The fluid infusion of musical culture: embodied experiences in a grade one classroom

ABSTRACT

Children’s daily, embodied music experiences are integral to how children live and function in the world. Growing out of a line of work focusing on the interplay between elementary children’s daily experiences of music, both in- and out-of-school and the impact on elementary music education curriculum, this research is nested within the theoretical discourses of experience, children’s musical culture, and children’s agency. Building upon this work, findings from a two-phase, 6-month inquiry, situated in an urban, Canadian, Grade 1 French Immersion classroom, draw upon the tools of ethnography and narrative inquiry, with the intention of deepening understandings of how informal music-making and sound function in children’s lives. Phase one findings highlight: (1) the frequency and spontaneity of children’s daily music experiences, both in- and out-of-school, (2) the nature of how music and sound function fluidly in a variety of contexts as integral to children’s experience, and (3) the power of musical behaviours in assisting young children to acquire French vocabulary and literacy skills. Important considerations for teacher education include: the necessity of creating space in elementary curriculum to engage children in music-making, integrating and infusing the Arts fluidly across the curriculum, and encouraging children autonomy in their musical engagement.

KEYWORDS:

• Elementary music
• musical culture
• agency
• experience
• ethnography
• narrative inquiry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada [Grant number: 430-2013-1025].

Notes on contributors

Shelley M. Griffin

Dr. Shelley M. Griffin is an Associate Professor of Elementary Music Education in Brock University’s Faculty of Education, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Her research interests include children’s music narratives, pre-service music teacher education, narrative inquiry, informal faculty mentorship, and collaborative scholarship. She has published in several music education journals and edited books, and has presented at various international conferences. Also, Shelley is an active musician in the Niagara region, performing regularly as a flutist and soprano with Avanti Chamber Singers.