“Can We Have More Hand-Drums?” Preschool Children’s Musical Play in a Program Exploring Diverse Languages

Abstract

This paper explores the role of play in a research project that documented and elucidated responses to a culturally diverse music program of five preschool-aged children in a child-care centre in Melbourne, Australia. The study was conducted over a period of nine weeks. The music program was conducted playfully, concentrating not only on the musical features and premeditated pedagogical devices, but on children’s contribution to the content and arrangements of the music sessions. The methodology employed in the study was conceptually rooted in the socio-cultural framework. The researcher took into consideration that learning is purported in a social environment and changes in character within a variety of social contexts. The social aspects of play were well-captured in the large number of Learning Stories that were written about and with the children. The Learning Story method of gathering, analysing and planning from data was employed as this socio-cultural approach encompassed contextual factors and celebrated children’s active role in the process of learning within and beyond the music program. The analysis of Learning Stories revealed that children’s learning is more profound when there are opportunities for play, on their own terms; this consideration is strongly recommended for future research projects.