Listen to the graph: Childrens matching of melodies with their visual representations

This paper is a report of matching of melodies with line graphs and music notation by children (aged 10 & 11 years). The study found that children are able to match the up-down contour of melodies with their visual representations, and that matching-task performance is positively related to mathematical ability in the case of line graphs, and musical ability in the case of music notation. The results suggest that visually impaired students and students with a preference for aural learning may be able to perceive the shape of graphs through auditory output of graphical calculators or computers. It was found also that the children used global processing more readily than local analytical processes and were able to detect global features such as overall shape more easily than local details such as interval sizes.