Drawing 'Music and Me': Children's images of musical engagement

Children?s understanding of school music classes is demonstrated by their participation in music activities, such as singing, dancing, instrument playing, composing and improvising within groups or individually. Children can be asked to speak or write about their music making, but for younger children it may be easier to reveal their thoughts through drawings. Increasingly music education researchers are analyzing drawings of music engagement by children. Three classes of Year 4 students (aged 9-10 years) at a suburban state primary school in Melbourne, Australia were asked to write a sentence that began with ?Music is?? and to produce a drawing entitled ?Music and Me? in an empty frame. Year 4 students were selected because they had already experienced classroom music for four years and were involved in the music activities associated with the school?s music program, including the violin group, recorder group, and the Years 3-4 choir. The drawings were analyzed in different ways and offer a revealing insight into students? experience in their music learning environment and their perceptions of music that can inform educators.