| Popis: |
This article is part of a PhD research project focusing on the presence and action of specialized music teachers in early childhood education in Portugal and Brazil. Here we present a summary of the Portuguese study. In this country early childhood education encompasses the nursery context (for 0 to 3 year old children) and the Kindergarten context (for 3 to 5 year old). Although Portuguese legislation allows for the presence of specialized music teachers in early childhood education, it does not make it compulsory and, therefore, the historical tradition of the generalist kindergarten teacher as the sole educator of children at this age still predominates. This teacher or educator is responsible by law for the education of nursery and kindergarten children in all areas of knowledge (including music) and for the development of all competences involved. There is no official data on the presence and action of the specialized music teachers in Portuguese pre-schools and the literature reviewed shows a small number of sources offering information on music practice at this level of study. Music teacher education in Portugal does not prepare or professionalize for the early childhood level, so there are very few research projects or Practicum Reports directed to music education at this age level. Therefore, the most relevant information on the theme was found in Practicum Reports of early childhood education degrees. This article describes the results of the analysis of 301 Master and PhD theses focusing on the topic of music in early childhood education. They are today the main source of information about the music activities being developed in nurseries and kindergartens in Portugal. The study showed that the main activities involving music in Portuguese nurseries and kindergartens are developed as pedagogical support for other fields of knowledge and competences: music for sleeping or relaxation; music for accompaniment or motivation for another activity (such as painting, learning how to count, learning how to brush the teeth); music as reinforcement of pedagogical routines (such as good morning songs); some reports describe “musical instrument” making activities with recycled materials, and singing and playing activities using those artifacts. It is evident in these Practicum Reports that music is a central area of children’s interest, but it is also evident that the pedagogical activities developed by the early childhood educators are mostly subsidiary to other activities and pedagogical goals and are not strictly music activities. |
