Music education opportunities for the development of soft skills of the Generation Alpha

Abstract

The development of digital tools and the hours of online presence that users spend online every day have a significant impact on Generation Alpha. Online presence is an integral part of the communication habits of the digital generation, and on some occasions, it is also part of their face-to-face communication. In many cases, members of this generation also see time spent on social platforms as a weekend leisure activity. The illusion that being part of a community on an online platform can be equivalent to being part of a community based on personal acquaintance may contribute to a slower development of the generation's social skills. The increasing use of AI-based programmes in the workplace foreshadows the potential for AI to replace employee resources for certain work processes that can be automated. This reinforces the importance of research that points to the need to make Lifelong Learning and the development of soft skills a natural activity for the future worker. The aim of the study is to analyze the mentioned processes in the literature, and then to shed light on the connections and methods that enable the development of the soft skills of children of the Generation Alpha through music studies.