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Created in Context: A Comparative Case Study of the Use of Music in Two Reggio Emilia-Inspired Schools

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Abstract

The purpose of this comparative case study was to investigate the use of music in two Reggio-inspired preschools in the United States. I used purposeful sampling to select two sites that represented contrasting sociocultural contexts: one urban school serving a Latino population from low socioeconomic backgrounds and one suburban early childhood center serving a Caucasian population from high socioeconomic backgrounds. Data were collected over a 2-week timespan at each location and included observation fieldnotes, interview transcripts, and recordings. Children’s vocalizations and movement, audio recordings, and references to popular culture took center stage at the urban site, while chanting/intoning, playing instruments, and dialogue about music were the predominant musical happenings at the suburban location. The enhancing behaviors of adults at the suburban site seemed to encourage constant and more complex musicking. The uniquities between the two sites may be a reflection of values espoused and sources of funding in each sociocultural context.

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Notes

  1. Pseudonyms are used for all participants and sites mentioned in this study.

  2. Christopher Small’s term reflects the multifaceted musical activities of young children. His definition follows: “To music is to take part, in any capacity, in a musical performance, whether by performing, by listening, by rehearsing or practicing, by providing material for performance (what is called composing), or by dancing” (1998, p. 9).

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  1. The Hartt School, University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford, CT, 06117, USA

    Vanessa L. Bond

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  1. Vanessa L. Bond
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Correspondence to Vanessa L. Bond.

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Bond, V.L. Created in Context: A Comparative Case Study of the Use of Music in Two Reggio Emilia-Inspired Schools. Early Childhood Educ J 43, 119–126 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-014-0639-4

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