Stimulating the development of rhythmic abilities in preschool children in Montessori kindergartens with music‑movement activities : a quasi-experimental study

Laure, Maruša (author), Habe, Katarina (author)

This article examines the effects of Montessori music-movement activities on the development of the rhythmic abilities of 59 children from Montessori preschools, aged between 3 and 6 years. Children were deployed into two experimental groups (EG 1 (n=20) & EG 2 (n=22)) and a control group (CG) (n=17). Our intervention consisted of introducing 15 to 20 min of unstructured movement time, either accompanied by a piano (EG 1) or recording (EG 2), three times a week for four months, whereas the control group carried on the usual Montessori program. We used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent groups design with pretest–posttest. Three tests for measuring rhythmic abilities were used: auditory discrimination of the rhythmic patterns, imitation of spoken rhythmic phrases, and determining the synchronization of movement with the rhythm of the music. The interventions had a positive effect on the development of the rhythmic abilities of children included in the study. The most significant effect was noticed in EG 1, while no effect of non-activity was detected in the control group.

• Language: English
• Keywords: rhythmic abilities, music, movement, Montessori, preschool
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: AG - Academy of Music
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 563–574
• Numbering: Vol. 52, iss. 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-154726
• UDC: 373.2.015.31:78:37.091.4Montessori M.
• ISSN on article: 1082-3301
• DOI: 10.1007/s10643-023-01459-x
• COBISS.SI-ID: 146112259
• Publication date in RUL: 26.02.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Early childhood education journal
• Shortened title: Early child. educ. j.
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 1082-3301
• COBISS.SI-ID: 512101913

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: ritmične sposobnosti, glasba, gibanje, Montessori, predšolska vzgoja