Degree Name
Master of Music
Graduate Program
Music
Advisor
Dr. James Reifinger
Abstract
Abstract
The Suzuki method emphasizes early musical intervention, involvement of parents/caregivers, and a musical home environment as foundational tenets of its philosophy. Parent involvement and home environment in general education (PI-HE) and in music (PI-HEM) has been operationalized and explored in a growing body of research. Most existing PI-HEM research has measured elementary and instrumental students in grades 4-12, while few studies have measure PI-HEM in preschoolers aged 3-5. Further exploration of the Suzuki Method through the lens of contemporary PI-HE literature could reveal a more specific understanding of the Suzuki Method in our modern landscape so that a conversation about equitable applications of the method may be ignited. Scholarship on the Suzuki method, PI-HE, and PI-HEM were reviewed in this paper. The first section of this paper provides information on the Suzuki method, beginning with the history and philosophy of the method, followed by an examination of the tenets of the philosophy, and a review of the previous research that has examined the intersection of the Suzuki method and early childhood. The second section of the paper examines seminal PI-HEM measurement instruments, followed by studies on PI-HE in relation to learning outcomes in general education and in music, and finally PI-HE and relationships to demographic and socioeconomic background of parents.