My research considers children’s intercultural music-making and the role of families in the teaching and learning of diasporic music cultures. In this paper I share findings from my fieldwork with intercultural arts organisations, primary schools and community hubs in and around the super-diverse city of Birmingham in England. A focus of my research is music education that takes place in weekend supplementary schools where children take part in singing, instrumental tuition, dancing and circle games. I also explore the facilitation of music-making with children via a learner-led pedagogical approach I call ‘The Convivial Classroom’, employing Paul Gilroy’s definition of ‘conviviality’ as spontaneous everyday interculturality in diverse spaces (Gilroy 2004). As a researcher working within music education and ethnomusicology, I have found that the voices of children and their families are infrequently featured within this interdisciplinary scholarship. To address this, I chose to use a child-centred approach in my practice and research, and this guided the methodological choices for my PhD. Informed by recent scholarship on participatory fieldwork, I utilised first-person perspective technology to document children’s music-making. This paper features first-person fieldwork footage illustrating children’s musical experiences and knowledge. As my research examines the familial transmission at play in diasporic music-making, I also reflect on the role of parents in the teaching and learning of international music in Birmingham. With this paper I aim to contribute to discussions on intercultural music education, familial music-making and child-centred research.

Multi-cultural and diverse school environments are prevalent and increasing at the same time as challenging social issues related to inclusion and exclusion, poverty, class, race, religion, linguistic, cultural heritage or gender and marginalized youth are becoming ubiquitous and students need to be empowered. At the heart of student empowerment lies the necessity for student voices to be heard, to be understood and to be in dialogue with each other.

In this presentation, we share insights from a larger ongoing research project focusing on the provoking journey and the relationships between secondary school student creativity and their collaborative music-making in an a-typical context where students construct themselves their 'fluid' and ever-changing spaces of creative work and where all voices are un-locked in order to construct their own knowledge and meanings. The main aim is to examine the musical behavior of a group of 16 to 18 year olds from two different school contexts that share a physical proximity in location and that have chosen to collaborate in both physical and virtual spaces of their choices.The theoretical framework of the research is interdisciplinary and it includes the Communities of Practice, Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), motivational theories, classification and framing theories and psychological (Schema) and social theories of meaning. A multi-method enquiry was followed including the framework of collaborative autoethnography and data collected includes the music products, personal journals/diaries, observation journals and group interviews. Findings point to juxtaposition of musical meanings, transformation of knowledge, meaningful spaces of dialectical synergies where meaning and knowledge are negotiated and re-negotiated, reinforcement on music engagement, increased motivation, sense of agency, ownership and inclusion as well as a sense of community belonging with the community being an eclectic one. There are implications for further research as well as recommendations which are highlighted.

This study explores the role of project-based learning (PBL) in advancing student engagement and ownership within the music curriculum. Rooted in the concept of student voice, which emphasizes the importance of including learners' perspectives, ideas, and aspirations in educational processes, the research demonstrates how empowering students fosters deeper engagement, critical thinking, and meaningful connections to their learning. When students feel their voices are valued, they are more motivated to participate actively, develop confidence, and engage creatively with the subject matter.

Employing a collaborative inquiry methodology, this research involved a primary school music teacher and two music teacher educators working together to co-design and implement a Grade 6 music project in a primary school in Cyprus. Over two months, students collaborated with their teacher to develop a project on a topic they selected, violence, finding repertoire, composing lyrics, and arranging performances. Data collection included non-participant observations, teacher notes, semi-structured interviews, video recordings, and student questionnaires, analyzed thematically.

Findings reveal that integrating student voice into the curriculum through PBL enhances musical skill development, including music performance skills, improvisation, and arranging, while also fostering teamwork, problem-solving, and decision-making. Students reported increased confidence and enjoyment, taking pride in their contributions to the project. The teacher’s facilitative role, combined with the collaborative inquiry framework, allowed for a reflective, adaptive approach to overcoming challenges such as resource limitations and balancing autonomy with guidance.

This study highlights the transformative potential of PBL and student voice in making music education more relevant, inclusive, and impactful. By centering students as co-creators of their learning experiences, educators can inspire greater engagement and cultivate a sense of agency that extends beyond the classroom, preparing students for lifelong learning and creative exploration.