Date
12-19-2023
Department
School of Music
Degree
Doctor of Music Education (DME)
Chair
Kathryn Wert
Keywords
music education, early childhood education, confidence, sense of belonging
Disciplines
Music
Recommended Citation
Mertz, Melinda Sue, "The Influences of Music on the Confidence and Sense of Belonging of Children" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5125.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5125
Abstract
Human emotion is greatly affected by music. Both listening to and creating music influence a person’s emotions. Despite the research supporting this finding, there is a lack of research detailing how music influences the confidence and sense of belonging for the early childhood student. This issue is important because educators are concerned about the mental wellbeing of their students. The observation of how music effects the confidence and sense of belonging of a child may assist educators to improve the issue of mental health among the students in their schools. This qualitative case study, which takes place in South Africa, will seek to identify specific activities in the music education classroom that will promote a child’s confidence and encourage a sense of belonging which may improve the child’s overall mental wellbeing. One theme that has emerged through the exploration of a small body of existing literature is that music is a powerful tool that can be used to promote these qualities. Another theme includes the importance of opportunity and participation in music classes from a young age. Through this research, it was found that music plays a positive role in the development of a child’s sense of belonging and self-confidence. The results from this study can be applied to psychological studies to better understand the effects of the various responses to music and how music can be used to give children confidence and provide them with a sense of belonging from a young age.
