Through a baby’s ears: Musical interactions in a family community

We studied how the members of a family with three young children made and shared music with each other and the ways in which musical interactions supported their sense of community. We collected data by recording the soundscape of the family from the vantage point of 15-month-old Travis continuously for almost twelve hours per day for two days. We identified the following four musical behaviours corresponding to Wood and Judikis’ four elements of community: (1) Common purpose and mutual responsibility; (2) Acknowledgement of connectedness; (3) Respect for individual differences; (4) Commitment to the well-being of the members and the integrity of the group. The results of this case study based on behavioural data gathered in the family home show the effectiveness of music in fostering communication, expressing emotional connectedness, and enriching the daily life of parents and children.