The views of choral trainers towards children songs with popular music background

The aim of the study is to obtain the views of the trainers of children's choir on the use of the children's songs with popular music background which come out as a result of the mixture of popular music, which has recently been in the center of not only adults' but also children's attraction, and children's song as an educational tool in the children's choir, which has an important role in early music education. The identification of the views of children's choirs' trainers, who are both responsible for children to get an effective music education and the closest witnesses of positive or negative effects of choirs on children, on the use children's songs with popular music background is in the center of the study. The participants of the study are 18 children's choirs' trainers from different parts of Turkey and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus who have specialized in their fields or are still working in that field. 9 of the trainers work in primary schools' choirs, 8 of the them work in private children's choirs, and one of the them works in children's choir of TRT. In the study, survey model is used and choral trainers' views about the use of children's songs with popular music background have been identified by means of an interview form which was prepared according to expert opinions in accordance with the purpose and importance of the study. Data obtained through the interview forms was analyzed via content analysis method, as well. The results of the study reveal that the similarity of the children's songs with popular music background, in which music technology and electronic instruments have an important role, to current popular songs makes them sound more fun for children than their classical counterparts and more convenient for the choral trainers as a result of popular culture. In addition, it was found out that the choirs want to add these songs to their repertoire to see their probable educational sides and to ensure diversity in their repertoires. The trainers state that they do not use any different teaching methods to teach these kind of songs or classical children's songs. In addition, the study reveals that children learn those songs voluntarily and eagerly, yet the intonation of those songs is more difficult than the intonation of classical children's songs for students to perform.