AIRS 2nd Annual Meeting: 2010 Title: Pitches and rhythms in songs of Brazilian children Authors: Beatriz Ilari (Federal University of Parana), Vivian Agnolo Barbosa (Federal University of Parana) Abstract Introduction: In spite of the great interest for Brazilian music in academic circles, little is known about the musical practices of Brazilian children. The few studies published to date have focused primarily on children who learn music in conservatories and special performance schools (a minority). Information on singing practices in naturalistic contexts is rare, although most Brazilian children do not have access to formal music education. The purpose of this ongoing study has been to document the singing practices of Brazilian children across the national territory. Method: Using tools of qualitative research (interviews, field notes, audio/videotaping), the authors have been documenting children's singing practices in loco, in different parts of Brazil (e.g., in the Amazon, in a MST camp, in local schools). Results: The analysis of musical components of a 49 songs suggest: (1) that songs by children living in communities that are heavily influenced by Afro-Brazilian musical traditions tend to be more rhythmic in nature, with fewer "exact" pitches; (2) that even when singing tonal songs, children seem to focus on rhythm and form, and not always on pitches; (3) for some musical genres (e.g., tambor de crioula), children seem to develop specific singing/performance techniques early on; (4) Movement and song seem to be intrinsically related. Discussion: Results from the present study raise the question of how singing develops in children living in multicultural and hybrid cultures, like Brazilian culture. Examples will be presented at the conference along with implications for music education.