Mister Rogers' Musical Neighborhood: Fred McFeely Rogers' Contributions to Early Childhood Music Educatio

Music education has historically been regarded as the learning that takes place within a formal classroom setting. In recent decades, however, a growing number of music educators and music philosophers have begun to suggest the importance of considering broader contexts in which music education can occur. Since its inception during the 20th century, one of the most pervasive influences in children's lives beyond the classroom has been television, but only a few studies have considered its potential in regard to music education. One historically prominent children's television program that utilized music as its primary means of educating generations of preschool children was Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, yet to date no study has investigated the nature of music education as presented on Rogers' program.;The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate, document, analyze, and discuss the presentation of music education on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood from 1979-2001. In doing so, the study traced the story of Rogers' growth and development as a musician and educator in an effort to understand what motivated him to incorporate music education in such a prominent way on his program. Following that, the primary ways music education was incorporated on the program were outlined and discussed. At the conclusion of the study, the evidence was synthesized to suggest what could be inferred concerning Rogers' philosophy in regard to early childhood music education.;The results of this study revealed that Rogers incorporated music education into his program in primarily six ways: through his original songs, through the jazz-oriented musical underscore, through the operas that Rogers' composed, through the numerous guest musicians who appeared, through the specific music instruction that occurred, and through the musical messages that were conveyed. Eight philosophical principles emerged concerning Rogers' philosophy of early childhood music education, including themes such as the role of modeling in regard to music learning, the relationship between students and music teachers, and the importance of allowing students the freedom of self-expression through music. Parallels between Rogers' philosophies and those of Shinichi Suzuki, Zoltan Kodaly, Carl Orff, Albert Bandura, Lev Vygotsky, Vernon Howard, and Howard Gardner are also discussed.