The early childhood stage is a time of basic foundation in which children are engaged in pretend play and creative activities. The objective of this study was to explore the role of pretend play on the creativity development of preschool children. Data were collected from four purposefully selected preschool children (two male and two female)…

Music, especially singing with others, is a highly emotive experience and has been a core of an early childhood education philosophy that has promoted a social image of the child, where children are portrayed as competent communicators, individuals with rights and members of a community. How children think and learn has been an on-going emphasis…

Elementary music educators use a variety of strategies in classroom instruction. The purpose of this case study was to explore student perceptions of Curwen hand signs, a common instructional strategy in elementary music classrooms. Second- and third-grade students reported various challenges, benefits, and influential factors surrounding hand…

Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial advantages of integrating music education into the overall development of students, particularly in early childhood education. This integration allows for combining music education with various curriculum areas, utilizing its playful and motivating nature as a practical methodological tool for…

Many adults do not see themselves as musical, and about 17% believe they are tone deaf. People who identify as tone deaf often believe this condition is congenital and permanent and prevents them from ever singing accurately. In many early childhood music (ECM) classes, adults participate as musical models, interacting with their children by…

This article reports on findings from a case study of an intergenerational project between a nursery school and a residential care home for people with dementia in the South-East of England. It examines how multi-modalities support meaning-making between 3-year-old children and older adults. The study is qualitative, interpretative and…

This study considered the songs currently in use in Gaelic groups for 0-3 year olds in Scotland, whilst investigating how practitioners use them in the groups. In this article, I argue that Gaelic Early Years practitioners insufficiently understand the potential of song in relation to Gaelic language acquisition with young children and their…

The limited time for music education in generalist primary and early childhood teacher education courses remains a persistent challenge in initial teacher education. An initiative for student-owned ukuleles was launched at an Australian university to enhance the skills and confidence of pre-service primary and early childhood generalist teachers…

Singing together fosters connections across social contexts. While this activity is expected to flourish in kindergartens and nurseries, studies from multiple countries have highlighted a growing decline in confidence in singing among both kindergarten teachers and students. To address this, Kulset and Halle [(2020). Togetherness!: adult…

Songs seem popular for achieving educational purposes other than teaching music in early education, despite scant evidence to support this 'folk pedagogy'. To investigate why teachers use songs, this mixed-methods study explored teachers' self-reported purposes for using songs in an online questionnaire (n = 103) and semi-structured interviews (n…

This is a powerful collection addressing the challenges, possibilities and responsibilities for de/anti-colonial African educational futurities. The book is framed within an anti-colonial interrogation of collective educational leadership, responsibility and accountability to address the invisibilization and marginalization of African Indigenous…

Early-life abilities involved in perceiving, producing and engaging with music (musicality) may shape later (social) communication and language abilities. Here, we investigate phenotypic and genetic relationships linking musicality and communication abilities by studying information from preschool and school-aged children of the Avon Longitudinal…

This study investigated the integration of loose parts into preschool arts education to enhance children's learning experiences, particularly within in-between spaces and centered around music, combining visual arts and dramatic play. Conducted as a case study in a Taiwanese private preschool, the research explored the use of loose parts in art…

Teaching English to first-grade elementary school children presents its own challenges for teachers. This is because children at this age have characteristics such as having a short attention span, enjoying playing, and learning more effectively when they are having fun. On the other hand, children in this group are still learning to read and…

There is an increased awareness concerning the need for educators to utilize more culturally responsive practices, particularly in early childhood education (Allen & Steed, 2016). As the number of culturally diverse students enrolled in early childhood programs rises, preschool programs must embrace this diversity and provide enriching…