Posthumanism in cultivating children’s musical creative practice: a theoretical framework and case study from a primary school

In response to the growing theoretical momentum of posthumanism in education, this study examines how posthumanist-informed pedagogies influence children’s musical creativity. While the theoretical discourse is rich, its operationalisation into structured, classroom-based practice within mainstream music education remains underexplored. This study, therefore, proposes a structured framework integrating posthumanism and new materialism to cultivate creative music practice among grade three (aged 9–11) primary school students. Using an educational design research, I developed themed lessons that incorporated multisensory, improvisational activities featuring natural elements, materials, and AI-generated music. Data from observations and interviews revealed that this approach: (1) expands creative agency to include non-human collaborators; (2) fosters ethical relationships with non-humans; (3) enhances ecological literacy; (4) repositions educators as co-researchers. Findings highlight posthumanist music education as a site for rethinking creativity as embodied and ecologically attuned, offering practical implications for reconfiguring learning environments and teacher roles.