In profile: Emma Zen

What do you like best about your current role?

Could it be that the Early Learning Centre is the happiest part of a school?

Imagine being paid to sing, dance, play and curate experiences with young children that spark joy, grow brains, lay the foundations of musicianship, nurture their inner life and support creative expression. I love that Music Play is collaborative and non-competitive.

This job helps me feel timeless and ageless, as I basically get paid to play.

I also adore being part of a talented, dedicated team that create optimal learning environments and build relationships. Our job is to support children to thrive and make it look easy, but preparation is key, and then the ability to be responsive, spontaneous, creative and maintain our collective enthusiasm.

Can you tell us about your role and current projects?

My role is to design Music Play sessions based on our Units of Inquiry (UOI). Our current UOI is How We Express Ourselves. Our focus has been Nature Music Play – finding musical patterns through interactions with nature. We have taken our inspiration from Autumn leaves, trees, sticks, stones, the sun and stars.

Our next focus has been Multicultural Music Play – appreciating differences and looking for similarities between cultures. Beginning each session with children leading a sung Acknowledgement of Country accompanied by tap sticks is part of our Reconciliation Plan and forms the basis of celebrating cultural diversity and inclusion.

Laying the foundation of basic musicianship in the Early Years includes: keeping a steady beat, listening discrimination, singing tunefully, organising sounds into patterns and sequences, body awareness, spatial awareness, co-ordination, social skills, exploring the elements of music and expressing ourselves creatively.

What did you do before joining the Radford community?

Before I joined the Radford community, I was in business for 25 years and still am. I teach music across multiple venues, various schools, early learning centres, community venues, our private studio, aged care homes and online. I also mentor and support other teachers and music teachers.

What do you enjoy outside Radford?

Sleep … running, netball, reading, cooking, travelling, performing arts, musical theatre, writing, playing piano, singing, films, art, concerts, public speaking, parenting, coffee, family and friends, creativity, courage and kindness.

Anything else interesting you might like to add?

In 2020 my hair suddenly went completely white, and I let it, as a sign of life that had happened. Embracing imperfections and vulnerabilities has helped me to not take myself so seriously, to show more compassion for my students and others and ultimately take more risks and remember to play!

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