2.2. Swanwick & Tillman
A first example of a chronological stage theory is that proposed by Swanwick
himself, based on research executed with Tillman (1986): ‘The spiral of
musical development’ (Swanwick, 1986: 331). This developmental model
emerged from a study evaluating children’s musical compositions (see fig.
1). 48 children, ranging in age from 3 to 11 years old, were given the
opportunity to make music with a variety of available instruments, including
their voice. When finished, the children were asked to play their
compositions twice, which gave the researchers an indication of children’s
musical memory as well as to what extent children were able to reproduce
the same musical elements for a second time. In this study, ‘observable
differences between the musical compositions of these children, linked with
age’ were found (Swanwick, 1988), leading them to formalize their model of
musical development. Swanwick and Tillman’s spiral of musical development
(fig.1) consists of eight developmental modes spread throughout