Playing in and through the musical worlds of children

Research demonstrates that children experience and respond to music in the womb, retaining memory of these early experiences after birth. For children, music is a ubiquitous part of their world as they experience, respond to and playfully engage with the sound worlds of their mother initially and then to those of their broader socio-cultural environments. Researchers working in diverse environments globally have identified common elements in children’s early music experience, including the use of song in infant–carer relationships. This chapter outlines the range and complexities of children’s musical worlds, the nature of their engagement in these worlds in and through musical play, and the life and learning outcomes that may accrue from such engagement. Topics addressed include: musical parenting as play, communicative musicality, children’s invented singing, song-making, and music-making, intersecting worlds of musical play, technology-mediated musical play for young children, and life and learning outcomes of engaging in musical play.