Child/Computer interaction: Observation in classroom setting

Background in music education: The relationship between new technology and learning is gaining more relevance in the field of music education (Webster 2002). The present study deals with an area still under-studied, that of interactive musical systems, in an attempt to understand in what way it can affect the learning and the musical creativity of children. In particular, we chose to study young children, 3/5 years old, because at this age the problem of the interaction between child and machine takes on a fundamental role in the learning process. Imberty (2002), in accordance with the psychologist Daniel Stern (1977), describes the musical development of young children as based on the vocal play between child and mother (lallation, baby-talk), characterised by the mechanism of repetition and variation. The point of interest is to verify what type of music development arises when this interaction takes place not between two human subjects, but rather between a child and a machine.