Hong Kong parents’ beliefs about the impact of music on children’s development

The present study investigates Hong Kong parents’ beliefs about the impact of music on children’s development and the factors that influence parental beliefs. Participants were 197 parents of K2 children from 12 local kindergartens. Parents were surveyed about their personal and family background, their beliefs about the importance of children’s education, and children’s participation in music-related activities. Data were analyzed using descriptive and correlation analyses with SPSS Statistics 27. A positive correlation was found between parents’ and children’s preference for music. Moreover, we found that parents’ attitudes toward the importance of music varied depending on their level of education and personal experience. Finally, a conflict was revealed between parents’ beliefs about the importance of music education and their children’s enrollment in music-related activities. These findings highlight the crucial role of parental beliefs in children’s musical development and demonstrate that various factors, particularly education level and personal preferences, influence such beliefs in diverse ways. Copyright © 2023 Korean Music Education Society.