Musical Beginnings: Origins and Development of Musical Competence

From where, and by what mechanisms, does an individual's musical ability originate? The interest surrounding this question has recently been heightened by research into prenatal perception of sound, particularly among developmental and music psychologists. This timely volume provides an up-to-date, integrative account of research on the development of musical ability, particularly in infancy and early childhood. Each chapter addresses central issues and charts a child's developmental progress with reference to his or her changing environment: from the intense and semi-exclusive mother-baby bond, to the wider contexts provided by family, school, and society at large.