Mini-musicking in teachers' lesson plans of 4-5-year-olds in pre-schools

Abstract

This study explores Mini-Musicking in teachers of 4-5-year-olds’ planning and teaching. Mini-Musicking is a novel construct that focuses on the integration of age-appropriate practical musical activities with relevant theoretical musical elements to benefit the holistic development of the 4-5-year-old child through merriment. The study focuses on private or independent pre-schools, the curricula they follow, and how preschool teachers incorporate the curricula (specifically music) into their lesson plans.

The South African government outlines the goal of early childhood development (ECD) programs as fostering children's holistic development by stimulating cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth. The two curricular formats created by the Department of Basic Education for early childhood, the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) and the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS), aspire to support children’s holistic development as well. Both the NCF and CAPS curricula include the learning area, Creativity/Creative Arts, where the responsibility of the teacher is to help develop the child holistically, and the “focus of all activities (creative activities such as musical activities) should be on the development of skills through enjoyable, experiential processes”. The CAPS document identifies that enjoyable experiences (merriment) are crucial to learning and development.

Four theories underpin this qualitative study: • David Elliott’s Praxial Philosophy • Bennett Reimer's Aesthetic Education • Maria Montessori’s Whole-child Development • Reinhard Pekrun’s Control-Value Theory of Achievement Emotions

This research employs a comparative case study design, focusing on six participants: three educators implementing the National Curriculum Framework and three implementing the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement. Data collection methods comprised semi-structured interviews, observations, and field notes.