Analysis of Early Childhood Music Education Textbooks based on Music Pedagogical Content Knowledge Reflecting the Educational Content of Music Educators: Focusing on Orff, Dalcroze, Kodály

Objectives The purposes of this study were to analyze university textbooks in early childhood music education utilized within early childhood teacher training courses, according to the music pedagogical content knowledge that reflects the educational content of music educators. Methods For this study, seven early childhood music education university textbooks suitable for research were selected as the research subjects. Next, these textbooks were analyzed and categorized into music pedagogical content knowledge domains: subject content, teaching and learning methods, curriculum, and learner knowledge. The results were presented. Results First, the analysis of the subject content knowledge revealed that there is a noticeable deficiency in content related to traditional Korean music in the textbook. Second, the analysis of the teaching and learning method knowledge in the textbook showed that the included plans for early childhood music activities predominantly focus on music appreciation and activities following the principle of gradual deepening. Activities such as singing with inner hearing, harmony-linked activities, and singing by note or scale are less frequently presented. Third, upon analyzing the curriculum knowledge within the textbooks, the music education content linked to the Nuri curriculum is presented more frequently on average than the content linked to the standard child care curriculum. Fourth, as a result of analyzing the knowledge of leaners in the textbook, the target age for the included plans for early childhood music activities tended to center around young children or toddler-young children integration. Conclusions The significance of this study lies in its proposals for future enhancements and revisions of university textbooks for early childhood music education.