Centring perspectives of disabled children in music education research

There is a need for music education research that uplifts and affirms disabled children by exploring their perceptions of participation in musical experiences in music classrooms. The purpose of this position paper is to a) define what it means to centre perspectives of disabled children, b) provide a rationale for centring perspectives of disabled children in music education research, c) describe and explore reasons why researchers often overlook the perspectives of disabled children, and d) provide information about best practices to centre the perspectives of disabled children in music education research. We highlight ideas for including disabled children in research from the fields of music education, disability studies, and music therapy. Recommendations include applications of participatory research, interviews with children, the Mosaic approach, and the In-The-Picture approach. By centring the perspectives of disabled children, researchers can learn a great deal and work to engage in anti-oppressive research practices.