The performative experience is a key component in the artistic, musical, and bodily training of future teachers. It offers a multidimensional space for action where expressive and communicative practices develop, allowing students to exercise autonomy and find their own voice through meaningful teaching and learning interactions (Boucris, 2019; Palau, 2025; Del Barrio, 2025). This study presents a qualitative research project aimed at analyzing and identifying the educational impact of performative participation among students enrolled in the double degree in Early Childhood and Primary Education (40 participants), based on a collaborative concert with Primary Education pupils. A qualitative methodology was employed, with data collected through participant observation, the photovoice technique, and thematic analysis of written narratives produced by university students before and after the concert experience. The interpretative framework focused on the intersections between artistic practice, emotional literacy, and pedagogical reflection within performative contexts. The results highlight that this performative engagement fosters in university students: (a) increased autonomy and awareness of the emotional connections generated within the educational community; (b) effective use of time as a resource for artistic production; (c) deeper appreciation of the formative value of collective creative processes; and (d) self-knowledge as a key capacity to be developed in the teaching and learning of music and the arts in general. Additionally, the study reveals that participatory artistic experiences strengthen the relational dynamics between students and their educational environments, enabling future teachers to internalize collaborative and reflective attitudes that are essential for inclusive and transformative pedagogies. These findings suggest that performance-based methodologies can serve as powerful tools for rethinking teacher education in line with contemporary educational and artistic challenges.

"Pau Casals, l'infant de les orelles prodigioses" is a musical performance created by P. Tamarit for children aged 5 to 8. First presented in 2022 at the Pau Casals Auditorium in El Vendrell and expanded in 2025, the project is part of the third-year Development and Learning of Musical Expression course in the Early Childhood Education program at URV – Campus Baix Penedès (Universitat Rovira i Virgili). The performance involves 40 university students who sing, recite, and play Orff instruments, along with a professional cellist. Around 100 local children attend as the audience, and pre-concert activities engage them in understanding the musical process. The concert will be repeated during the current academic year, including a performance on December 18. This project serves both artistic and educational purposes: offering high-quality musical experiences, fostering a love for music, and enhancing listening skills. It also trains future teachers, emphasizing democratic values, respect for cultural diversity, and human fraternity. Students develop vocal techniques, rhythm, and breath control.

The project promotes democratic participation by valuing children's voices. The idea of children as rights-holders, as defined by the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, raises questions about children’s autonomy in educational contexts, as historian Cunningham on childhood points out (2020). Drawing from Hart's Ladder of Participation (1992), the project emphasizes child involvement in decision-making, contributing to both democratic capital and empowerment. It instills humanistic values, including empathy, cultural awareness, and respect for diversity. Using Pau Casals as a leitmotif, the project explores themes of peace, democracy, exile, and cultural identity, fostering a more empathetic, culturally aware society.

Service-Learning (SL) is conceptualized as a pedagogical approach that integrates community service with curricular objectives (Tapia, 2008). This study examines creative processes through the lens of self-regulated learning (McPherson & Zimmerman, 2011; Rubinstain et al., 2018). To this end, an SL project was implemented focusing on the design of pedagogical concerts and music activities in Madrid across three academic years (2021–2022 to 2023–2024). Participants included 39 undergraduate students specializing in Music within the Primary Education degree, pupils from a partner school, their music teacher, and five university faculty members. Together, they engaged in a shared social space aimed at collaboratively and participatorily understanding, interpreting, and transforming the educational context in dialogue with the community.

Adopting a qualitative research design, the study employed both participant and non-participant observation, complemented by interviews that were coded and thematically analyzed following an activity theory framework. Findings indicate that interaction among participants from different educational levels fostered a positive impact, promoting mutual transformation. Moreover, several key components of the self-regulated creative process were identified: (a) individual and collective commitment; (b) student autonomy situated within a heterogeneous and open context; (c) time as a regulatory factor; (d) development of pedagogical competencies; and (e) applicability and advancement of metacognitive processes.

The study underscores how collaboration among students, educators, and the wider community serves to enhance and sustain self-regulated creative processes.