Musicogram Use by Preschool Teachers in Listening Activities

Abstract

Limited and mostly superficial exposure to music experiences during childhood negatively affects various musical competencies that develop early on, such as auditory and perceptual skills, a sense of rhythm, and the ability to sing in harmony. High-quality music education in early childhood can only be achieved by incorporating meaningful and active music listening activities into teaching practices by teachers, creating learning environments aimed at enhancing musical skills in children. The learning needs, motivations, and preferences of teachers shape the musical practices in music education. The selection of techniques for implementation, preparation, or equipment deficiencies leads to a series of interrelated outcomes affecting teachers and children. With this aim, the research was conducted to gather the opinions of preschool teachers regarding the use of musicograms in their music activities and to identify the shortcomings in the appropriate use of musicograms for their intended purpose. The research employed a qualitative research method with a case study design. The study group consisted of 33 teachers working in preschools. Data was collected using the focus group technique, and the data collected were analyzed using content analysis. As a result of the research, it was determined that teachers mainly included song activities (singing and listening), rhythm activities, and, to a lesser extent, musical games (ront), and creative movement and dance activities within the framework of music activities. It has been found that most teachers do not know what “musicogram” means. Musicogram was defined as “musicomoviegram,” essentially a musical animation. Additionally, it was determined that teachers need in-service and post-service support, prefer music activities to be conducted by specialized music teachers, emphasize the use of music more as a conceptual tool than for its artistic content, face material and equipment shortages, and particularly lack theoretical and practical background in using musicograms in listening activities. Teachers were found not to include different types of music that reveal changes in musical features such as dynamics, meter, and tempo in their classrooms, and they did not express a need to include such music types.