In the past decade, numerous studies have explored music integration in early childhood education (Almodovar 2010; Andrews 2011; Gronski 2012) to address the issues of insufficient time for teaching music and a lack of sufficient musical training amongst generalist teachers. However, no existing studies have investigated how decreased time allocated to music education by the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement and a lack of sufficient teacher training could be addressed by music integration in Grade R.

This article discusses a multiple case study (Creswell 2007:73) with the purpose of exploring the teaching practices of five Grade R teachers in and around Potchefstroom in the North West Province and of ascertaining how they integrated music with the three Grade R subjects Home Language, Mathematics and Life Skills. In this context, music is defined as an art form integrated with the Grade R learning principles of play, exploration and practical experiences (Maritz 2011:10) in order to promote the social, physical, emotional and cognitive development of Grade R learners. The conceptual framework for music integration in Grade R that is derived from the literature review and data analysis should empower Grade R teachers with no or minimal musical training to apply music in their classrooms with confidence. Through this research I want to emphasise the value of music for the holistic development of Grade R learners, as music promotes intrinsic and unique qualities in learners, including the development of creativity, social skills, expression, cognition and coordination (Andrews 2011; Barrett 2001; Bresler 1994). Both researchers and practitioners in the field of music education (Campbell & Scott-Kassner 2010; Forrai 1990; Hallam & Creech 2010; McPherson 2006; McPherson & Welch 2012) have unequivocally proven the value of music for the young child. The value of music for the Grade R learner supports, motivates and promotes the integration of music into the daily programme. According to Eady and Wilson (2002:24), music causes learning that is more effective. Brewer (1995:1), Campbell and Scott Kassner (2010:349) and Cane (2009:33) support this view. They emphasise that music creates a positive learning environment, atmosphere, anticipation, energises learning activities, changes the brain waves, focuses concentration, improves attention span and memory, facilitates a multisensory learning experience, relieves tension, enriches the imagination and promotes group work through the development of cooperation. Music also inspires, motivates, adds an element of fun to the learning situation, emphasises units with a specific topic, influences mood, connects disparate elements of learning and makes other forms of literacy available to everyone. Teaching music across the curriculum proposes a pedagogical approach to teaching and learning by integrating thoughts, actions and attitudes. Music integration in the daily Grade R programme can potentially enrich the lives of teachers and learners, because the effect of being surrounded by music is an enriched life (Campbell & Scott-Kassner 2010:370).

This study explores how music integration in Grade R could address time constraints as well as a lack of sufficient musical training.

The research approach for this multiple case study was qualitative in an interpretivist paradigm. The four phases of this multiple case study, based on Rule and John’s dialogical approach (2011:99) and Yin’s linear, iterative approach (2009:1) are illustrated in Figure 1.

For the purpose of this study, teaching and learning in five multicultural Grade R classes were explored through data collection in order to introduce and describe the cases. Data collection included observation of teaching and learning in five multicultural Grade R classes in the Potchefstroom region to document the ways in which music is being integrated into the classroom. The data were then organised and categorised to execute a cross-case analysis. Table 1 summarises each case in the multiple case study.

The cases with the most learning potential were selected, in order to understand, explore and gain insight into music integration in specific Grade R classes (Merriam 2009:266). The selection criteria reflected the purpose of this study and enabled the researcher to select cases with a range of possibilities to collect information. The selection criteria determined that each class should be:

As this research involved human subjects, ethical approval was required and granted by the Ethics Committee of the North-West University’s Department of Research Support. Research was carried out with an ethical consciousness that contributed to the credibility and reliability of the study.

For each case, the data collection cycle consisted of five phases: entrance to the research terrain, access to the Grade R classroom, strategic data collection, generation and documentation of data and data preservation. The duration of data collection was 6 months. For each of the five classes I attended a complete school day for every day of the week to observe their daily programme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the generalist teachers, physical artefacts and documents in all classes were studied, and audio and visual material were consolidated and stored. Multiple sources of information to describe the relevant themes included observations, interviews, audio-visual material, documents and reports (Creswell 2007:73). To analyse the data, each of the five Grade R classes was described in detail with themes related to each description. Subsequently, each individual analysis was followed by a cross-case analysis of the individual cases and the researcher’s interpretation of each case (Merriam 2009:75). Qualitative data analysis was preceded by the organisation of the data through ATLAS.ti 7.1.6, computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, to categorise and code large amounts of narrative data from interviews and other information sources (Friese 2012). Data analysis and data collection took place simultaneously, therefore making it easier to determine data saturation. According to Merriam (2009:183), data saturation occurs when no new categories, information or knowledge are found. During data analysis, the data were organised in chronological order or according to themes and presented in a descriptive narrative. Afterwards, I described and interpreted the data in part. Eventually a conceptual framework was generated by relating the themes from the data analysis with approaches to integration as described in the literature. The goals and design of this study were based on a theoretical orientation that reflected the research questions, literature review and new orientations. This orientation was implemented to filter the data. The first step in data analysis was to identify aspects of the data relevant for the research questions. Each aspect resembled a data unit as a potential answer on the research questions. Lincoln and Guba (1985:345) describe two prerequisites for a data unit: (1) The unit must be heuristic, containing information relevant to the study that promotes thinking. (2) Each unit must be independently interpreted inside the research context. Findings were verified through long-term observation and member checking.

The combined research approach described above was used to generate a conceptual framework. The conceptual framework derived from the themes that emerged from the data analysis of music in Grade R (subquestion 3) and the music integration in Grade R as described in the literature (subquestion 1) explain how music could be integrated in Grade R (main research question). The discussion of the conceptual framework also describes practical methods to enrich the experiences of Grade R learners through teaching and learning.

Various terms in the scholarly literature are used to refer to integration (Russell & Zembylas 2007:289). Related synonymous and descriptive terms include collaborative, cross-disciplinary, blended, interdisciplinary, intradisciplinary, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, holistic, thematic and embedded. Integration in African education is contextualised in order to reflect on the nature of integration in the classroom (Addo, Miya & Potgieter 2003:236). Mans (1997:2) describes how music and dance in traditional African communities are used as teaching and learning tools for developing life skills (such as hunting), rituals, political sensitising and social skills. Traditional teaching methods consisted of observation, imitation, training, experimenting and verbal instruction. In current African educational systems, observation, imitation and training remain the foundations of education. Because traditional and modern teaching methods are closely related, Mans (1997:2) emphasises the importance of adapting traditional methods in modern teaching practices through integration. Flolu and Amuah (2003:95) describe this approach as a musically integrated approach, where ethnic cultural practices could be integrated with creative teaching in music education.

Characteristics of successful music integration include the following:

Music is part of a Grade R learner’s lived experiences and should therefore be included in their daily activities at school and not only taught as an isolated subject once a week (Grobler 1987:11). Campbell and Scott-Kassner (2010:4) describe how learners utilise music as a tool for expression to socialise, to play and to move rhythmically. These skills are expanded when music is integrated with other subjects. An integrated approach to teaching promotes holistic education, with equal importance of fragmentation of subjects and intellectual knowledge as educational goals. Grade R learners and teachers experience learning as intellectually and emotionally stimulating when music is integrated into the curriculum, because integrated learning promotes creativity (Russell & Zembylas 2007:289).

Russell-Bowie (2009a:257) warns against initiating meaningless activities without depth when music is not integrated in a meaningful way. Campbell and Scott-Kassner (2010:362) point out that a teacher’s knowledge about the nature of music determines the level of integration with integrity. They emphasise that Grade R teachers with little or no musical training should regularly reflect on ways to develop their learners’ musicality when planning integrated activities. In this way the musical value of these activities could be determined. The purpose of a conceptual framework for music integration in Grade R is to describe how music as an art form can be taught with integrity when a teacher is adaptable with respect to the context, while it is not necessary to change the contents (Cane 2009:38). May (2012:6) emphasises how integrated lessons must address the contents and goals of both subjects involved.

As far as music integration is concerned, current trends in the literature focus primarily on teaching, with the exception of the Learning through the Arts² approach, where learning is central. The angle from which the data were analysed in this research focused on learning possibilities through music integration. Therefore, the conceptual framework describes music integration by combining teaching and learning as a foundation for the development of a Grade R learner. Teaching and learning in music should be child-centred and build upon the learners’ own frame of reference – the experiences of a Grade R learner specifically, in this case (Jeanneret & DeGraffenreid 2012:402).

Elliott (1995:12) describes the four basic meanings of the term music education directly applicable to integration: teaching in music, teaching about music, teaching for music and teaching through music. The Musikkindergarten Berlin was established in 2005 by pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim. It is a preschool where music is not only a sporadic addition to teaching, but is used as the central teaching medium for every child on a daily basis (Uibel 2012:51). The method in this context is not only teaching in or with music, but also through music and for music. Bresler (1995) identified four ways of integrating music in the classroom: subservient integration, social integration, co-equal integration and affective integration. Russell-Bowie’s three models for integration are symmetric correlations, service connections and syntegration (2009c). In the literature study, the relations between music and teaching as described by Elliott, Bresler, Uibel and Russell-Bowie were applied to explore an integrated literature review for music integration in Grade R.

Musical experiences in preschool include singing; experimenting with tempo, volume and different sounds; developing creativity (through singing and movement); the introduction, correct handling and playing of basic percussion instruments; learning about musical concepts that relate to aural perceptual skills and cognitive development (including pitch, tempo and articulation); developing aural discrimination skills, coordination, concentration; practising listening skills in different genres (Campbell & Scott-Kassner 2014); using music as a social–emotional therapeutic resource (Janse van Rensburg 2011:1); and supporting and strengthening the teaching of other core foundation phase subjects (South Africa 2011:8).

Figure 2 illustrates the conceptual framework that explains how music could be integrated in Grade R. As illustrated by the two-way arrows, the constant interaction between various activities emphasises the blending of simultaneous methods of integration, while the development of Grade R learners is promoted through teaching and learning. This conceptual framework for music integration in Grade R is child-centred and builds on experiences in everyday life through teaching and learning about, from, on, with, in and through music.

The relationships between the musical activities illustrated along the outer edge of the circle indicate how these activities observed in Grade R classes are implemented in the classroom when integrating music into the daily programme. Musical reading and notation were the only activities I did not observe in any of the Grade R classes. Nevertheless, there are many possibilities for the development of musical reading and notation in early childhood, including graphic notation (McLachlan 1980), Kodály’s principles for music literacy (Jacobi 2011), creative notation inspired by musical free play (Lau & Grieshaber 2010) and a musical notation system on a single melodic line by means of colour (Kuo & Chuang 2013). Mills (2009) proposes that learners should be assisted to understand and expand their musical repertoire through active listening while their preferences and musical tastes are acknowledged and incorporated. Creating refers to original pieces of music or musical patterns that learners compose by themselves. These musical excerpts include melodic and rhythmic patterns. Learners enjoy opportunities to improvise and construct their own songs (Jeanneret & DeGraffenreid 2012:405) and to react to music with an improvised accompaniment (Campbell & Scott-Kassner 2014). Musical games and free play with music playing in the background relate to play activities. Body percussion is a movement activity connected to a listening activity (Campbell & Scott-Kassner 2014:244; Jeanneret & DeGraffenreid 2012:406). The movements of Grade R learners clearly indicate the ways they are focused on the musical elements. Movement activities are directly linked to the physical development and coordination of learners. Movement is most effective when it is not executed in isolation, but connected with listening activities, creating, singing and play (Jeanneret & DeGraffenreid 2012:406). Sound resources for playing on instruments include musical instruments as well as sound-producing materials from the classroom and the playground, sound-producing objects from home and self-made instruments. Dramatising is a popular activity observed in Grade R classes. Learners also enjoy spontaneous and structured dramatising while music is playing.

Grade R teachers claim that singing is one of the most difficult aspects in music teaching to apply with self-confidence, but they nevertheless use this musical activity most often (Yim, Abd-El-Fattah & Maria Lee 2007:261). At a music workshop attended by a group of early childhood educators in the North-West Province in the winter of 2015, only a quarter of the attendees had musical training. However, all the educators integrated singing in their daily programme. More than half of these teachers were very comfortable with singing in class, one of the most general preschool music activities alongside music listening, according to Bresler (1993:3).

Singing is a favourite activity in Grade R, whether accompanied by a CD, a musical instrument or the teacher’s own voice. Grade R learners are expected to sing while they take part in the majority of musical activities. They not only sing in the classroom but also outside the classroom. From the data analysis, it became clear that they enjoyed singing with family and friends. It became evident during the observations that learners were more comfortable singing songs in their mother tongue. The self-confidence of preschoolers is enhanced when they sing on their own in a safe, supportive environment. During a dress rehearsal for a Grade R concert, I observed that whenever a teacher took part in singing activities, the enthusiasm with which the learners sang increased. Because of the importance of singing in early childhood, Grade R learners are expected to sing along to all activities related to music integration in the daily programme. Teachers apply various strategies to develop singing as part of the daily programme. To expand the singing repertoire of Grade R learners, one of the teachers used a singing sack, where learners drew a song title from a bag that the rest of the class could sing. Unfortunately, not enough time was spent on teaching the songs properly to the learners, as the execution of the accompanying activities was assessed and not the singing.

The main purpose of this article was to explain a conceptual framework for music integration in Grade R. This framework, which was generated from the data analysis, and the theoretical orientation, which was derived from the literature review, explore the characteristics of music integration in Grade R. Both learners and teachers with little or no musical training are enabled to experience music in a limited time frame during the daily programme through music integration. Jeanneret and De Graffenreid (2012:410) emphasise that when knowledge and self-confidence are integrated in a child-centred pedagogy, teachers become aware of the multiple ways in which learning takes place in the immediate world of every learner. The power of music to stimulate young minds and touch young hearts is never to be underestimated. Teachers will be able to utilise the aspects of music integration with confidence by selecting teaching opportunities from the conceptual framework and applying them in the daily programme, transforming every learner into a maestro for a moment.