This case study reflects upon SonicPlay™ Sessions conducted in a Singaporean preschool for 3 to 6 years old children. The chapter expounds on the development of these sessions from the perspective of the in-house artist as a reflective practitioner, recounting the experimental nature of creating a safe, immersive sonic environment for children to explore sounds, sonic objects, and ideas freely. The SonicPlay™ Sessions were developed based on thematic installations in a designated Sonic Discovery Corner. Inspired by the characteristics and associated ideas of materials such as Metal and Wood respectively, each theme happens over a semester with the following three phases: (i) Free Play and Exploration; (ii) Contextualization, and (iii) Creation. Pedagogically, the sessions are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach of having an atelierista, or artist-in-residence in school. The sessions are also informed by principles for respectful, child-responsive facilitation that is required from the teacher. While some private preschools in Singapore are equipped with music specialists, the notion of musical experiences that stem from the discovery of sound through child-responsive play is unprecedented. The presence of an artist-in-residence is also a luxury in preschool contexts. Thus, this reflective case study serves to illuminate the potentialities of such offerings to the professional development capabilities of preschool educators and leaders. These SonicPlay™ Sessions are rooted in the foundations of R. Murray Schafer’s Soundscape Education and Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening, offering an opportunity to allow children and adults alike to enter a safe, equal space of listening and sound-making, where all voices can be heard and expressed. This allows for the diversity of cultural contexts and backgrounds to come into play and interaction, where preschoolers, regardless of ethnicities and nationalities come into a space of open negotiation and collaboration where no one is advantageous over another. In Singapore’s Nurturing Early Learners framework, music is often mentioned under the learning area of aesthetics and creative expression, where musical experiences are limited to music and movement. In addition to respecting the child’s innate agencies by creating a developmentally appropriate environment for children to explore sounds freely through play, the expanded consciousness of listening cultivated through these sessions offers possibilities of developing children’s competence of attentive listening and empathy that is crucial in interculturality.

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Creating Sonic Experiences for 3–6 Years Old Children in a Preschool Setting: Reflections from a SonicPlay™ Specialist in a Singaporean Preschool

  • Natalie Alexandra Tse

摘要

This case study reflects upon SonicPlay™ Sessions conducted in a Singaporean preschool for 3 to 6 years old children. The chapter expounds on the development of these sessions from the perspective of the in-house artist as a reflective practitioner, recounting the experimental nature of creating a safe, immersive sonic environment for children to explore sounds, sonic objects, and ideas freely. The SonicPlay™ Sessions were developed based on thematic installations in a designated Sonic Discovery Corner. Inspired by the characteristics and associated ideas of materials such as Metal and Wood respectively, each theme happens over a semester with the following three phases: (i) Free Play and Exploration; (ii) Contextualization, and (iii) Creation. Pedagogically, the sessions are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach of having an atelierista, or artist-in-residence in school. The sessions are also informed by principles for respectful, child-responsive facilitation that is required from the teacher. While some private preschools in Singapore are equipped with music specialists, the notion of musical experiences that stem from the discovery of sound through child-responsive play is unprecedented. The presence of an artist-in-residence is also a luxury in preschool contexts. Thus, this reflective case study serves to illuminate the potentialities of such offerings to the professional development capabilities of preschool educators and leaders. These SonicPlay™ Sessions are rooted in the foundations of R. Murray Schafer’s Soundscape Education and Pauline Oliveros’ Deep Listening, offering an opportunity to allow children and adults alike to enter a safe, equal space of listening and sound-making, where all voices can be heard and expressed. This allows for the diversity of cultural contexts and backgrounds to come into play and interaction, where preschoolers, regardless of ethnicities and nationalities come into a space of open negotiation and collaboration where no one is advantageous over another. In Singapore’s Nurturing Early Learners framework, music is often mentioned under the learning area of aesthetics and creative expression, where musical experiences are limited to music and movement. In addition to respecting the child’s innate agencies by creating a developmentally appropriate environment for children to explore sounds freely through play, the expanded consciousness of listening cultivated through these sessions offers possibilities of developing children’s competence of attentive listening and empathy that is crucial in interculturality.