Musical abilities of primary school students in the context of the influence of age, gender, and active music playing

Na glazbenu sposobnost utječu nasljeđe, okolina, spol, dob, tj. odrastanje i obrazovanje. Bez obzira na razinu naslijeđenih dispozicija i stupanj podrške okoline u razvoju glazbenih sposobnosti, pravilan rad s djecom odgojno-obrazovnih djelatnika može značajno utjecati na razvoj glazbene sposobnosti djece. Svaka preuranjena i nevješta procjena glazbenih sposobnosti može zaustaviti glazbeni razvoj. U okviru ovoga rada provedeno je istraživanje tijekom školske godine 2022./23. čiji je cilj bio ispitati glazbene sposobnosti učenika drugog, četvrtog i šestog razreda osnovne općeobrazovne škole i usporediti njihove glazbene sposobnosti s obzirom na različite sociodemografske varijable (dob, spol, aktivno bavljenje glazbom). Rezultati istraživanja su pokazali da učenici imaju razvijeniji osjećaj za ritam nego za intonaciju i melodiju, kako pri pjevanju pjesme po izboru tako i kod primjera za provjeru ritamskih i intonacijskih sposobnosti. Također, učenici su uspješniji u pamćenju melodijskih fraza u odnosu na melodijsko-ritamske fraze. Međutim, sveukupni rezultati testiranja glazbenog pamćenja su niski što tumačimo nedostatkom stručnog učitelja glazbe u školi u kojoj je provedeno istraživanje. Pretpostavljamo da su iz istog razloga učenici drugog razreda sveukupno postigli najbolji rezultat. Djevojčice su se u odnosu na dječake pokazale uspješnijima u svim kategorijama testa. Učenici koji polaze izvanškolsku glazbenu aktivnost imali su bolje rezultate na testu glazbenih sposobnosti.The development of musical skill is influenced by various elements, including upbringing, educational experiences, hereditary traits, environmental conditions, gender, and age. Irrespective of the extent of genetic predispositions and the level of environmental facilitation in the formation of musical aptitude, effective engagement with the offspring of educational professionals can exert a substantial impact on the enhancement of children’s musical talents. Premature and unskilled evaluations of musical ability have the potential to impede the progress of musical development. As part of the present study, research was carried out throughout the academic year of 2022-2023. The primary objective of this research was to assess the musical aptitude of students in the second, fourth, and sixth grades within a standard general education institution. Additionally, a comparative analysis was conducted to explore potential variations in musical abilities based on sociodemographic factors such as age, gender, and active engagement in musical activities. The findings of the study indicate that students exhibit a higher level of proficiency in rhythm than in intonation and melody. This observation holds true both in instances where students were required to sing a self-selected song and when they were assessed on their rhythm and intonation skills using provided samples. Moreover, it has been observed that children exhibit a higher level of effectiveness in the memorisation of melodic phrases as opposed to melodic-rhythmic phrases. Nevertheless, the findings from the musical memory test indicate a general deficiency, which can be attributed to the absence of a qualified music instructor inside the educational institution where the study took place. It is postulated that, due to similar circumstances, pupils in the second grade attained the most favourable outcome in terms of academic performance. In all aspects of the test, girls demonstrated more success when compared to boys. The findings of the study indicate that students who engaged in extracurricular musical activities demonstrated superior performance on the musical ability assessment