Children's favourite musical activities as explained by four-year-olds. A case study

Abstract

The goal of this research, which is part of a larger study, was to find out favorite musical activities from children themselves. To this end, we selected a sample of five four-year-olds who attended the same music school and preschool in the province of Tarragona. The teacher responsible for developing musical awareness simultaneously acted as a researcher. Two methods were used to collect data: interviews, which were conducted at each of the participants' homes and supported by different images to help the children express themselves; and visual narratives, where the children were asked to draw their favorite musical activity and share it with the others. The results reflect the fluctuating preferences of the participants, but with a clear predilection for those activities that involve making music with instruments or through sound effects and those that entail a response to music through games.