Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education
Vol. 26 No. 1 (2026): June 2026

Exploring the Impact of Music Tempo on Preschool Children's Artistic Expression: A Multisensory Perspective

Önder Yağmur (Atatürk University)
Caner Şengünalp (Atatürk University)
Nurşen Osmanoğlu (Van Yüzüncü Yıl University)
Mehmet Arif Karamanoğullari (Atatürk University)
Mehmet Burhan Çağiş (Atatürk University)
Nihan Çiplakkiliç (Atatürk University)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jul 2026

Abstract

This exploratory repeated-measures study examined how music tempo relates to preschool children’s visual production during open-ended painting. The study addresses a gap in multisensory art education by moving beyond passive music–color matching and examining how auditory tempo is reflected in children’s material, color, and compositional choices during artmaking. Twenty-five children aged 60–72 months from preschools in five Turkish provinces completed painting activities under fast-tempo (120–168 BPM) and slow-tempo (45–60 BPM) instrumental music conditions. Drawings were coded for color presence, color coverage, warm–cool balance, dominant color, recurring figure categories, spatial distribution, painted-area coverage, central concentration, and layering. Inter-rater reliability was assessed before consensus coding, and mixed-effects models were used to account for repeated observations within children. Tempo-related differences were most evident in color and compositional outcomes. Fast-tempo drawings showed a slightly broader color palette and greater warm-color coverage, whereas slow-tempo drawings showed greater painted-area coverage, central concentration, and layering. Figure categories, including people, rainbows, hearts, and suns, showed descriptive variation but did not remain significant after multiple-comparison correction. The findings suggest that music tempo may serve as a contextual feature of multisensory artmaking, shaping specific visual and material decisions without producing fixed symbolic or expressive styles.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

harmonia

Publisher

Subject

Arts

Description

Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education is published by Departement of Drama, Dance, and Music, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang in cooperation with Asosiasi Profesi Pendidik Sendratasik Indonesia (AP2SENI)/The Association of Profession for Indonesian Sendratasik ...