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Project title: Aesthetic practice of performance in kindergarten

Project period: August 2015 - August 2018

Main supervisor: Torill Vist

Co-supervisor: Rudy Garred

Research question: Can participation in aesthetic practice of performance be a contribution to promote a good psychosocial environment in a Kindergarten?

About the project: The background for the research question is, among others, the suggestion from the committee of the Norwegian kindergarten law (Barnehagelovutvalget) for this formulation: “Children in kindergarten have the right to a good physical and psychosocial environment that promote health, well-being and gives children a good environment for play, care and learning” (NoU 2012:1, p. 383).

This project seeks to explore if an aesthetic approach, grounded in the field of music therapy and practice of performance, can be a contribution to create a good psychosocial environment in a kindergarten.  The current focus of the project is a psychosocial environment and health promoting perspectives.

The project is an arts-based fieldwork and the methodology inspired by action research. It will also explore the methodology of A/r/tography, with focus on the researchers roles as artist/researcher/teacher(therapist). Field notes, video, and interview with children and staff will be used to collect the data.

Beate Gilje Tumyr is a music therapist with 15 years of experience from kindergarten and schools for children with special needs. She is now a Ph.D student at the University of Stavanger in a research group studying children's aesthetic an emotional learning processes. She's been working with engaging the children in different forms of performances through her work in the crossing fields of education, culture and health. She finished her Master degree at the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2012 after working as a music therapist for 13 years. Her Master thesis was a qualitative interview survey about how some children experienced to participate in a school performance.