Reimagining the Music Classroom: Student Engagement with Learning and Self-Corrective Strategies through Play-Based Music Education

The phenomenon of musical play has gained significant traction in recent research pertaining to music education. However, despite the popularity of this topic in both educational and research settings, investigation into the pedagogical potential of play has largely been limited to elementary-aged students. As such, middle and high school students (13-18 years) often experience rigid pedagogies that fail to appreciate the complexity of the adolescent stage of development. In response, this article draws on a single case study of play-based music education in middle school, and examines the ways in which social learning environments promote student engagement with learning and self-correction strategies. Based on analysis of the collected data, the research found that learning in play-based environments is cyclical, where the adoption of self-correction strategies is largely driven by the adolescent’s desire to participate in social interactions and experience the resulting sense of belonging. Therefore, the results indicate that student learning is enhanced by utilising pedagogies that respect the socio-cultural environments that adolescents experience.