Música y emociones en niños de 4 a 8 años

Abstract

This research aims to determine what emotions area evoked in children when listening to different musical styles. The study involved 74 students of the Music and Dance School in the autonomous city of Melilla (Spain), 22 boys (29.7%) and 52 girls (70.3%), aged 4-8 years, with a mean age of 5.54 years (SD = 1.07). Four types of emotional response were measured in students: Happiness, Sadness, Fear, and Anger. 12 melodies that could belong to one of the three following musical styles: Classical Music, Popular Music, and Folkloric Music were presented. The melodies selection was developed through the judgement of a panel of experts (15 professionals in the field of music education), and the instrument of data collection was validated and reliable.  Results showed a clear identification of the emotional response of Happiness and a valuation of melodies that were listened to, based on the criteria "like" or "do not like". There was a high discrepancy between the emotional response indicated by students and the emotional response expected by experts.