Participation in an early childhood music program and socioemotional development: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

The impact of music training on developmental outcomes has been demonstrated through systematic reviews with school-age children and adolescents, but not in early childhood. However, music is increasingly recognized as having a social role, insofar as it is linked to emotional regulation and to early interactions in infancy and the preschool years. The goal of this meta-analysis was to examine the impact of participating in an early childhood music program and indices of socio-emotional development in children under 6 years of age. The overall result showed a moderate effect size (N = 681, k = 11, d =.57, p < .001) revealed that the type of assessment (observational measure, reported measure, or other types of assessment) significantly influenced effect size (Q’ = 25.26, p < .001). No other moderation analysis was significant. Although these findings are promising, suggesting that participation in an early childhood music program contribute to children's socioemotional development, more rigorous studies are needed to assess the impact of participating in a music program on socioemotional development.