Mediated Music Lessons and Language Proficiency in Children of Migrant Workers 

Authors

  • Adena Portowitz Givat Washington Academic College. Author

Keywords:

Mediated Music Lessons, language proficiency, executive functions, self- inhibition, working memory, at-risk children

Abstract

This study evaluated the impact of Mediated Music Intervention on the language proficiency of a select group of kindergarten children of migrant workers. Mediated Learning is a didactic approach which nurtures synchronized teacher-child interactions while specifically focusing on general learning skills. Pre- and post-assessments evaluated the development of music aptitude, executive functions (working memory, self-regulation, and cognitive flexibility, audio memory (words and numbers) and language proficiency. The findings indicate significant improvements for the research group in cognitive mechanisms and language proficiency. These findings confirm that mediated music environments successfully engage challenging children; foster improved learning skills in a relatively short period; and upgrade the impact of music lessons even among experienced music teachers. 

Author Biography

  • Adena Portowitz, Givat Washington Academic College.

    Adena Portowitz, PhD, musicologist and music educator, senior lecturer, founder and chair of the Department of Instrumental Music Education at the Givat Washington Academic College. Her research interests focus on interconnections between expression, as manifested in musical topoi, and formal structures in tonal music, and underlying mechanisms linking music education and the cognitive, social and personal development of at-risk children. The results of her research appear in leading international publications, including the Journal of Musicology, The Symphonic Repertoire, Vol. I: The 18th Century Symphony, Research Studies in Music Education, and the International Journal of Music Education. Since 2002, she has served as editor of MinAd: Israel Studies in Musicology Online.  

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Published

2024-04-23

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Section

Articles