A critical literature review of music in early childhood centres in Australia
Tracks
Stream 3
| Saturday, September 7, 2024 |
| 12:00 PM - 12:20 PM |
| Room 3 |
Speaker
Mrs Chanelle Henderson
Graduate Researcher
University Of Melbourne
A critical literature review of music in early childhood centres in Australia
Abstract Overview
This paper explores the state of music programs in early childhood centres in Australia, with a critical lens applied to the role of music in the daily lives of preschoolers, the qualifications and abilities of the people delivering the programs, and the purposes and goals of the music programs. Creativity is a core tenet of the Early Years Learning Framework, the national curriculum guideline for all early childhood settings, and music has the potential to provide authentic creative provocations for young children in their early childhood centres. The Early Years Learning Framework also champions diversity, and cultural connections are embedded in its learning outcomes - music can also support this significantly.
Many Australian music therapists turn to the international literature when developing, evaluating and reflecting on their practices in early childhood centres – a setting generally involving a group of children under 6 years old, in the care of an early childhood educator, and without parents present. This tradition of referring to international literature is based on our training within researcher institutions that encourages us to be informed by research in all that we do. This article makes an argument for why this approach is limited in the arena of music in early childhood centres by illustrating how local contexts have an enormous influence over what authors describe, from language and cultural considerations, to qualifications and goals and even the focus of whose voice is considered more important in the research. This article also demonstrates the need for Australian research and literature in this specific area of music therapy by illustrating the parallel research from Australian music educators and early childhood educators, and the potential for music therapists to contribute.
The current circumstances in Australia will be discussed and international literature will be briefly summarised, before these three areas of critical concern are explored in more depth, using 8 research projects conducted by Australians within the last 10 years.
Many Australian music therapists turn to the international literature when developing, evaluating and reflecting on their practices in early childhood centres – a setting generally involving a group of children under 6 years old, in the care of an early childhood educator, and without parents present. This tradition of referring to international literature is based on our training within researcher institutions that encourages us to be informed by research in all that we do. This article makes an argument for why this approach is limited in the arena of music in early childhood centres by illustrating how local contexts have an enormous influence over what authors describe, from language and cultural considerations, to qualifications and goals and even the focus of whose voice is considered more important in the research. This article also demonstrates the need for Australian research and literature in this specific area of music therapy by illustrating the parallel research from Australian music educators and early childhood educators, and the potential for music therapists to contribute.
The current circumstances in Australia will be discussed and international literature will be briefly summarised, before these three areas of critical concern are explored in more depth, using 8 research projects conducted by Australians within the last 10 years.
Biography
Chanelle Henderson (B Mus (Mus Ed), M Cr Mus Thy) is a music therapist and researcher in Western Sydney. As a music therapist at Noro Music Therapy, Chanelle has worked in many populations such as disability, aged care, drug rehabilitation, school settings and preschool settings. Chanelle enjoys making connections with families and working with interdisciplinary teams to support health and wellbeing goals for clients. Chanelle has found significance in music therapy groups in preschool settings, especially in marginalised communities and to support school ready skills. Chanelle is a Graduate Researcher with the University where she is engaged in an ethnographic project considering the role of a music therapist in a preschool in a marginalised community.
