ABSTRACT
The chapter describes structured group music making activities that support young people's dialogic engagement. Data from the narrative account allow exploration of non verbal dialogic experiences during musical exchanges between the young people and the teachers and between young people themselves. Comparisons are drawn between these musical exchanges and the dialogic communicative musicality shared between main carers and babies. Reference is made to recent research into dialogic applications within music therapy practice which associates answerability with establishing joint attention between participants. Findings from education and therapy research uncover common interests in dialogic features identified by Bakhtin and Volosinov. These have inspired the creation of inclusive dialogic spaces supporting both therapeutic and pedagogical ends. Through reference to such research findings, a set of skills are identified for prompting verbal dialogic engagement. These are cross referenced with data from the classroom session indicating their application in supporting leaders of non verbal interactive/exploratory group music making in classrooms to promote inclusion and relational well being. Dialogic dimensions are also recognised within the wider emerging professional competences for therapeutic teaching practice.
