Observing adult-child interaction in a Catalan lap game

The aim of this paper is to present the construction process of an observation form for the
study of adult – child interaction in a traditional lap game from the Catalan repertoire. The
aim of the research where this study is framed –contextualised in a Teacher Training and
Innovation project applied to a network of kindergartens of the area of Barcelona- is to
have a deeper understanding of the daily musical situations that take place in a group of 1
to 2 year-olds in school setting. The research follows an emerging process where the video
is the main data collection tool. The analysis is designed in two perspectives in order to
tackle, on the one hand, what happens during one school day and, on the other hand, how
one activity, specifically a lap game, is developed over the time the research is carried out.
As part of this second perspective of analysis an observation form is designed, validated
by experts and applied as a research analysis tool. The development of this form runs in
parallel to the establishment of two-categorisation guides, one for the musical mode and
another for the gestual, spatial and linguistic modes. What is presented is an analysis tool
that considers the multiplicity of communicative modes that are involved when playing a
lap game. In addition, the amount of detail that the form collects allows us to think about
these kind of games as solid foundations for musical knowledge and, consequently, to revalue
these treasures of our traditional repertoires and include them in our daily interactions
with children.