The role of play in music education for
young children
Christiane Nieuwmeijer
January 2013
2
List of contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………….1
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….……….1
§1. The young child, its general development and the role of play within………….3
1.1. Physical development and forms of play………………………..……….3
1.2. Cognitive development and forms of play……………………………....4
1.3. Social development and forms of play……………………………………5
1.4. The role of the teacher in play……………………………………………..7
1.5. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………8
§2. The young child’s musical development……………………………………………….9
2.1. Moog………………………………………………………………………………..10
2.1. Swanwick & Tillman……………………………………………………………..12
2.3. Hargreaves & Galton…………………………………………………………….14
2.4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………16
§3. The young child and its musical play
3.1. Informal musical play…………………………………………………………..19
3.2. Free musical play………………………………………………………………..19
3.3. Description of some small scale observations on musical play ………22
§4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..24
Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………26
References………………………………………………………………………………………..26
3
‘You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of
conversation’
(Plato, 428– 348BC)
The role of play in music education for young children
Abstract:
This paper reports on a literature study and a small scale observation
performed on musical play by children from 4 up to 6 years of age. It will
look into the young childs’ general-, as well as their musical development, in
order to explain certain types of (musical-) play. It will then move on to forms
of musical play and the role of the teacher whithin. Finally, in order to
interpret findings from literature, it reflects on video footage1 of children
playing musically, thus tying literature and practice together.
Keywords
Free musical play, teacher scaffolding, music education, musical development
Introduction
I love young children, and I my heart lies by teaching them. I have been
teaching young children for over two decades and they still fascinate me in
the way they experience the world, the questions they ask and the way they
learn. Young children learn largely by play – the expression ‘homo ludens’
cannot be more applicable than it is to young children. Play however, is not
only an enjoyable experience for young children, but also a crucial way to
learn about language, to strengthen physical skills, develop intellectual skills
and build social relationships (Brouwers, 2009). Because play enhances most
aspects of child development, it is viewed as an essential ingredient in early
childhood programmes. At the teacher training college where I teach, play is
1
This
video
footage
is
not
available
on
the
Internet,
due
to
confidentiality.
For
further
information,
please
contact:
christiane.nieuwmeijer@planet.nl
4
alligned a major role in the curriculum directed at the young child. I wish
however, the same would apply for music education and play.
In general, in Dutch Primary Schools, music education is offered by general
teachers, as the majority of schools do not employ specialized music
teachers. These general teachers are expected to have acquired all skills
necessary for this task, whithin their own vocational training. As a music
teacher at a Teacher Training college, I have a reasonable clear image of how
such music pedagogy is taught to upcoming teachers, and am abreast of
curricula utilized to prepare them for this future task. From this experience, I
think it can be stated that, due to a lack of time within the curriculum on the
one hand, and students’ own (relatively low-) level of musical development
and self-esteem (‘I’m not musical!’) on the other, all these curricula are able
to offer are the training of some musical skills such as singing, and some
pedagogy on teaching children to sing, dance, or play on easy accessible
musical instruments. In addition, groups are relatively large (around 30
students) and available time is limited. Consequently, the focus of these
curricula lies on (mainly) teacher-led, whole group based musical activities –
indentical to the way students are taught themselves. Curricula offer no
opportunity for other forms of music pedagogy, nor different views on music
education. Research in this area seems to confirm that teachers offer mainly
teacher-led musical activities (Andress, 1998; Morin, 2001), and that indeed
music is often not integrated into a general education classroom (Bresler,
1993; Stake, Bresler, & Mabry, 1991). It also appears that abovementioned
barriers such as teachers’ lack of knowledge, lack of resources as well as
overall pressure for teachers have been noted as deterrents to music
integration (Bresler, 1993).
To my opinion, this practice does not do justice to children’s musical
development, as (especially-) young children learn largely by means of play.
Teacher-led, group based activities are in itself efficient and suitable, but do
not, however, meet every need of this age group. Recent research on
children’s musical play behaviour provides for a new understanding of the
intuitive ways in which children make music, and how they learn from their
musical play. This understanding could well form a basis for the design of
5
educational activities that indeed meet children’s self-motivated learning
styles, such as play. It is my belief that such forms of pedagogy deserve an
equal place in a vocational training directed at young children.
Therefore, this paper aims to look into the issue of children’s musical play in
greater detail. It will concentrate on children between 4 and 7 years of age.
In order for it to be of use in my practice as a vocational trainer, the role of
the teacher within children’s (musical-) play will be of specific interest.
Finally, this study may also serve as a ‘prestudy’ for my masters dissertation,
which will be on the possible effects of a live musician on children’s musical
play.
The outline of this paper will be as follows. First, literature related to the
childs general development, as well as on their development in play in
general will be presented and discussed. Second, the focus will be on the
childs musical development, and on how to define such a development.
Subsequently, a closer look will be taken at literature on childrens’ musical
play. In order to comprehend and recognize this literature, this part will be
accompanied with some findings as well as some footage from a small piece
of (non-participant-)observation on musical play in a naturalistic setting.
Finally, literature on the role of the teacher within musical play will be listed
and discussed.
§ 1 The young child, its general development and the role of play within
1.1. Physical development and forms of play
1.2. Cognitive development and forms of play
1.3. Social development and forms of play
1.4. The role of the teacher in play
1.5. Conclusion
From birth until the age of six, a child experiences an enormous growth.
Over only a period of five, six years, it grows from a helpless, dependent
creature into a walking, thinking, increasingly independent child. This growth
stretches out over different development areas, i.e. its physical development
(such as motor control and the physical ability of speech), its cognitive
6
development (through which it learns to think and speak), as well as its
emotional and social development (to develop a sense of self and begins to
detach itself from its caretakers).
This development also has a direct effect on how children play. With every
developmental stage and accordingly increased skills, the child enters
another phase of play. If something is to be said on (the development of-)
musical play, it is of value to have an overview of the child’s general abilities
concurrent to their age, as well as on how this development affects children’s
way of playing. Therefore this section will give some brief insights into this
development. It will focus on the child’s physical, social and cognitive
development from birth up to 6, 7 years of age and of congruous forms of
play.
1.1. Physical development and forms of play
A child’s body, in the age between four and five, increases in lenght as well
as in weight: as it used to have a round torso as a toddler, now it changes
from round to muscular, and becomes (because of this muscular growth)
heavier. Due to growth of the brain, resulting in the formation of new
neurological connections, lateralisation and fine motor skills develop rapidly.
Children become left- or right handed (Feldman, 1997). The child gains
increased balance and is able to hop (Kohnstamm, 1993). In this stage, the
child takes pleasure in practicing its motor skills by engaging in forms of
physical play, such as running, jumping or pivoting (and with it, practicing its
gross motor skills), or building blocks and playing with water and sand
(practicing its fine motor skills).
1.2. Cognitive development and forms of play
Cognitive skills in this age span develop from initial sensorial perceptions as
a baby, to the ability of speech, and (by that) the ability of thinking around
the age of two. This development brings along an improvement of the
7
memory and an increase of the span of attention. The ability of thought
enables symbolic representation, i.e. the cognitive skill by which some entity
comes to represent something else (Feldman, 1997) (e.g. a stick becomes a
broom).
Developmental psychologist Piaget devised a theory for a cognitive
developmen
The role of play in music education for
young children
Christiane Nieuwmeijer
January 2013
2
List of contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………….1
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….……….1
§1. The young child, its general development and the role of play within………….3
1.1. Physical development and forms of play………………………..……….3
1.2. Cognitive development and forms of play……………………………....4
1.3. Social development and forms of play……………………………………5
1.4. The role of the teacher in play……………………………………………..7
1.5. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………8
§2. The young child’s musical development……………………………………………….9
2.1. Moog………………………………………………………………………………..10
2.1. Swanwick & Tillman……………………………………………………………..12
2.3. Hargreaves & Galton…………………………………………………………….14
2.4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………16
§3. The young child and its musical play
3.1. Informal musical play…………………………………………………………..19
3.2. Free musical play………………………………………………………………..19
3.3. Description of some small scale observations on musical play ………22
§4. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..24
Recommendations………………………………………………………………………………26
References………………………………………………………………………………………..26
3
‘You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of
conversation’
(Plato, 428– 348BC)
The role of play in music education for young children
Abstract:
This paper reports on a literature study and a small scale observation
performed on musical play by children from 4 up to 6 years of age. It will
look into the young childs’ general-, as well as their musical development, in
order to explain certain types of (musical-) play. It will then move on to forms
of musical play and the role of the teacher whithin. Finally, in order to
interpret findings from literature, it reflects on video footage1 of children
playing musically, thus tying literature and practice together.
Keywords
Free musical play, teacher scaffolding, music education, musical development
Introduction
I love young children, and I my heart lies by teaching them. I have been
teaching young children for over two decades and they still fascinate me in
the way they experience the world, the questions they ask and the way they
learn. Young children learn largely by play – the expression ‘homo ludens’
cannot be more applicable than it is to young children. Play however, is not
only an enjoyable experience for young children, but also a crucial way to
learn about language, to strengthen physical skills, develop intellectual skills
and build social relationships (Brouwers, 2009). Because play enhances most
aspects of child development, it is viewed as an essential ingredient in early
childhood programmes. At the teacher training college where I teach, play is
1
This
video
footage
is
not
available
on
the
Internet,
due
to
confidentiality.
For
further
information,
please
contact:
christiane.nieuwmeijer@planet.nl
4
alligned a major role in the curriculum directed at the young child. I wish
however, the same would apply for music education and play.
In general, in Dutch Primary Schools, music education is offered by general
teachers, as the majority of schools do not employ specialized music
teachers. These general teachers are expected to have acquired all skills
necessary for this task, whithin their own vocational training. As a music
teacher at a Teacher Training college, I have a reasonable clear image of how
such music pedagogy is taught to upcoming teachers, and am abreast of
curricula utilized to prepare them for this future task. From this experience, I
think it can be stated that, due to a lack of time within the curriculum on the
one hand, and students’ own (relatively low-) level of musical development
and self-esteem (‘I’m not musical!’) on the other, all these curricula are able
to offer are the training of some musical skills such as singing, and some
pedagogy on teaching children to sing, dance, or play on easy accessible
musical instruments. In addition, groups are relatively large (around 30
students) and available time is limited. Consequently, the focus of these
curricula lies on (mainly) teacher-led, whole group based musical activities –
indentical to the way students are taught themselves. Curricula offer no
opportunity for other forms of music pedagogy, nor different views on music
education. Research in this area seems to confirm that teachers offer mainly
teacher-led musical activities (Andress, 1998; Morin, 2001), and that indeed
music is often not integrated into a general education classroom (Bresler,
1993; Stake, Bresler, & Mabry, 1991). It also appears that abovementioned
barriers such as teachers’ lack of knowledge, lack of resources as well as
overall pressure for teachers have been noted as deterrents to music
integration (Bresler, 1993).
To my opinion, this practice does not do justice to children’s musical
development, as (especially-) young children learn largely by means of play.
Teacher-led, group based activities are in itself efficient and suitable, but do
not, however, meet every need of this age group. Recent research on
children’s musical play behaviour provides for a new understanding of the
intuitive ways in which children make music, and how they learn from their
musical play. This understanding could well form a basis for the design of
5
educational activities that indeed meet children’s self-motivated learning
styles, such as play. It is my belief that such forms of pedagogy deserve an
equal place in a vocational training directed at young children.
Therefore, this paper aims to look into the issue of children’s musical play in
greater detail. It will concentrate on children between 4 and 7 years of age.
In order for it to be of use in my practice as a vocational trainer, the role of
the teacher within children’s (musical-) play will be of specific interest.
Finally, this study may also serve as a ‘prestudy’ for my masters dissertation,
which will be on the possible effects of a live musician on children’s musical
play.
The outline of this paper will be as follows. First, literature related to the
childs general development, as well as on their development in play in
general will be presented and discussed. Second, the focus will be on the
childs musical development, and on how to define such a development.
Subsequently, a closer look will be taken at literature on childrens’ musical
play. In order to comprehend and recognize this literature, this part will be
accompanied with some findings as well as some footage from a small piece
of (non-participant-)observation on musical play in a naturalistic setting.
Finally, literature on the role of the teacher within musical play will be listed
and discussed.
§ 1 The young child, its general development and the role of play within
1.1. Physical development and forms of play
1.2. Cognitive development and forms of play
1.3. Social development and forms of play
1.4. The role of the teacher in play
1.5. Conclusion
From birth until the age of six, a child experiences an enormous growth.
Over only a period of five, six years, it grows from a helpless, dependent
creature into a walking, thinking, increasingly independent child. This growth
stretches out over different development areas, i.e. its physical development
(such as motor control and the physical ability of speech), its cognitive
6
development (through which it learns to think and speak), as well as its
emotional and social development (to develop a sense of self and begins to
detach itself from its caretakers).
This development also has a direct effect on how children play. With every
developmental stage and accordingly increased skills, the child enters
another phase of play. If something is to be said on (the development of-)
musical play, it is of value to have an overview of the child’s general abilities
concurrent to their age, as well as on how this development affects children’s
way of playing. Therefore this section will give some brief insights into this
development. It will focus on the child’s physical, social and cognitive
development from birth up to 6, 7 years of age and of congruous forms of
play.
1.1. Physical development and forms of play
A child’s body, in the age between four and five, increases in lenght as well
as in weight: as it used to have a round torso as a toddler, now it changes
from round to muscular, and becomes (because of this muscular growth)
heavier. Due to growth of the brain, resulting in the formation of new
neurological connections, lateralisation and fine motor skills develop rapidly.
Children become left- or right handed (Feldman, 1997). The child gains
increased balance and is able to hop (Kohnstamm, 1993). In this stage, the
child takes pleasure in practicing its motor skills by engaging in forms of
physical play, such as running, jumping or pivoting (and with it, practicing its
gross motor skills), or building blocks and playing with water and sand
(practicing its fine motor skills).
1.2. Cognitive development and forms of play
Cognitive skills in this age span develop from initial sensorial perceptions as
a baby, to the ability of speech, and (by that) the ability of thinking around
the age of two. This development brings along an improvement of the
7
memory and an increase of the span of attention. The ability of thought
enables symbolic representation, i.e. the cognitive skill by which some entity
comes to represent something else (Feldman, 1997) (e.g. a stick becomes a
broom).
Developmental psychologist Piaget devised a theory for a cognitive
developmen
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