Kindergarten Teachers’ Beliefs about the Relationship between Music and Early Learning

Music has been shown to be positively related to early learning and academic outcomes. Teachers’ beliefs about how children learn and how they think about their own skills and competencies have also been shown to be linked to educational outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to examine kindergarten teachers’ beliefs about the role of music in the curriculum and its relationship to classroom learning and educational outcomes. The methods involved surveying two teachers, one a classroom teacher, and the other a music specialist about the role of music in classroom learning. Qualitative results demonstrated that while both teachers believed music enhanced academic skills and memory, as well as promoted desirable behavior, the music teacher provided more direct links between music and other academic areas. The findings suggested that in general teachers believe that music plays a critical role in young children’s early learning and educational experience, however, having training in music allows teachers to draw clear parallels between music and other areas of learning.