Fostering Children's Creativity through a Play-Based Approach in Music Education

Play is acknowledged as a universal right of all children (United Nations, 2013). Previous studies have suggested that musical play is a powerful medium for enhancing children’s creative and holistic development (Niland, 2009). Studies on the benefits of play have influenced current curricular policies mandating play-based learning (PBL) in many places in the world (Pyle & Danniels, 2017). Musical activities like improvisation, composing, musical drama, and creative movements are evident in illustrating that music is a natural part of children’s play. Nevertheless, there is a lack of consensus in research and practice regarding the approaches and expected outcomes of PBL in early childhood.

Despite the increasing worldwide emphasis on early childhood music education and PBL, early childhood teachers across the globe are largely trained as generalists and did not receive sufficient training in music education and the application of play-based approach in music education. As such, the conceptions of music and play among early childhood teachers may still be vague. Adopting Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, this study seeks to (i) investigate the self-efficacy of Hong Kong early childhood teachers in the implementation of a play-based approach in music and (ii) explore the competencies that teachers need for implementing PBL in music education. Utilizing a mixed-method design, data was derived from questionnaires, interviews with the teachers and principal, and observation field notes.

The findings suggested that the early childhood teachers have vague conceptualization of play-based learning. Further, this study revealed that early childhood teachers have low self-efficacy regarding adopting a play-based approach in music education in terms of achieving the academic outcomes of early childhood education. Significantly, this study provides evidence-based recommendations for working toward a conceptual framework of music teacher education in response to the contemporary needs and challenges in implementing PBL in early childhood education.