Quality and Knowledge Content in Music Activities in Preschool: The Impact of Human Materiality Combinations

Abstract

ABSTRACTTraditionally, pedagogical research has been child centered, where materialities often have been considered as objects and tools. However, in recent posthuman research, attempts have been made to consider human materiality combinations to have impact on pedagogical activities in preschool, but to a large extent music as an issue has been neglected. Therefore, the aim of this research study is to discuss pedagogical quality and knowledge content in music activities in preschool by focusing on combinations of human and materiality subjects as “cyborgs.” Particularly, this is essential for preschool, teacher education, and research, contributing alternative understandings of learning settings. A theoretical framework emanates from posthumanist theories, where the authors apply methodological concepts used in their earlier work to study music activities. The empirical material was produced in Spring 2013. The analysis of video observations identifies two different characters of a cyborg, the guitar-human, and the CD human having quite different impacts on the music activities. Nevertheless, they have in common that they create intensities with the children, where entanglements between human and materiality become the activity. Finally, the cyborgs are discussed, where issues and dilemmas related to pedagogical quality, knowledge content, agency, and competence are addressed.