Musical play in early years education: towards a model of autonomy through adult support

This research aimed to explore the play situations and episodes that are developed in early childhood settings focusing on the interactions between children and their adult teachers. A questionnaire survey including 50 participants was first carried out to explore teachers' perspectives and practices regarding musical play; this was followed by 19 interviews, 8 with early years practitioners and 11 with children. Different areas were covered, such as definitions of play, tools, spaces and teacher roles. The findings demonstrated that children's and teachers' perceptions and attitudes towards musical play do not always match. Children are often forced to adopt notions of how play should be, according to the experiences they are exposed to. These notions are far away from free flow play, the satisfaction of personal needs or creativity. It is anticipated that the present research will inform early years practitioners about the roles they may adopt to initiate, support and enhance children's play.