Integrating Cantonese Nursery Rhymes Into Early Childhood Music Classrooms: A Lesson for Learning Music, Language, and Culture

As cultural diversity is increasingly celebrated in classrooms, multicultural learning in music education has become more essential and meaningful. Therefore, this article emphasizes the integration of Cantonese nursery rhymes into early childhood music classrooms by providing a detailed lesson plan and some teaching suggestions. This effort aims to enhance students’ cultural awareness and knowledge of world music by integrating Chinese music elements into general music learning. It also serves to provide inspiration and suggests possibilities for music educators who wish to incorporate multicultural elements in music education.

Contemporary problems and solutions for early childhood music education in Zambia

Music education is now receiving attention from all works of life especially from psychologist studying children’s mental development scientist has revealed that music education in early childhood helps children develop auditory sense nerves and most of the musical activities aid cycle motor development and children who learn musical instruments have a strong memory function abilities which help them to solve problems in other learning subjects. Learning music in early childhood educations is the bed lock of future education. This is the main reason why early childhood music education researchers are working day and night year in year out to find proper teaching methods to use when interacting with children. As much focus is devoted to studies on children's music education aiding cognitive learning in developing countries, it is a wake-up call for Zambia to develop music education in early childhood education. So this paper investigation endeavors to point out problems and offers sound solutions on the most proficient method to improve music schooling in early childhood education in Zambia by performing a complete overview of the evidence on elementary school education curricula in both government-funded and non-government schools.

New discovery of ‘inspiration’ from the old treasure chest: An initial report on the Lexington Early Childhood Music Project

The Lexington Early Childhood Music Project aimed to improve the quality of musical experiences of young children living in Lexington, Kentucky, a mid-size US city. Classroom teachers collaborated with teaching artists, music therapists and music teachers on the development of a music programme that served thirty 3- and 4-year-old underprivileged children and their parents at the Family Care Center. The pedagogical approach of the project included: (1) helping children relate to an unfamiliar culture through music made familiar; (2) creating mediational tools for traditional songs and movements; (3) teaching children how to play musical instruments; and (4) attending participatory concerts. Collaborative efforts of the participants were found to enhance young children’s musical experiences. Shared inspiration played a critical role as the teachers and children voluntarily and creatively enriched their musical cultures.

Building a future through multicultural early childhood music classes in a conflict-affected city

The aim of this exploratory study was to understand the experience of several Palestinian and Jewish parents participating in a culturally mixed early childhood music class, held in a conflict-affected city. Collective music-making is considered to be a powerful way for people to connect and socialize, regardless of their backgrounds, and for them to get to know each other through music. It also has the potential of reducing stereotypes, which is especially needed in a conflict-affected area. Data sources included records of the classes (videos and a field diary), parents’ sharing of audio and video recordings of musical episodes at home through the music class WhatsApp group and semi-structured interviews with three parents. Data were analysed inductively through open coding and three themes emerged: why music and music classes?; the music class experience; and music at home. These themes reflect the reasons for participating in the programme and the contexts in which the children and their parents experience music. Findings show that those families who chose to participate in this programme hold positive attitudes towards the Other and reported neither observable nor vocally expressed prejudice of their children against the Other. The toddlers who participated in the classes have the potential to not develop negative stereotypes towards the Other (Arab or Jewish), since their families do not expose them to such stereotypes. Nevertheless, they are members of societies (East and West Jerusalem) holding systemic ethnic biases, and therefore joint music classes may strengthen positive attitudes.

Music-Play in the Guided Music Setting

Given its importance in children’s development and learning, researchers have rigorously studied play, and many teachers have used it as a classroom tool. Music researchers have observed that music regularly accompanies children’s play because music is part of their culture, and “playing with music” is the most natural form of expression of their existence as musical beings. Hence, play is at the heart of early childhood music, and music teachers design activities that are playful using manipulatives, instruments, movements, and musical sounds to engage children. However, scant research has explored the types of play enacted in guided music settings and how children construct musical understanding through play. This article discusses children’s play and related theories, illustrates how children “play with music” in the guided music setting, and offers practical applications of play in guided music activities.