How to determine musical abilities child?

“How do you know if a child has a penchant for music?”

“Does he have an ear for music or a sense of rhythm?”

We will discuss five questions related to determining a child's musical ability. The answers to these questions will help parents make a serious choice - whether to send their child to study music or not...

Question 1: How to determine a child’s aptitude for music?

There are three ways to determine the presence of musicality and talent, and the level of development of a child’s musical abilities:
Conversation with a child
Determining a child's overall musicality
Musical ability testing
How to determine a child's musicality early childhood, in preschool and junior school age, and also various ways testing musical abilities, we will look at it in detail a little later. Now, I want to draw your attention to the first method.

A conversation with a child seems to be the simplest and most elementary way to find out about his abilities and aptitude for music, but in practice this turns out to be very difficult. If you just start questioning your child, he is unlikely to answer you anything intelligible. This should be done casually, specially preparing the situation so that the conversation goes naturally and does not look like an interrogation. You can talk to him while playing or after listening to children's music; you don't have to talk specifically, but return to the topic you need from time to time.

Be that as it may, a conversation with a child should serve two purposes.

1) You need to determine the emotionality and artistry of the child - how deeply he can worry artistic images and how vividly and emotionally he can convey them. These qualities are equally important for poetry and music. Therefore, if your child loves and easily remembers poetry, reads them with expression, tries to convey the mood, he already has a certain artistry and emotionality. All this is an indicator that the child has a penchant for creativity, he can easily study music and achieve success.
If a child is shy, reads poetry dryly and inexpressively, do not draw critical conclusions! Perhaps your child is an introvert, and the deep feelings that overwhelm him simply do not appear “outwardly”. Perhaps he still “does not know how” to express his emotions and feelings (to do this consciously). There cannot be a single approach here; each child will have his own characteristics. But if you see that the child is bored, he does not like to not only tell, but also listen to poetry, it is difficult for him to remember them - perhaps in this case it is better for you to take up chess or sports.

So, you can determine a child's emotionality and artistry by simply asking him to recite his favorite poem.

2) Determine your child’s interest in music and creativity. What does he know about music, would he like to do it? What does he like more - singing or playing an instrument? Find out from your child what type of music he likes best (or more specifically: from which cartoon or movie)? What cartoons or films does he like to watch and why? What kind of books does he like to read or listen to? Does he have any favorite songs? Ask him to hum one of them.

This way you can determine the child’s inclination towards music, and also find out what interests him in life, understand whether he needs to study music more seriously, go to a music school, or just attend a music and dance club.

Remember, in order to determine your child's interest in music, it is not so much what he answers (for most children of the same age, the answers are usually very similar), but how he answers your questions. It is important for the child to be somewhat clear in his tastes. If he doesn't care and isn't particularly enthusiastic about music, you might want to consider whether your child himself needs music training ( music lessons They can captivate him, “open him up,” but they can also reject him - here everything will depend on the child himself and on the skill of the teacher). If he can say more or less accurately that he likes cheerful, active music, like in such and such a cartoon; that he loves to sing, dance and play pillows like drums; he loves cartoons about Spider-Man, because he protects everyone and always defeats “bad monsters”, he likes to read encyclopedias about animals, and his favorite song is “ New Year rushes towards us...” and not only sings, but also starts dancing... You have every reason to believe that the child will enjoy playing music and will be able to achieve certain success.

Question 2: How to determine the presence of musical abilities in early childhood?

By observing your child (or remembering what he was like at that age), you can easily determine whether he has or does not have musical abilities.
The following may indicate that a child has a penchant for music and musical abilities developed from birth:
the child’s increased attention to any sound background,
clear expression of interest in the sound of the music,
a bright emotional manifestation of the baby’s joy while his favorite music is playing (some children begin to dance, without even learning to walk, sitting in the crib),
baby loves to listen different music, not only children's and lullabies performed by my mother.
Some time ago, scientists conducted a special study with children under the age of one year - using simple tests, they found out that most children supposedly have “absolute” ear for music from birth. This fact confirms the opinion that all people have approximately the same abilities (including musical ones), and only the level of development of these abilities is different for everyone.

This fact also allows us to draw the following conclusion: the mere presence of abilities does not affect a person’s success in a particular field of activity. You can have musical abilities developed from birth - a beautiful, strong voice, absolute pitch, and at the same time hate music. Any education, including music, exists to develop the necessary abilities in its field and provide certain knowledge. What then is important to achieve success? What is important is the interest and inclination of a person to a certain field of activity, which allows one to develop abilities in this area faster than other people can do. In most cases, this is the secret of talent, the giftedness of some people and the apparent mediocrity and “lack of ability” of others.

An inclination towards a particular field of activity usually manifests itself quite early. A child’s musicality can be detected as early as the age of one year, if already at this age he shows a clear interest in the sound of music.

Question 3: How to determine the aptitude for music in children of preschool and primary school age?

At this age, all three methods are applicable - talking with the child, testing (we'll talk about it a little later), and determining the child's general musicality.

What are the indicators of musicality and abilities in children aged 3-7 years and older?

1) Maintaining the interest in music shown in early childhood. If your child interrupts what he’s doing and listens to suddenly playing music, if he likes to listen to various music, not necessarily only children’s songs, but also good pop music, classics, tries to sing along or starts dancing to the music - all this indicates the child’s musicality.

It should be remembered that raising a child plays a big role in this matter, but not the main one. If a child is musical by nature, he will show this, no matter whether you studied music with him or not. If by nature he does not have an inclination, a “craving” for art, you can “bruise your forehead,” but you will only develop an aversion to music in the child. All you can do is help your child discover his musicality, give him the opportunity to express himself. If a child showed an interest in music in early childhood, but the parents did not pay attention to it, the child's interest will most likely fade. But this can also happen if you worked hard with your child - sang and learned songs, listened to music, played children's musical instruments. What can you do, human nature is a complex and unpredictable thing!

2) Your child easily and for a long time remembers the songs he likes. He sings more or less “purely”, likes to “compose” - he compiles some of his songs from words and melodies known to him (this can result in some kind of “potpourri”, or something completely incredible). Less often, he composes (more precisely, improvises “on the fly”) his own poems and songs - depending on how bright and expressive they turn out (of course, only emotionally, and not in meaning) - one can judge the child’s giftedness and talent. In any case, all this speaks of naturally developed musical and creative abilities.

3) Your child loves to perform in public, loves to take an active part in matinees and holidays, loves to engage in creativity in any form - singing, dancing, drawing, sculpting from plasticine. He has a good imagination, he likes to invent - all this is a good indicator of the ability to create and music.

Question 4: Does the child have an ear for music?

There are a number of traditional tests to determine musical ear, voices and musical memory. Such tests are usually carried out during an interview when a child is admitted to a music school. These tests are very simple, but require a minimum set of musical knowledge and skills of parents, and, in some cases, the presence of a piano.

Test 1. Ask your child to walk up to the piano and turn away. Play two sounds in turn in different registers (upper and lower) and ask him which sound was lower and which was higher.

Test 2. Press one key on the piano and ask your child how many sounds are heard. Now press two keys at the same time (preferably at a large distance from each other), and ask how many sounds are heard now.

If the child finds it difficult to answer, press the same keys in turn. Play any chord with both hands (in a wide position) and ask how many notes were played (one or many).

The first two tests check the activity of hearing, the ability to “orientate oneself in the sound space”, to isolate individual elements from the general sound of music (at the simplest level). They allow you to determine whether the child understands the difference in pitch of sounds, as well as the difference between a single sound and several sounded at the same time. If the child finds it difficult, don’t worry, it’s not so easy to understand these things; usually this is taught at an early stage of education (preparatory/first grade of music school).

Test 3.Sing the note E of the first octave (for example, on the syllable “la” or a simple “a”) and ask the child to repeat. Then sing the A note of the first octave and ask him to repeat it again. If you hear that it is difficult for a child to sing in this range, sing notes higher: Do-Mi of the second octave, or vice versa lower: B minor - D of the first octave. Try different notes to determine the range of your child's voice.

It is important that you sing yourself, without the help of a piano. To sing accurately, use a tuning fork. The fact is that the sound of a piano, as a rule, “confuses” children; it is more difficult to adapt to it than to the human voice they are accustomed to. If you can’t do it, and it’s difficult for you to hit the note accurately, it’s better, of course, to use a piano. Do not use children's musical instruments - pipes, xylophones, children's synthesizers and others.

Test 4.Sing a simple, short melodic phrase and ask your child to repeat.

Test 5. Ask your child to sing his favorite song.
So tests 3-5 allow you to check:
child's musical ear,
musical memory,
“reproductive” musical ear (can the child repeat the sounded note and melodic phrase),
child's voice range,
can the child intonate (sing “purely”)?

Remember, if a child shows an average result, if he can catch at least the direction of the melody without hitting the exact note, it means that he has an ear for music, albeit a poorly developed one. There are, of course, exceptions, the so-called “buzzers”. These children can sing in a very narrow range, do not intonate at all and cannot even understand the general direction of the melody. In fact, there are quite a lot of such children, but music schools know how to work with them and, in the end, develop their abilities to a certain level(in addition, the inability to sing does not prevent them from being talented pianists or trumpeters).

Question 5: How to determine the sense of rhythm?

Here are several tests to determine the sense of rhythm, which are also used in music schools during an introductory conversation with a child.

Test 1. Tap (not quickly) a simple rhythmic pattern and ask your child to repeat. Repeat the test 2-4 times, depending on the child’s progress, using different sequences.

Test 2. Ask your child to march in place to the music. Perform or play a recording of any popular, marching music. For example, the song “It’s fun to walk together...”.

Test 3. Ask your child to clap their hands to the music (as they do at concerts when the audience likes a song). Play or put on a recording of any rhythmic children's music, for example, “Letki-Enki”.
If a child has a weak sense of rhythm, this does not mean that it cannot be developed. If a child successfully completes all tests, this means that learning music will be much easier for him, but this does not guarantee that he will not get bored after a month.

Conclusions :

1) Parents can easily determine their child’s inclination towards music, the presence of musical abilities and their level of development using the above methods.

2) Developed musical abilities, such as an ear for music or a sense of rhythm, do not mean that a child has a penchant for music. It is interest, the desire to study music that plays a decisive role in whether a child achieves success in music or not (no matter at a professional or amateur level).

3) The absence of pronounced abilities and a clear desire to study music does not yet give the right to consider a child “incapable” or “non-musical”. Perhaps it is during the learning process that the child will reveal his abilities and develop an interest in music (as they say, appetite comes with eating). Thus, until you start playing music with your child, you cannot be completely sure that the child does not have the ability and inclination for music.

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• #1

  Thank you! Useful information! I have always loved to dance and sing, now with the advent of children in our family I really want to instill a love of music in them too!

• #2

Attention! If your tests are not displayed, but instead you see a blank area, then you need to install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player.

If the need arises to have their hearing checked, not everyone can promptly visit a specialist audiologist. Today, a hearing test can be performed without his participation; there are several methods.

Test No. 1 – hearing diagnostics using headphones

You can check your hearing yourself using a test. It only needs to be done with headphones. To obtain a reliable result, the test should be carried out in absolute silence.

• You must click on the “Continue” button.
• Next, the sound level is calibrated on a personal computer, as required by the program. It is important to complete the settings in advance, because no changes can be made during the test.
• A brief instruction will appear on the screen, according to which the test taker must press the options “I hear” or “I can’t.”
• After complete passage The test result will appear on the screen.

Test No. 2 – hearing test with an audiogram, or audiometry method

When executing this test It is important to set the volume level correctly. To hear the sound clearly, you must use headphones. This method allows you to graphically represent the degree of hearing loss, the ratio of hearing thresholds and sound range colloquial speech, audiogram configuration and type of hearing loss.

You need to calibrate the sound using a test signal. Various tones will then be output through the headphones. You won’t be able to hear them all, that’s normal. Increase the volume until a signal is heard. This test starts with a low frequency signal and ends with a high frequency signal.

Test No. 3 – what sound level in Hz can you hear?

A healthy person perceives waves in the range of 16-20 kHz - the audible range. Of course, with age some changes occur and the audible range decreases. Some people do not perceive certain frequencies. There are those that a person perceives not by hearing, but by touch; these are frequencies below 100 Hz. This happens due to the refraction of sound, so you can perceive sound that is not within the human audible range.

Using this hearing test, a person has the opportunity to determine the limits of the sensitivity threshold of the ear. Moreover, this method can be carried out for the purpose of diagnosing acoustic equipment. To configure it, an audio frequency generator is usually used.

If, as a result of the test, despite the fact that the subject is a middle-aged and healthy person, it turns out that he does not hear sounds above the 15 kHz mark, then it is time to visit a doctor, there are problems and they need to be solved. As a rule, impaired sound perception occurs with hearing loss. To avoid illness or at least delay the onset of hearing loss, it is recommended to reduce the duration of perception of loud sounds. In turn, hearing loss can be caused by a rupture of the tympanic cavity.

Hearing loss can be of two types, depending on which ear (inner or outer) is affected. In order to determine this, it is necessary to compare the hearing thresholds for air and bone conduction of sound. Let's get back to the test.

If the person being tested is mature or even elderly, these indicators can be considered normal, this is due to the fact that age-related changes have occurred in the body. Frequencies closer to 20 kHz are usually only heard by children. Age threshold - 10 years.

It is worth noting that there is such a thing as absolute pitch. This is the ability of a person to determine the pitch and name the notes heard without listening to the sounds. According to statistics, there is one person per 1000 people in the world with absolute pitch.

Video test for ability to catch frequency

This text introduces pure-tone audiometry. This is not just a test, but a video test with which you can determine the capabilities of each ear. The test tracks how the sensitivity of each ear individually changes over the years. Sounds are played at different frequencies. Afterwards the frequency must be increased. The extreme frequency that the test person will pick up will be an indicator of hearing age.

• 12 kHz - age less than 50 years;
• 15 kHz - you are under 40 years old;
• 16 kHz - the hearing of a person under 30 years old;
• 17 -18 kHz - you are under 24 years old;
• 19 kHz - hearing under 20 years of age.

In order for the result to be as reliable as possible, you should use high-quality headphones and watch videos in maximum resolution. The test can be performed on children.

Video test for the sharpest hearing in the world

Mobile phone applications

Today you can examine your hearing using gadgets. To do this, you just need to install the following applications on your phone.

uHear

The uHear app will allow you to find out your hearing sensitivity and determine how a person is able to adapt to the noise around them. To do this, you will need to take two tests; it will not take more than five minutes. A mandatory attribute is headphones, and you can choose any, the main thing is to indicate their type in the test. The testing principle is extremely simple: noises of various frequencies are reproduced, thus determining the hearing limit.

The test taker presses the button as soon as he hears the sound. This should not be a reflex, you must answer truthfully, you should not press a button in order to improve the result.

The operating principle is the same as that of Hörtest. If a person hears sound with his left ear, he should press the Left button, if with his right ear - Right. The result is very simple to read: a person’s age is estimated according to the sensitivity of his hearing. If it matches or borders on your real age, then everything is fine. If the difference is quite large, drastic measures need to be taken.

How else can you test your hearing?

Hearing acuity can be checked at home using a live speech hearing test. For this you will need a partner. The subject should take a comfortable sitting position and tightly cover one ear with his hand. The second person should whisper two-digit numbers. You need to move at least six meters away. With normal hearing, a person will understand the numbers mentioned from a given distance. Often, during a patient’s appointment, a similar phonemic hearing test is carried out by an ENT specialist.

You can undergo a tympanogram. During the procedure, it is forbidden to talk, move or swallow saliva. A probe is inserted into the ear, and then, using a special pump, air is pumped in, which is immediately sucked back out. Thus, the membrane begins to move and it becomes possible to evaluate the resulting pressure. The sound signal evaluates the reflection of sound from the membrane.

To study the level of hearing, a tuning fork with an oscillation frequency of 2048 Hz is also used. Using this examination, you can determine the condition of the sound-conducting and sound-receiving apparatus. The tuning fork should be brought as close to the ear as possible and held with your fingers. The result is assessed by a specialist.

In order to have your hearing checked, it is not at all necessary to immediately go to see a doctor. In addition to passing the tests described above online, you can find on the Internet many different questionnaire tests, which are a series of questions, based on the answers to which the program will make its conclusion regarding the quality of hearing. This option is suitable for those who do not have an obvious problem. Otherwise, you need to visit a doctor.

We often ask ourselves the question: “Do I have hearing”? Looking into the blue TV screens, we see a variety of vocal competitions. And sometimes the winners of these competitions don’t even have music education, they just have hearing and a voice, and the rest comes with it.

People who cannot distinguish a false note from a real one are usually considered musically untalented. Those who cannot pick out a melody by ear. First of all, sing any melody into the recorder and ask a couple of friends to listen to it. Your friends should be completely honest. If they say that you don't "hit" the notes, then most likely you have no hearing. But it doesn't matter. Remember that hearing can always be developed.

The next step is to go to a professional. This person must sing and play himself. He is the one who can give you the first answers to your questions and help you understand what exactly you need to work on in order to develop your hearing.

The big problem is that hearing is needed in order to play musical instruments. You will simply need to hear where you are playing correctly and where you are making mistakes.

Determining if there is a rumor

At the moment, there are several ways to check whether you have an ear for music or not.

• Ask someone who can play the piano to play you one note. At the same time, you do not see which key the person played. Remember this note by ear. After pressing the piano keys yourself, find this key. If you were able to find the same note, then you have hearing.
• How to check if a child has hearing? Children are tested for hearing by clapping their hands. Clap the melody with your hands, just not the simplest one, and ask the child to repeat it.
• Take a pencil or pen in your hands. Your friend should tap out any rhythm at intervals of five to eight seconds. You must repeat this rhythm with great precision. Pauses and duration should be the same.

How to find out if there is a rumor in a more accurate way?

If you can already play the piano yourself, then the “music test” is suitable for you. They play you one sound after another in the octave where you feel comfortable singing. And you must “get” in unison with the sounds that you hear.

After the tasks described above, you can make the task more difficult for yourself. Notes are played for you, and you must write them down in a notebook. This is the clearest way to determine the level of development of your hearing. But don’t worry, over time there won’t be a single mistake in your notebook.

The most important thing is not to be upset if your ear for music is not perfect now.

Always work on your improvement. You should always remember that almost all vocal stars developed their abilities through long and hard work.

The concept of “Musical Ear” itself should be considered as the ability to quickly capture, identify, remember and reproduce heard sounds. In order to artificially develop an ear for music, you will need to use systematic methods with which you can achieve maximum results.

With proper and high-quality testing of musical hearing, it is possible to identify potential abilities that can be further developed in both children and adults.

When is the best time to diagnose musical hearing?

By and large - at any time, at any age. Some experts have the opinion that we acquire an ear for music at the genetic level, although this is only half true. To achieve musical heights and become professional musician No special talents are required. After all, having even some “rudiments” of musical abilities, you can hope to obtain high results in the future with regular practice. Such activities can be compared to sports training. If you practice, you get results.

How is musical hearing tested?

This check must be carried out by a professional music teacher, or a specialist musician with a pedagogical education. A music school teacher is the best option. The verification takes place in several stages. After which some conclusions can be drawn. Every teacher knows about a person’s anxiety during an exam and always takes this fact into account when testing someone who wants to study music. After all, his answer can become a kind of “sentence” for the “subject”. He may not be able to cope with assigned tasks even due to ordinary anxiety or shyness. Hearing is tested according to three main criteria:

• Having a sense of rhythm;
• Pure voice intonation (singing sounds);
• Musical memory.

Rhythmic hearing test

The sense of rhythm is usually tested in this way: the teacher knocks on the table or claps a certain rhythm (most often these are familiar rhythms from songs), and then asks the subject to repeat it. When the rhythm is repeated exactly, we can talk about the presence of a sense of rhythm (rhythmic hearing).

Further, the rhythmic patterns become a little more complicated. It is during the complication of simple rhythms that the presence of a sense of rhythm is revealed. After all, it is the sense of rhythm, during the test for musical ear, that is the main and accurate criterion for subsequent assessment.

Purity of intonation

This is not the most important criterion for assessing musical abilities, but it is a very important procedure. All candidates for the title of “listener” pass it. For such a test, the teacher hums or plays a familiar melody, and the subject repeats it. Thus, the purity of the voice and a possible prospect for vocal training are revealed. The timbre beauty of the voice is tested only in adults.

If a child does not have a very strong, clear voice, but his sense of rhythmic hearing is normal, he will be free to study musical instrument. This should not be confused with testing vocal abilities, this is completely different. Here, only musical ear matters. And most importantly, if the subject does not sing at all or sings “dirty”, this does not mean at all that he also has no hearing.

Guessing musical sounds

The most interesting thing. The person being tested turns his back to the piano, and the teacher presses any key. After this, the subject must find it based on his feelings and musical memory. Basically, notes are pressed in the middle of the keyboard (middle register), but when good results the teacher can press both low enough and enough high sounds on the keyboard. A potential “listener” will definitely be able to find these sounds.

This is a simple way to test a person for an ear for music. Everyone without exception who wants to study in the field undergoes such a check. music school. So, knowing this, you can practice on your own at home, and then feel free to go to a music school for testing!

The concept of “musical ear” should be considered from the point of view of the ability to quickly capture, identify, remember and reproduce heard sounds. For artificial development, cultivation of musical ear, the use of systematized methods is required with which one can achieve best result.

A correct, high-quality test of musical hearing will reveal in a child, and not only in a child, abilities that should be developed.

When is it necessary to diagnose musical hearing?

In principle – at any time! In general, there is an opinion that a person acquires an ear for music at the genetic level, but this is only half true. In order to become a professional musician, no special talent is required, and even the presence of some “rudiments” of it guarantees the possibility of obtaining high results in the process of regular practice. Here, as in sports, training decides everything.

How is musical hearing tested?

In particular, a musical hearing test should be carried out exclusively by a professional music teacher. The process itself consists of several stages, as a result of which it becomes possible to draw certain conclusions (although one does not have to rely on the reliability of the conclusions obtained - often, often they turn out to be erroneous simply because the child perceives the testing situation as an exam and is worried). It is important to diagnose hearing according to three main criteria:

• presence of a sense of rhythm;
• assessment of voice intonation;
• musical memory abilities.

Rhythmic hearing test

This is usually checked like this. The teacher first taps a pencil or other object on the table (or claps his palms) with a certain rhythm (best of all, a melody from famous cartoon). Then he invites the subject to repeat it. If it accurately reproduces the real rhythm, we can talk about the presence of hearing.

The test continues: examples of rhythmic patterns become more complex. Thus, it is possible to test musical hearing for a sense of rhythm. It should be noted that it is the sense of rhythm - in the matter of the presence or absence of hearing - that is the main and accurate assessment criterion.

Voice intonation: is it sung clearly?

This is not the main criterion for “sentencing”, but a procedure to which all candidates for the title of “listener” are subjected without exception. To identify the correct voice intonation, the teacher hums a familiar, simple melody, which the child repeats. IN in this case the purity of the voice and the prospects for vocal practice are revealed (timbre beauty - this applies only to adults).

If a child does not have a very strong, melodic and clear voice, but is found to have hearing, he may well attend lessons in playing an instrument. In this case, it is the test of musical ear that is important, and not the presence of excellent vocal abilities. Yes, and one more thing: if a person sings dirty or doesn’t sing at all, then it’s a mistake to think that he has no hearing!

Guessing notes on an instrument: a game of hide and seek

The one being tested turns his back to the instrument (piano), the teacher presses any of the keys and then asks to find it on the keyboard. The test is carried out in the same way with other keys. The potential “listener” must accurately guess the notes by pressing the keys and listening to the sounds. This is somewhat reminiscent of the well-known children's game of hide and seek, only in this case it is hide and seek.