This paper explores how inclusive education in early childhood instrumental music learning emerges through embodied, relational, and ecological processes. Positioned within the field of inclusive education (ECER Network 04), the study investigates movement-based instrumental pedagogy as a means of understanding how knowing and acting are co-constructed by young learners, caregivers, and teachers through shared musical activity. Rather than framing inclusion as an individual learner attribute or an accommodation strategy, inclusion is approached as an enacted practice that unfolds through participation, interaction, and bodily engagement (Bronfenbrenner, 2001; Studd & Cox, 2019).

Movement-based instrumental learning provides a particularly relevant site for examining inclusion, as it foregrounds multimodal engagement of kinesthetic, sensory, social, and emotional alongside musical development. The body functions as a primary medium through which children and caregivers communicate, explore, and make meaning together (Studd & Cox, 2019). From this perspective, embodied learning becomes both a form of knowing and a mode of action, shaping how inclusion is experienced in practice.

Although embodiment is increasingly recognised within music education research, less attention has been given to how embodied pedagogies contribute to inclusive learning environments by incorporating children’s and families’ voices, particularly in early instrumental contexts. This gap is significant within inclusive education research, where participation, voice, and relational learning are central concerns. Research in developmental psychology and music education demonstrates that early musical interaction supports attachment, attunement, and co-regulation between caregivers and children (Malloch, 1999; Stern, 1985; Trehub et al., 1997; Porges, 2011; Schore, 2001). However, these insights are less frequently integrated into instrumental learning contexts, where caregiver participation is often peripheral or implicitly assumed rather than pedagogically supported (Ilari, 2018; Zdzinski, 1996).

The study is guided by the following research questions:

1. How does centering embodied experiences in early instrumental education support inclusive participation for young children?
2. How do shared, movement-based musical experiences enable caregivers to act as co-participants within the learning environment?

The study adopts an ecological framework informed by Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of development (Bronfenbrenner, 2001) and an inclusive design based on the principals of Universal Design for Learning (CAST. 2018. “Universal Design for Learning Guidelines” V. 2.2. htpp://udlguidelines.cast.org]), alongside theories of embodiment and inclusive pedagogy.

Pedagogical activities draw on Dalcroze Eurhythmics, Suzuki-informed instrumental learning, and the Laban-Bartenieff Movement System, all of which foreground exploration, coordination, relational interaction, and adaptability (Ilari, 2018; Studd & Cox, 2019). Inclusion is therefore understood not as a prescribed outcome but as something done through pedagogical action, emerging from interactions among bodies, relationships, and environments.

Empirically, the research focuses on three movement-integrated workshops, each 90 minutes in length, involving young flute learners (ages 6–8) and their caregivers. These workshops enact inclusive pedagogical conditions in which learning is negotiated collectively rather than transmitted unidirectionally. The workshop setting is treated as a bounded system, allowing examination of embodied joint engagement among caregiver–child dyads, peers, and the researcher-facilitator through multimodal means (Merriam, 1998; Vaiouli et al., 2015). The European and international relevance of the study lies in its contribution to ongoing debates around inclusive education, family engagement, and embodied learning across diverse educational contexts.

By examining how inclusive practices are generated through embodied action, the study aligns directly with ECER 2026’s theme, Knowing and Acting: The Changing Conditions and Potentials of Education Research. It offers empirically grounded insight into how inclusive education can be understood not only as a policy objective but as a lived, relational process shaped through everyday pedagogical interactions.

This study employs a qualitative case study design to explore embodied inclusion in early instrumental learning. The workshops are designed and facilitated by the researcher and take place in a group learning setting that foregrounds movement, interaction, and shared musical exploration. Workshop activities draw on Dalcroze Eurhythmics (movement-based musicianship through rhythm, space, and improvisation), Suzuki-informed instrumental pedagogy (adaptive instruments, early tone production, repetition, and caregiver involvement), and principles from the Laban-Bartenieff Movement System (bodily organization, coordination, spatial engagement, and relational movement). Together, these approaches support multiple modes of engagement and flexible participation. Data sources include: • Semi-structured interviews with caregivers, focusing on experiences of participation, learning, and interaction • Photovoice with children, an activity-based method shown to support children’s participation and expression in qualitative research (Barnikis et al., 2019; Winstone et al., 2014; Young & Clerke, 2024). Children interpret images through narration, consistent with photovoice practices (Latz & Mulvill, 2017), and arts-based inclusive research (Montreuil et al., 2021) • A reflective teaching journal documenting pedagogical decisions, observations, and emergent reflections (Vaiouli et al., 2015) • Participant ethnographic observation focused on embodied interaction between children and caregivers during workshop activities • Observational data attend specifically to movement, spatial relationships, interaction patterns, and moments of shared musical engagement. Interview, photovoice, and journal data provide insight into participants’ perspectives and the researcher’s evolving pedagogical understanding. Data are analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022), informed by ecological and embodied theoretical lenses. Triangulation across data sources supports a nuanced understanding of how knowing emerges through action and how inclusive practices are enacted over time. Ethical considerations include informed consent, child assent, and attention to power relations within caregiver–child and researcher–participant interactions.

The study is expected to demonstrate how movement-based instrumental pedagogy supports inclusive education by enabling participation through embodied action and relational engagement, rather than relying solely on verbal or symbolic modes of learning or traditional master–apprentice models. Findings are anticipated to show that embodied musical activities create accessible entry points for diverse learners and position caregivers as active contributors within the learning ecology. By tracing how children and caregivers move, interact, and make music together, the study highlights how knowing and acting are inseparable within inclusive pedagogical practice. Inclusion emerges not as a static condition but as an ongoing process negotiated through relational, bodily engagement. Caregivers’ involvement is expected to strengthen continuity between learning contexts, supporting inclusion beyond the classroom.

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