrated their experiences of their elementary school years. From transcribed interviews I analysed the substantive experiences and connected them to the theory. Results and conclusion. The interviews showed that interviewees experiences of elementary school music education and its effects on music hobby varies to some extent. The conclusion can be that activities during music classes aren’t very significant, but other school activities have had clearly more importance. For example band playing with friends during breaks and music teacher’s extra support have been significant to the interviewees. It would be interesting to extend this study in my master’s thesis by studying teachers who teach music and taking notice to the new 2016 curriculum.
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