Vibrant Connections

In the project Vibrant Connections, we are particularly involved with how music, both traditional and new songs, can contribute to the preservation and renewal of immaterial cultural heritage in kindergartens and in kindergarten teacher training programmes.

The kindergarten is an important cultural arena for young children growing up in today's multicultural society. In the project Vibrant Connections, we are particularly involved with how music, both traditional and new songs, can contribute to the preservation and renewal of immaterial cultural heritage in kindergartens and in kindergarten teacher training programmes.

Music and singing form an essential and inherent part of the environment in kindergarten and can be seen as part of the kindergarten’s cultural heritage and aesthetic practice. The quality of young children's life is closely linked to the experiences and practices children take part in. Most people have an idea that singing is an important part of kindergartens everyday life, research shows that the selection of songs that are sung is relatively small, and that a varied musical work depends on enthusiasts.

How technology can affect students' and staff's learning and professional work with music and cultural heritage will be investigated in an action research-inspired design. The project will also include a survey which sheds light on how a larger sample of kindergarten teacher students and staff in Norwegian kindergartens assess their interest in, and commitment to, music and singing.

Overall, the project Vibrant Connections will create a deeper understanding of how technology can contribute to influencing performers' professional work with music and cultural heritage. The project will also explore what immaterial cultural heritage may mean when growing up in today's multicultural society, if musical heritage matter to how professionals and students' engage in the kindergarten's singing and music practice, and technology as a tool in working with musical heritage.