Supporting early childhood teachers with Orff: the potential of targeted professional learning to build skill and confidence to sing with children

Research suggests that teacher confidence and skill are two significant factors that
hinder a teacher’s use of singing, music, and movement in their regular classroom
practice. This paper presents findings from a small project that explored teacher’s use
of music, particularly singing, with young children aged 3 – 6 years. Underpinned by a
practitioner-inquiry approach, the teachers participated as partner-researchers across
one school year and participated in professional learning sessions that targeted
confidence and skill development in singing and movement. Each of the teachers
reported an improvement in their confidence and skill, also indicating that they would
continue to use singing regularly after seeing the impact on children. Findings strongly suggest that the professional learning and development they received was a significant component of this outcome.