Where should one start in order to make it good? : Preschool teachers`perceptions of enabling factors for music education

This qualitative study aims to provide an understanding of preschool`teachers perceptions of factors that enable music education in preschool. The study examines these conditions by identifying factors that preschool teachers percieve as contributing to the implementation of music teaching. Empirical data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in central Sweden. The analysis was carried out using a phenomenographic approach, where the outcome space consists of four overarching categories: the prioritization of music education, support for music teaching, preschool teachers`professional competence and personal attitude. Within these categories, a variation of perceptions emerges, suggesting that self-awareness, self-leadership, feeling of security, and engagement, play a distinctive role as enabling factors for the implementation of music education in preschool. The categories interact dynamically in practice as facilitating elements for music teaching. Together, they represent twelve subordinate factors linked to initiatives at three levels: organizational and governance, group, and individual. The study´s conclusions show that the prioritization of music education, support for music teaching, preschool teaches´professional competence and personal attitude, are considered as enabling factors for music education in preschool. The study demonstrates that effective collaboration across all organizational levels are advantageous for creating favorable conditions for music education, with each level bearing an initiating responsibility for implementation. Furthermore, the identification of enabling factors can itself be regarded as a facilitating element, serving as guidance and a starting point for preschool teachers´music teaching practices.