Abstract

BACKGROUND: The currently-available standardized music tests are not suitablefor administration to young children and children with special needs because they are complicated andrequire verbal instructions and verbal responses. A test that was named the Non-Verbal Measurement ofthe Musical Responsiveness of Children, was developed to assess the musical responsiveness of young children.This test does not depend on verbal instructions, and is composed of two parts, Rhythm and Melody. MATERIAL/METHODS:Ninety-two children [age, range, 6-69 months; 36.39+/-17.61 (mean +/-standard deviation) months] whoattended mainstream pre-schools were studied. Each child was tested to see whether the child correctlyimitated 7 different patterns of rhythm and 6 different patterns of melody that were delivered by clappingof hands or the voice of the examiner, respectively. The examiner rated whether the child could imitateeach pattern and the total score was the sum of successfully reproduced patterns. Two independent observersviewed videotapes of the testing sessions and assigned scores in a similar manner. The inter-rater reliabilityamong the three raters was assessed. RESULTS: The total score in Melody (R=0.63, p

Keywords: Child, Preschool, Child Development, Music