Can Music Enhance School-Readiness Socioemotional Skills?

This study examines the effects of a school-readiness music program on preschool children's socioemotional readiness to transition to kindergarten. Young children (N = 102) attending a preschool program (four classes) in a children's center run by a state university in the southwestern United States participated in this study. Two of the classes were assigned to the music school-readiness group and two classes were assigned to the control group (no music school-readiness curriculum). Baseline measures of children's development and readiness for school across multiple domains (cognitive, language, socioemotional, motor, self-help) were established before the implementation of the music program and the measures were readministered after the program to examine change over time. The study examined (1) the impact of the school-readiness music program on children's acquisition of social skills as reported by teachers and parents and (2) the impact of the program on teacher reporting of school readiness that include measures assessing language, learning, and self-help skills. The results indicated that the music group improved on the social skills (total score) and specifically on the social cooperation, social interaction, and social independence scales. Using music-based curriculum facilitates the learning of the social skills needed to transition to kindergarten.