An exploration of at-home parent and child music mediation

Abstract

The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to explore what happened when one family engaged in guided musical play at home with their toddler-aged child. Specifically, we wondered: what roles do the parents assume in guided musical play with their child? What roles does the child assume when engaging in guided home musical play? And how can early childhood music specialists help other parents and children engage in home musical play using similar roles? Seeking answers to those questions, we invited the Merchant family to participate in weekly home music activities that were connected to a weekly music class in which their toddler was enrolled. From our data analysis, two themes emerged: the kitchen served as a space for music making and the adaptation of weekly home music prompts enhanced and extended family music interactions with the toddler.