“I Want the Whole World to be Musical” - The Role of the Arts in Preschool Education Music Curriculum in Australia v. China

Many research studies call for quality arts experiences in early childhood education settings (Bamford, 2007; Ewing, 2010; Seidel, Tishman, Winner, Hetland, & Palmer, 2009), and proposals endorsing the role of the arts in children’s early years are visible in Australia and China. A reflection on my childhood piano-training provides a fundamental rationale for this study. More importantly, existing studies suggest that rigorous efforts are needed to fill research gaps and contribute to the growth of the field of early childhood music education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of the arts, with a focus on music, in preschool settings in Australia and China. The main research questions focus on the position of the arts, especially music, as addressed in the intended curriculum in both countries; how music curriculum is enacted in two preschool settings and how these experiences are received by the children. The research is framed using a socio-cultural perspective (Vygotsky, 1978) and qualitative case study methodology. Crystallisation provides a lens (Ellingson, 2009; Settlage, Southerland, Johnston, & Sowell, 2005) to shed light on the variations and complexities of the intended and enacted music curriculum in two diverse contemporary contexts. The different perspectives of the participant teachers, parents and children in each context are explored. As children's voices are often ignored in existing studies, this study reflects the understandings of the children themselves. Specific data-gathering methods include document analysis, classroom observations, teachers’ interviews, conversations with children, and parents' questionnaires. The significance of this study relies on the nature of a comparative perspective. It offers suggestions for aspects of policymaking, teacher practice and future research in responding to the need for quality early childhood music education in contemporary contexts despite their distinctive socio-cultural backgrounds