The results of this study indicate that music perception skill is reliably related
to phonological awareness and early reading development. Furthermore,
music perception is predictive of reading skill even when the
variance shared with phonological awareness is removed, suggesting that
skill in music perception is related to auditory or cognitive mechanisms beyond
those tapped by phonological awareness. It is important to note that
tasks used in this study measure beginning music and reading skills;
these children are in the early stages of letter identification or at most read
few words. Thus the relation being discussed is between early reading and
early music development.
These results are broadly in agreement with previous studies that have examined
the relation between music and reading. Atterbury (1985) found that
to 9-year-old poor readers were impaired in tonal discrimination. Barwick
al. (1989) found that tonal memory and chord analysis abilities were related
to reading abilities in 7- to 10-year-olds. Lamb and Gregory (1993)
found that pitch discrimination was related to phonemic awareness in 4and
5-year-old children. Interestingly, the relation between musical rhythm
and reading is less clear. Atterbury (1985) found that poor readers were impaired
on rhythm production tasks, but not on rhythm discrimination,
whereas Douglas and Willats (1994) found that only rhythm discrimination
correlated with reading ability. Both of these studies had small samples.
However, we also found inconsistent results for rhythmic tasks even with
our sample of 100 4- and 5-year-olds. Specifically, in 4-year-olds both the
rhythm production and rhythm discrimination tasks correlated with the musical
pitch tasks and with reading. In contrast, for the 5-year-olds, the
rhythm tasks did not correlate with either the musical pitch tasks or with
reading. At this point it remains unclear as to why musical pitch (melody
and harmony) appears to relate more consistently to phonemic awareness
and reading. However, at least with Western music, rhythmic skill may develop
earlier than musical-system-specific melodic and harmonic knowledge,
and pitch perception skills might therefore reflect to a greater extent the
ability to internalize important sound structures in the environment in
4-and 5-year-old children.
The relation between phonological awareness and music perception suggests
that they may share some of the same auditory mechanisms. Phonolog-
ical awareness requires the listener to be able to segment speech into
component sounds, and to recognize those sound categories across
The results of this study indicate that music perception skill is reliably relatedto phonological awareness and early reading development. Furthermore,music perception is predictive of reading skill even when thevariance shared with phonological awareness is removed, suggesting thatskill in music perception is related to auditory or cognitive mechanisms beyondthose tapped by phonological awareness. It is important to note thattasks used in this study measure beginning music and reading skills;these children are in the early stages of letter identification or at most readfew words. Thus the relation being discussed is between early reading andearly music development.These results are broadly in agreement with previous studies that have examinedthe relation between music and reading. Atterbury (1985) found thatto 9-year-old poor readers were impaired in tonal discrimination. Barwickal. (1989) found that tonal memory and chord analysis abilities were relatedto reading abilities in 7- to 10-year-olds. Lamb and Gregory (1993)found that pitch discrimination was related to phonemic awareness in 4and5-year-old children. Interestingly, the relation between musical rhythmand reading is less clear. Atterbury (1985) found that poor readers were impairedon rhythm production tasks, but not on rhythm discrimination,whereas Douglas and Willats (1994) found that only rhythm discriminationcorrelated with reading ability. Both of these studies had small samples.However, we also found inconsistent results for rhythmic tasks even withour sample of 100 4- and 5-year-olds. Specifically, in 4-year-olds both therhythm production and rhythm discrimination tasks correlated with the musicalpitch tasks and with reading. In contrast, for the 5-year-olds, therhythm tasks did not correlate with either the musical pitch tasks or withreading. At this point it remains unclear as to why musical pitch (melodyand harmony) appears to relate more consistently to phonemic awarenessand reading. However, at least with Western music, rhythmic skill may developearlier than musical-system-specific melodic and harmonic knowledge,and pitch perception skills might therefore reflect to a greater extent theability to internalize important sound structures in the environment in4-and 5-year-old children.The relation between phonological awareness and music perception suggeststhat they may share some of the same auditory mechanisms. Phonolog-ical awareness requires the listener to be able to segment speech intocomponent sounds, and to recognize those sound categories across
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