Reproduction and representation of musical rhythms of increasing complexity: insights from children's home settings

The aim of the study encompasses three primary objectives: (1) To examine the capability of children of varying ages to reproduce increasingly complex rhythms through hand-clapping and drumming; (2) To explore the ability of children of different ages to notate increasingly complex rhythms; and (3) To investigate the impact of age on children's invented rhythmic notations and their artistic ability to draw a person using the Draw-A-Person (DAP) Test. The participants comprised 42 children aged between 2.6 and 11.6 years old. Individual one-hour sessions were conducted in participants' homes. Each session was divided into three parts: playing three rhythms of increasing complexity and length, inventing notations to represent each rhythm, and completing the DAP test. The study found age effects on all measures tested: rhythm reproduction competency, rhythm notations, and person depiction. The novelty of this study lies in its unique research in-situ setting and the administration of both graphic and audio-graphic tasks. The findings have implications for rhythm education, music literacy, and in-situ research in music education. They underscore the significance of adopting a multi-modal approach in music education to enhance music skills and foster artistic expression in children.