“Music Play in the Guided Music Setting”

Article Review

Linda Kiekel

Northern State University

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“Music-Play in the Guided Music Setting” was written by Gina J. Yi and published in

General Music Today in 2021. In this article, Yi examines the characteristics of children’s

play, correlates it with a child’s musical engagement, and offers practical suggestions for how

play can be used in music teaching.

Yi explained that the idea of encouraging play goes back to Socrates and was

discussed by Rousseau. Later philosophers examined the purpose of play in a child’s

development. Currently, the National Association for the Education of Young Children

recognizes that play deserves a prominent place in early childhood education. Likewise,

music researchers such as Edwin Gordon and others recognize that play with music will

enrich a child’s musical development and readiness for understanding as they grow older.

Many early childhood music teachers use play in their lessons, but this may be

ineffective because the teacher is teaching for a response. Yi thinks that more should be

known about how and music correspond, and about how play helps the child gain musical

understanding. She proposed to examine theories of the importance of play, provide

illustrations of how music can be used with play, and apply the theories to practices in the

music classroom.

A child’s interest in play will depend on his or her cultural and home environment, so

some children will be more or less interested in play than their peers. There is no agreed upon

definition of play, but some researchers suggest that an activity can be measured on a

continuum of more playful or less playful based on several criteria: spontaneity, seeking

pleasure in the activity itself, and being free from the fear of failure.

Smilansky described four categories of cognitive play that are recognized today:

functional play, constructive play, dramatic play, and games with rules. Likewise, Parten

identified four levels of social play: solitary play, parallel play, associative play, and
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cooperative play. Vygotsky and Bruner both found that adults can guide students in their play

to enrich both cooperative play and solitary play. Babies naturally play with sound from a

very early age, and children instinctively incorporate sound into their play, so that music and

play become inseparable. Smith calls this musical play.

Dalcroze, Gordon, Kodaly, and Orff all value play in their approach to music

learning. Dalcroze especially emphasizes play with movement in order to feel the beats and

develop an internal understanding of rhythm. All these approaches use “rote first” learning,

which requires playful repetition through the voice or on an instrument. Later on, the teacher

and children use pitch and rhythm syllables for musical understanding of notation.

Yi believes that teaching early childhood music can use musical play to reach the

desired outcomes of the lesson. Music classes for children ages 0-3 should not be structured,

but should allow students to move freely and engage in the musical play as they desire.

Gordon argued that the teacher should teach the students how to play, but rather let the

students teach themselves how to play. Still, the teacher needs to understand how play can be

synonymous with music making.

Littleton’s research shows that children can engage in all levels of cognitive play

using music. Li gave a table of examples that demonstrate how the categories of cognitive

play can also become music-play. Functional music-play occurs when the child repeats a

sound because they are amused by it. Li gave the example of the teacher dropping an egg

shaker and saying “uh-oh”. The child will think this is funny and drop the egg-shaker over

and over again, engaging with sound for the fun of it.

During constructive music-play, the child is creating sound that is controlled in a

musical element. Patterns build the readiness for this type of play. Li gave the example of

using the chant “My Mother, Your Mother”, and having a rhythm conversation with the

student. The student will be engaged because pretending to talk on the phone is fun!
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Children will embrace dramatic music-play whenever the teacher suggests using the

imagination to let an instrument or prop become something else. Children will engage in the

musical activity through the fun of the play. Li gave a vignette of a teacher who gives an

imaginary “ticket” to students who sing a pattern, then the students jump on an imaginary

train and move to the beat around the room. The teacher guided the play but also allowed the

students to enhance it with their own ideas. Another example is given of a student who makes

up her own motion with the ribbon. The teacher celebrates the motion and shares it with the

rest of the class.

Children naturally are drawn toward music-play with others, and music class can

become an opportunity for the student to learn from the adults and other students in the room.

The teacher can engage the child in all levels of musical play, for the benefit of the child and

the child’s caregiver. Children engage in play organically, and it is an irremovable part of

who each child is. When they play, they are completely absorbed in the moment.

Li concluded that play should be highly valued in the music lesson because it will

prepare the child for musical understanding. Additionally, a child who knows how to play

with music will see challenges as opportunities for problem-solving, rather than as obstacles

that cause frustration. A child’s experience in music-play will enrich their engagement in

music for the rest of their life.

After reading this article, I considered the structure of my music classes for 3-5-year-

old students. I seek to have a relaxed and fun environment, but I think that there is more that I

can do to engage my students through play activities. By doing so I will remove the

children’s hesitancy to participate, because they will relate to the activity based on their

experiences of play. Through play, my students also will understand that music is fun and

will develop the musical language that will lead them to understanding in later years.
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References

Yi, G. J. (2021). Music-play in the guided music setting. General music today, 34(3), 20–28.

https://doi.org/10.1177/10483713211002147