International Journal of Music in Early Childhood - Volume 18, Issue 2, 2023

Despite considerable research on children’s development of prosocial behaviours through musical play and child–adult interactions, such literature tends to focus on how children’s behaviours or dispositions might be improved rather than recognizing the inherent dignity of the children or understanding how adults may also be influenced through such interactions. In this theoretical article we investigate processes of ‘empathic creativity’ to envision possible ways that children and adults might attune to one another as co-equal interactors through musical play. We reviewed literature related to empathic creativity, while considering ways to elucidate each process in terms of its implications for music teachers. To offer possible practical illustrations for empathic creativity, we connect each process to an instance of interactive musical play in the musical engagement between Lily, a 3-year-old Suzuki cello student; the first author; and the student’s parents. This article provides several illustrations of musical play that relate to empathic creativity, inviting further research into each of these elements as well as intersections between them. We also suggest further research into how adults might continue to develop their own social, emotional and musical skills while engaging in co-equal musical interactions with young children. Implications for practice include not underestimating children’s inherent musical and social capabilities, and the importance of music teachers attuning with students in ways that inspire them to learn along with students as they explore new musical ideas and approaches together.

Early childhood educators (ECEs), teachers and carers in Australia have been developing an awareness and understanding of the fundamental importance of discovery play and process in various aspects of children’s learning since 2009. The focus in most areas of the curriculum has shifted from teacher directed rote learning, based on outcome or product to children’s playful, experiential, discovery processes in line with the Australian developed Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). ECEs, teachers and carers have developed an awareness of process pertaining to most aspects of the early childhood (EC) curriculum. Through my research I discovered that there is little definition or exploration of how this process pertains to EC music education. The teaching of music has largely remained focused on performance or product, singing songs or dancing with or without instruments, relying on recordings. Playful process if offered predominantly involves instrumental play and discovery of timbre. I found that there was little definition, experience or prescription of what musical process might involve. I hoped to determine how to effectively enable ECEs, teachers and carers to sing and change their musicking practices. My longitudinal Action Research (AR) study revealed that the process of reflective vocal play and vocal doodling was almost entirely lacking and yet pivotal for the development of vocal self-efficacy, musical metacognition and vocal agency of both ECEs, teachers and carers and their children.

It seems that music in early childhood is often taught without reflective process. To break an ‘I cannot sing’ cycle, I imagined change in my professional development approach with teachers. I sought an enabling vocal-play-based process to create awareness, guidance and motivation to develop change through understanding of reflective pedagogy, self-trust, self-beliefs, self-efficacy and metacognition. Vocal-play process is largely omitted in early childhood settings and pre-service teacher training, with focus on song or performance. This self-reflective action research case study developed as I, mentor-researcher, challenged myself to change my professional practice to introduce musical process to generalist educators. The ‘Contour Vocal Play’ Framework emerged.