Representation, cognition, and communication: invented notation in children's musical communication

Abstract

In a text that seeks to explore the topic of'musical communication' it seems sensible to devote some thought to the role and function of music notation in musical communication. In this chapter I shall examine the communicative role of invented notation in children's musical experience. The study of children's invented notation has sparked considerable interest in recent years. Researchers have explored (he signs and symbols children employ when inventing notations, speculated on 'what' is communicated in children's invented notations, and suggested developmental trajectories in musical cognition from the study of children's invented notations. In this chapter I shall: provide an overview of research in the realm of children's thinking as users of invented notation; examine the communicative role of invented notations as initiation into the use of conventional symbolic systems and/or externaltzation of musical thinking; and explore the potential relationship of invented notation to other forms of sign-making activity (drawing, writing, using mathematical symbols).