“Music and Me” Children´s Affinity for Music and Children´s Drawings in a Longitudinal Mixed Methods Study

Researchers have acknowledged the perspective and agency of children to be of substantial relevance to the design of educational settings. Still, mixed methods studies delineating children´s perspective on what they experience in music education settings designed for them are rare. Departing from reflections on the theoretical concept of children´s music experience, the present article shares insights into an empirical study approaching children’s affinity for music, a construct integrating experiential qualities of liking and valuing music in a concrete educational setting. Discussed are selected findings of a mixed methods study conducted in the scope of an opera education project involving German elementary schools (n=25). The study integrated the perspective of children (n=282) at a sample of urban and rural primary schools. The article presents findings from the quantitative research and the qualitative, visual data, namely children\u27s drawings (n=561). Results indicate that sociality and embodiment are central dimensions of children´s situated music experience and potentially contribute to their being open to musical engagement and affinity for music in path-breaking musical experiences. Referring to an ecological situativity framework, the paper concludes with indicating implications for the design of educational settings and future research