Journeys towards empowerment: Educators sharing their musical cultural identities with children

Abstract

This article outlines an action research/practitioner inquiry approach used in an ongoing professional development project involving educators in two early childhood (EC) education and care settings in Australia. The aim of this professional development project is to provide quality musical experiences for children as part of the overall curriculum, while at the same time building the musical knowledge, skills and confidence of the educators at the settings. The aim of the research is for the specialist music educator researchers to work collaboratively with the EC educators to develop an approach that will achieve the professional development aims. This article outlines the practitioner inquiry methodology used, and presents data and reflections on the most recent phases of the project, during which a focus on developing the musical attunement of educators to the children’s musicality and musical identities led to them sharing their own musical cultural identities with the children. Reflections from these phases of the project provide evidence of the positive impact of this approach on the musical self-efficacy of some educators, and the rich musical cultural sharing that has taken place.

Togetherness!: adult companionship – the key to music making in kindergarten

“…As we try to repair educators' musical confidence, the momentum of adult companionship, the notion of 'we,' and the concept of togetherness have a great deal of value. Niland and Holland (2019) state that professional development in music education should aim at building educators' musical knowledge and skills, so that they can become more musically attuned to children. When educators develop sufficient musical awareness and skills, both their musical confidence and their belief in the value of music will increase (Kim and Kemple 2011;Niland and Holland 2019).…”

“…Niland and Holland (2019) state that professional development in music education should aim at building educators' musical knowledge and skills, so that they can become more musically attuned to children. When educators develop sufficient musical awareness and skills, both their musical confidence and their belief in the value of music will increase (Kim and Kemple 2011;Niland and Holland 2019). We argue that the notion of 'we' broadens and builds ECEC staff members' thought-action repertoire and personal resources within music-making, thus contributing to their musical awareness, musical abilities, and belief in the value of music.…”

“…Second, negative musical identity may be explained by the decline (or complete lack) of music education in the training of early childhood educators in many countries (Niland and Holland 2019;Russell-Bowie 2009). In Norway, music has been cut from approximately 30% to 10% of the mandatory programme over the past four decades (Vist and Os 2019).…”

Preparing preservice early childhood educators to use music in Australian settings: An audit of programmes

“…Common practices include playing recordings of popular children’s music for free dancing and play with percussion instruments, listening to or watching songs on devices like the iPad and singing songs during transition and group times (Gillespie & Glider, 2010; Nyland et al, 2015; Suthers, 2008). Such teacher-directed activities provide enjoyable musical encounters for children, but music-making in early childhood (EC) settings should encompass intentional fostering of musical skills and concepts (Niland & Holland, 2019) to fully exploit music’s contribution to EC learning and development.…”

Early childhood care and education educators’ understanding of the use of music-based pedagogies to teach communication skills

“…(Department of Basic Education [DBE] 2015:40) The document further advises adults to speak, sing, read to and listen to young children to support them as they learn to speak and listen, and later to read and write. It is on this basis that researchers suggested that music should be employed as one of the implementation strategies to communicate with ECCE learners to aid their language development (Niland & Holland 2019).…”