Quality of education in ECEC (0-6 years): The contribution of art music

Carla Cuomo

University of Bologna Department of Arts, Visual Performing Media

carla.cuomo@unibo.it

The importance of art education for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children and youth

Abstract

The quality concept is the core of the democratic pedagogical model (2030 Agenda goal 4). Since the 2000s, EU guidelines on ECEC have promoted a holistic approach to early childhood, emphasizing each child's right to equal educational opportunities, quality education, creativity development, and a consistent, unified curriculum that aligns with subsequent education and training. This paper will demonstrate how early childhood art music education can significantly benefit a child's cognitive, socio-emotional, creative, and innovative development. The beauty and cultural significance of music offer invaluable contributions to a child's growth. Unfortunately, music, therefore the art music, is poorly present or completely missing in the 0-6 curriculum.

Based on the analysis of standard documents on early childhood education, in the EU and beyond, the speech will suggest three intervention areas in order to construct a quality vertical curriculum centered on artistic music education: the staff musical training; the historically and culturally oriented organization of the curriculum; the setting up of the learning environment. The three areas are not always supported in a balanced way by the guidance frameworks of each country for a quality early childhood education.

The purpose is to stimulate the debate between pedagogy and didactics of music connoisseurs, as well as between educators and teachers in the ECEC system, with a view to develop pilot projects of vertical curricula experimentation of artistic music education.

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