Impact of Mothers' Music Parenting on Infants' Musical Abilities

The purpose of this study was to analyze the musical parenting (MP) practices of mothers with infants and the impact of these practices on infants' musical abilities. A questionnaire was administered to 304 two-year-old infants and their mothers in daycare centers across G Province. The results showed the following: First, mothers perceived prenatal musical education (PME) as beneficial and necessary for child development, with high implementation rates, primarily using classical music. Additionally, older mothers were found to participate in PME more frequently. Second, mothers were relatively active in engaging in musical interactions (MI) with their young children, with differences in MI participation depending on the mothers' age, education, and music learning experience. Moreover, the home musical environment (HME) was found to be lacking, with differences based on the mother's educational background and music learning experience. Various MP practices—including PME implementation, weekly PME frequency, listening to music, singing, dancing, music-making, and HME—were found to positively affect infants' musical abilities. Among these, singing-related MI had the most significant impact on infants' musical abilities. These findings highlight the importance of supporting mothers in recognizing and actively engaging in MP practices to positively influence their children's musical development.