A framework for considering teacher-child musical interactions in the early childhood classroom

ABSTRACT

In this article, the authors adapt the Family Musicking Framework (Koops, 2020) for use in exploring teacher-child interactions in early childhood classrooms (birth to age 6). The Family Musicking Framework contextualizes family musical interactions using the paired concepts of musical parenting/parenting musically and practical musicking/relational musicking (Small, 1998). The adapted framework explores teacher-child interaction in teaching children music and using music to teach children in other domains, as well as practical musicking/relational musicking in the classroom. The authors argue that this framework can illuminate current explorations of teacher-child interactions with music in the areas of enhancing teacher responsiveness, facilitating creative expression by teachers and children by expanding awareness of the goals of musicking in the early childhood classroom, and increasing teacher confidence to incorporate musicmaking in the classroom.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood music
• music in classrooms
• musical parenting
• parenting musically
• teacher-child interactions

Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge formative critical feedback of this paper from Aimée Gaudette-Leblanc, doctoral candidate at Laval University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lisa Huisman Koops

Dr Lisa Huisman Koops, professor, area head and coordinator of graduate studies in music education at Case Western Reserve University, researches musical parenting and the interplay of enjoyment and agency in musical play. Koops is the author of Parenting Musically (Oxford University Press, 2020). She teaches early childhood music classes at The Music Settlement in Cleveland.

Kimberly Tate

Kimberly Tate taught preschool and early childhood Spanish and music classes for over 20 years in Ohio, Missouri, and Utah. She is currently completing a Masters in clinical mental health counseling specializing in early childhood. She plans to use music in her counseling practice with individuals and groups.