Identifying Musically Gifted Children

Abstract

The procedure of judging overt performance ability is a widely accepted one for the identification of musically gifted children. There may be those, however, who possess both a high degree of sensitivity to sound and mature insights into the meaning of that sound, yet lack the physical maturation essential to demonstrate these traits. A delay in the development of psychomotor coordination can mask a child's true musical talents. Those responsible for identifying musically gifted children should adopt a multifaceted procedure utilizing information from the child, his/her peers, parents, teachers and impartial judges. A systematic assessment of the child's aptitude, achievement and attitude levels should be employed through formal testing. The strengths and weaknesses of several standardized instruments are discussed to assist the music educator in the selection of the appropriate instruments for the evaluation of the child's potential. A matrix is then suggested to expedite the selection procedure.