ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the 'new' sociology of childhood, that important paradigm shift in how children were viewed and understood. It is easier to recognise how childhoods further removed from us in time and place are socially constructed, but much less easy to see the same process at work close to home. Musical activities provided in early childhood sessions, whether private or school/nursery-based, have a particular aesthetic, a distinctive style that is typically happy, animated, cute and affectionate. In Westernised societies childhood has evolved with clear demarcations, unlike other societies. There is a clear separation between children's worlds and adult worlds and even between older and younger children. The new perspective on childhood also allowed researchers to demonstrate the many ways in which children are competent and able to exercise agency, that is, their ability to act with intent and awareness.
