Pre- and postnatal music education for early mother-child interaction

Abstract

Successful communication underpins the success of human interaction. Music education and early interaction are well known as separate phenomena. In the research reported here, music was considered as communication. The focus of the study was aimed at the gap between the connections of music education with interaction, supporting development through musical nurture. Multiple strategies methodology: qualitative and quantitative measures, theoretical, data, investigator and methodology triangulation were employed in this investigation. Systematic video analysis, however, was used as a main method. The philosophical background was phenomenological, while the empirical study was conducted as an adaptation of an action study. The musical-emotional communication in the groups of mothers and babies were compared by separating the participants in three groups:1) for both preand postnatal musical sessions (E); 2) only for postnatal musical sessions (C1); and 3) for no musical sessions at all (C2). Strong, multiple connections between music and interaction were found in the early behaviour of the mother and the baby, and in the infant’s development. Based on vocal, visual, bodily and emotional evidence, especially the prenatal musical experiences were found to be significant for the mother-infant-bonding. In conclusion, early interaction can be musically supported. Keywords: Early interaction, fetuses, infants, mothers, music