Playing in he gym, boxing in he class oom: A di ac i e app oach o
music, embodimen and a ec in childhood
Juga en el gimnasio, boxea en el aula: Un en oque di ac i o de la música, la
co po eidad y el a ec o en la in ancia
José J. Roa-T ejo†
Uni e sidad Loyola Andalucía (España)
Alejand a Pacheco-Cos a
Uni e sidad de Se illa (España)
Abs ac
Emb acing he mo e- han-human pa adigm in educa ional esea ch allows o a end he in icacy and mul ilplici y o
class oom si ua ions. This esea ch ocuses on a music e en in a p ima y educa ion class oom in which se e al agen s
in e wine. Thinking-wi h- heo y upon his e en allows us o c ea e new knowledge and o a oid limi ing s a egies ha
o en insis on wha is al eady known. Da a is p esen ed as an audio isual igne e, and a mul i-laye ed di ac i e analysis
is applied, whe e bodies, sound, mo emen , and memo y en angle, and whe e a ec i e encoun e s in/ h ough music
eme ge. Each di ac ion enables us o ega d he e en om mul iple lenses, d awing on mo e- han-human and new-
ma e ialis concep s such as a ec , space imema e ing and in a-ac ion. Th ough his analysis, he esea ch del es deep
in o he con e gence o ma e ializa ions and embodimen s wi hin a child's appa en dis ac ion, e ealing he nuanced
ways in which child en de i e meaning h ough hei bodies, sound, space, memo y, and a ec . In his p ocess, i is
possible o e lec beyond ep esen a ional logic pe pe ua ed by adul s and eache s a school, and o a ain a deepe
unde s anding o he embodied essence o meaning-making. We p o ide insigh s in o how child en make meaning
in/ h ough/wi h bodies, sound, space, memo y and a ec , and how hey escape he ixed ela ions o he class oom as
p oposed by adul s/ eache s.
Resumen
Adop a el pa adigma más-que-humano en la in es igación educa i a pe mi e a ende a la complejidad y la mul iplicidad
de las si uaciones que se dan en el aula. Es a in es igación se cen a en un e en o musical en un aula de educación
p ima ia en el que se en elazan a ios agen es. Pensa -con-la- eo ía sob e es e acon ecimien o pe mi e gene a nue o
conocimien o e i ando es a egias de lenguaje educ i as que a menudo conducen hacia lo ya conocido. Los da os se
p esen an como una iñe a audio isual, y se aplica un análisis di ac i o de múl iples capas donde cue pos, sonido,
mo imien o y memo ia se en elazan, y donde eme gen encuen os a ec i os en/a a és de la música. Cada di acción
nos pe mi e con empla el acon ecimien o desde múl iples óp icas, ecu iendo a concep os más-que-humanos y
neoma e ialis as como la di acción, el a ec o, la dispe sión espacio empo al y la in aacción. Median e es e análisis, la
in es igación p o undiza en la con e gencia de ma e ializaciones y co po eizaciones den o de la apa en e dis acción de
un niño, e elando las o mas en que los niños gene an signi icado a a és de sus cue pos, los sonidos, los espacios, la
memo ia y los a ec os. En es e p oceso, es posible e lexiona más allá de la lógica ep esen acional pe pe uada po los
adul os y los p o eso es en la escuela, y alcanza una comp ensión más p o unda de la esencia co po eizada de la
c eación de signi icado. Apo amos ideas sob e cómo los niños c ean signi icado en/median e/con el cue po, el sonido, el
espacio, la memo ia y el a ec o, y cómo es o escapa a las elaciones ijas del aula p opues as po los adul os/p o eso es.
Keywo ds / Palab as cla e
Educa ion, Childhood, Lea ning p ocesses, Sound, Music, Class oom, Li e acy, Play.
Educación, In ancia, P oceso de ap endizaje, Sonido, Música, Aula, Al abe ización, Juego.
† Au o de co espondencia: jj [email protected]
Re is a Fuen es
2024, 26(3), 305-316
h ps://doi.o g/10.12795/ e is a uen es.2024.24597
Recibido: 2023-10-17
Re isado: 2023-10-26
Acep ado: 2024-02-12
Fi s Online: 2024-02-15
Publicación Final: 2024-09-15
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1. In oduc ion: The mo e- han-human u n in educa ional esea ch
Resea ch has add essed he eme gence o pos humanism as a way o unde s and he con empo a y wo ld
(B aido i, 2013), he ele ance o ma e agen iali ies (Mu is, 2022), and he idea o he child as ull and able
when we decen e he ocus om he humanis ic bina ies (Mu is, 2016). The e o e, pos humanism has been
desc ibed as an e hic-on o-epis emological way o hinking which equi es engagemen wi h eali y by doing,
being and knowing (Kuby and Rowsell, 2017). Being a complex and mul idimensional concep , pos humanism
is ela ed o o he heo e ical and pos s uc u alis heo ies, such as new-ma e ialism, a ec heo y o mo e-
han-human hough . Whe eas pos humanism comp ehends se e al heo ies ha ejec human sup emacy
beyond o he en i ies, he mo e- han-human app oach conside s hings o be he esul o he coexis ence o
a boundless di e si y o bodies (P ice and Chao, 2023). In ou esea ch we adop a mo e- han-human hinking,
as i s esses on he mul iplici y and luid na u e o wo lds, whe e human beings a e dep i ed o any supe io i y
(Tsing, 2015).
The mo e- han-human lens in esea ch aims o decen e he (whi e, cisgende , middle-class, Eu opean)
human, and mo e speci ically challenges an idea o human ‘as ixed and neu al’ (Hacke , 2022, p. 247). Mo e-
han-human esea ch in educa ion has o e ed new pe spec i es in ields such as li e acy s udies (Hacke and
Some ille, 2017; Mu is, 2016), social sciences (Adams and Ke , 2021) o sonic s udies (Gallaghe , 2016).
In his con ex , ou esea ch ollows he pa h laid by Elwick e al. (2019) o Wa go (2018), who posi he need
o mo e esea ch in music educa ion om a mo e- han-human and new-ma e ialis pe spec i e. This app oach
may shine a ligh on he sub le ne wo ks o ela ions aking place a ound ma e , music and childhood, which
may be shadowed by o he heo e ical app oaches ocused only on he human.
2. Theo e ical F amewo k
2.1. Mo e- han-human in a-ac ions in he class oom
Mo e- han-human hinking pu s mind and body on an equal oo ing. Bodies a e conside ed as a whole, e asing
‘ he na u al and ixed di iding line be ween in e io i y and ex e io i y’ (Ba ad, 2007, p. 136). They ha e memo y
and eac beyond he powe o mind, and hei sensi i e capaci ies de ine cogni ion (De nikos, 2020).
Acco dingly, he wo ld is unde s ood wi h, in and h ough bodies, and he expe ience o eali y is ‘embodied’
in cons an in a-ac ion be ween human and non-human (Len e s and McDe mo , 2019). Bodies acqui e an
abs ac dimension based on hei inde e minacy and may be desc ibed as ‘pa o he sel , being, becoming’
(Zhang, 2022, p. 1). F om his pe spec i e, bodies de y he language-based model o socie y, in which child en
a e ‘no -comple e’ un il hey each a ma u e le el o e bal communica ion (Mu is, 2016). Mo e- han-human
hough o /abou /wi h bodies le s us no ice child en’s bodies as sensing, ela ional and hough ul en i ies
(MacRae, 2020), aluing hei ma e ial, non- ep esen a ional and non-linguis ic ways o meaning-making
(MacLu e, 2016).
Th ough he mo e- han-human lens, human and non-human ope a e a he same le el, and he wo ld is
c ea ed in hei in a-ac ions. Like Ba ad (2007), we a oid he e m ‘in e ac ion’, ha would en ail agency
coming om ou side, and adop ‘in a-ac ion’, which ca ies he sense o eme gence om he inside. In a-
ac ions e ase he bounda ies be ween objec and subjec , as agen s do no p e-exis subjec s (Guyo e e al.,
2020). Mo e- han-human agen s, on he con a y, come- o-be and become en angled in a cons an and
dynamic p ocess o c ea ion (Kuby and Rowsell, 2017), whe e ma e is some hing ha ‘becomes’, ins ead o
some hing ha ‘is’ (Coole and F os , 2010). Thus, causali y is no a linea sequence o cause and e ec , a he
i mus be econside ed s a ing om in a-ac ions. Fo ins ance, in a class oom se ing his in a-ac ion may
ake place in ol ing ‘a coa , a chai , a pen, an iPad, a compu e sc een, he a mosphe e, he empe a u e, jus
as much as any human’ (Taylo , 2016, p. 17).
In a-ac ions eme ge as unin en ional p ocesses o meaning-making, he unp edic able consequences o he
ela ions be ween ma e and discou se, and he ene gies and po en iali ies gene a ed wi hin hem (Hacke e
al., 2017). These unexpec ed eme gences may be shaped as dis ac ions. In his sense, dis ac ions in
educa ional con ex s, especially in hose ela ed wi h a s educa ion (Hacke e al., 2017), ha e been ega ded
as unplanned eme gences, po en ially aluable o educa ion (Rau io, 2018). Dis ac ions om eache -led
class ooms and planned lea ning asks open up possibili ies o a non-linea unde s anding o educa ion
(Sp inggay, 2020). In hem, child en’s e usals o ollow he pa h designed by adul s ha e been desc ibed as
oppo uni ies o explo ing a ec i e ela ions in childhood, and as ‘a space o some hing else o ake shape’
(T uman e al., 2020, p. 234).
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The mo e- han-human iew o educa ion challenges he p edic abili y and linea i y o educa ional p ocesses
led by a human/adul / eache . I has enabled new possibili ies o add essing wha happens in a class oom
(Kuby e al., 2018) whe e, adi ionally, eache s and educa ion sys ems design and o ganise a human-cen ed
lea ning (Mu is, 2022). Mo eo e , he e is a conce n ega ding he ela ions be ween he s uden s and he
non-human wo ld a ound hem, o he agen iali ies o non-human bodies (Powell and Some ille, 2020). Paying
close a en ion o he mo e- han-human wo ld in he class oom enables esea che s and eache s o
unde s and he ways in which child en in a-ac wi h bodies, ma e , ime, and space, and ‘can lend us insigh s
in o unde s andings abou child en and childhoods o en obscu ed by ou assump ions and desi es’ (Yoon and
Temple on, 2019, p. 57).
2.2. Sounding/ed a ec s and mo ing memo ies
A ec has been de ined as he capaci y o a ec ing and being a ec ed in a ecip ocal and ela ional way,
some hing ound 'in hose in ensi ies ha pass body o body (human, nonhuman, pa -body, and o he wise)'
(Seigwo h and G egg, 2010, p. 1). We adop his neo-Spinozan app oach o a ec , an in ensi y cha ac e ised
as a ela ional and social o ce (Deleuze and Gua a i, 2004). In i , a ec eme ges in be ween he human and
non-human, igge ing connec ions and en anglemen s (Ba ad, 2007). A ec mo es, is embodied, and shows
how expe ience is ansmi ed physically om one o ano he (Hacke e al., 2017). The idea ha e e y hing
in a molecula le el is ib a ing (Benne , 2010) can lead us o conside ha all bodies, ecologies, eelings,
expe iences, and e en s ha e he po en ial o a ec o he s (Ge shon, 2013). Mo eo e , embodied a ec lea es
a ace ha cons i u es he memo y used by bodies o ‘b ing up o da e he p esen ’ (Massumi, 2015, p. 8).
One o he bodies mo ed in/by a ec s is sound (Ge shon, 2016). Mo e- han-human esea ch has a ended o
sound om wo pe spec i es: as a phenomenological agen , in which sound is a ib a ion ac oss bodies, and
as a social agen , desc ibed as a ela ional o ce (Wa go, 2018). In his second sense, sound possesses an
a ec i e cha ge and may be de ined as a esonan o ce able o mo e bodies (Ge shon and Appelbaum,
2020). Gallaghe (2016) has desc ibed sonic a ec as he ib a ional in ensi y o all bodies, human and non-
human, en ailing o he sound laye s ha can be ac i a ed, ela ed o eelings, meaning, cogni ion and memo y.
Bodies a e a ec ed by sound owing o he ib a ional po en iali ies o co po eal and sociocul u al means
(Hen iques, 2010). Thanks o his o ce, sound is a b eeding g ound o he eme gence o e en s (Wa go,
2018), such as hose ela ed o mo emen and kine ics. Hacke , MacLu e and MacMahon (2020), o ins ance,
conside ed sound o be a key agen when hey explo ed how he ou doo s in school spaces igge ed
meaning ul ela ions be ween child en, ma e and senses. Thus, bodies a e also un olded in o sound, mo ing
hem o new ields and empowe ing mul iplici y (De nikos e al., 2020). Sound can also be seen as a ca ie o
meaning ul ib a ions ha , unlike wo ds, con eys ep esen a ional and non- ep esen a ional codes (Gallaghe
e al., 2018).
Pos human esea ch has linked sound and mo emen , conside ing hem as ‘wo ld o ming p ac ices’ (Hacke
and Some ille, 2017). They ha e been also desc ibed as ‘knowledge in mo ion’ (Wa go, 2017), and essen ial
o unde s and child en’s becomings (Yoon and Temple on, 2019). Acco dingly, mo emen has become
essen ial in he eading o phenomena om a mo e- han-human pe spec i e. I has been desc ibed as
unp edic able and oo ed in a con inuous en anglemen wi h he en i onmen (Hacke and Rau io, 2019). In a
school con ex , he class oom has been analysed ega ding i s es ic ions o mo emen (Ki by, 2020), which
hinde he dynamic in a-ac ions o spaces and bodies (De nikos, 2020). As Powell and Some ille (2020)
s a e, mo emen , sound, ma e , and bodies connec o enac lea ning and being, as pa o an in a-ac i e and
ne e -ending meaning-making p ocess. Child en-objec s and elemen s-mo emen s collec i ely p oduce
sounds, ib a ions, hy hms, and in ensi ies in which aluable meanings a e made (Powell and Some ille,
2020). Fu he mo e, he mo e- han-human app oach o mo emen , sound and educa ion o e s new insigh s
in o he ways in which child en ma e ialise music in school se ings (Ge shon, 2018). Wha in he beginning
could be conside ed o be a me e dis ac ion e eals a complex ne wo k o ac ions in which memo y, a ec ,
ma e and sound a e in e wined (Sp inggay, 2020). In his way, mo e- han-human eadings o class oom
phenomena lead us close o child en’s meaning-making p ocesses, unde s anding knowledge as eme gen
and embodied and ‘no es ic ed o bound indi idual o subjec silos’ (Bu na d e al., 2021, p. 117).
Space, ime and ma e coexis as inex icable and non-linea agen s (Ba ad, 2007). Acco ding o Ba ad, ' he
pas was ne e simply he e o begin wi h, and he u u e is no simply wha will un old; he “pas ” and he
“ u u e” a e i e a i ely ewo ked and en olded h ough he i e a i e p ac ices o space imema e ing' (2013, p.
28). Conside ing ha he wo ld is in a cons an s a e o ‘becoming’ in which space and ime a e ei e a i ely
ma e ialised, he ole o memo y i sel is uns able and oubled. Memo y can be unde s ood no jus as a way
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o ep esen pas momen s in he p esen , bu as he econ igu a ion o pas in he p esen and he
unde s anding o ‘ongoing openness o he na a i e o u u e e ellings’ (H is o a e al., 2020). This on ological
concep ualisa ion o memo y highligh s i s eme gence as some hing unconscious, isce al, and in insic o
bodies (Hacke e al., 2017), connec ing pas , p esen and u u e.
We can conclude ha sound, like a ec , is dynamic and ansien , and can only be ecognised in he momen
and h ough he eac i a ion o he embodied memo y in/wi h sound (Re ill, 2016). Acco ding o Hen iques
(2010), ‘a ec is exp essed hy hmically’ (p. 58) and can make p e iously acqui ed knowledges clea o all o
see h ough he nonconscious memo y o he body (Ge shon, 2013). These knowledges a e pa o bodies’
his o y, unde s anding his o y as he eme gen eco d o human and non-human in ensi ies ha o e lap (Tsing,
2015). Tsing used ma su ake mush ooms o illus a e hose ma e ial ‘ acks and aces’ (2015, p. 168) which
emain in bodies, os e ing en anglemen s and aking pa in memo y. As Tsing explains, mush ooms become
pa o he ees hey inhabi , and hei emains come- o-be aces speaking o hei pas and u u e. Thus,
embodied memo y is en angled wi h place, ime, mo emen and meaning-making (Hacke e al., 2020).
Mo e- han-human heo y p o ides a complex amewo k in which meaning-making may be os e ed h ough
he in a-ac ions and a ec i e encoun e s aking place in a class oom se ing. Wi hin his concep ual ame,
ou gene al aim is o look a child en’s school p ac ices h ough a mo e- han-human pa adigm, a ending o
sound, mo emen , and memo y. Mo e speci ically, we aim:
- o explo e he possibili ies o di ac i e analysis in add essing he in a-ac ions o child en, bodies,
sound and memo y in a p ima y school class oom, and
- o ( e)conside a ec i e encoun e s in childhood as non- ep esen a ional ways o meaning making
in/ h ough music.
3. Me hodology
Mo e- han-human hinking is bo h a heo e ical amewo k and a me hodological app oach ha ejec s
ep esen a ionalism and challenges he cons ain s o adi ional quali a i e me hodologies. As a me hod, i
ies o o e come he on ological a i ude adop ed by esea che s who assume he ole o indi idual and
ex e nal obse e s as hey look upon he wo ld om ou side (Hacke and Rau io, 2019). In he ep esen a ion
o eali y, esea che s build ba ie s be ween objec s and iden i ies, hus c ea ing dicho omies and hie a chies
o alues opposed o mo emen , change and eme gence (MacLu e, 2013; Shannon and T uman, 2020). On
he con a y, we conside ou sel es as en angled wi h inqui y, and ou in a-ac ions c ea e knowledge a
beyond he use o ep esen a ion h ough e bal language and in e p e a ion (Kuby and Rowsell, 2017). Da a
in his esea ch is conside ed a cons uc ion, he ma e ialisa ion o an assemblage composed by human and
non-human agen s ha is subjec o ou expe ience as esea che s who a e pa o he e en (Ellingson and
So i in, 2020).
Ou analysis is amed wi hin a wide p ojec de eloped o e wo yea s in low-income schools in he sou h o
Spain. This p ojec applied a class oom e hnog aphy design (G een and Bloome, 2005) and in ol ed a eam
o h ee esea che s pa icipa ing in he class oom asks, in e ac ing wi h he child en and designing speci ic
ac ions. The child en’s pa en s, eache s and school we e awa e o he esea ch’s aims and scope, and signed
an in o med consen ag eemen , acco ding o he policies o he Uni e si y o Se ille. All he names in his
a icle a e pseudonyms.
F om all he da a ga he ed, we ha e selec ed a iny scene om a music lesson. I ook place in he second
yea o ou p ojec , when mos o he child en we e six yea s old. The scene was ideo eco ded on a mobile
phone by one o he esea che s si ing a he back o he class oom, which he esea che s conside ed o be
less in usi e o he child en. Da a om his eco ding we e combined wi h he esea che s’ ield no es and
con e sa ions wi h he child en and hei eache , Vi ginia. When Vi ginia s a ed he wo k wi h his g oup in
he p e ious yea , she made an e o o imp o e he child en’s beha iou in he class oom, such as by
encou aging hem o aise hei hand be o e speaking, keep silen and si s ill. By he ime his scene ook
place, he child en we e amilia wi h hese equi emen s.
Ou ini ial aim when we eco ded he session was o ocus on he eache . Howe e , as we no iced wha was
happening in he back ows, we shi ed ou gaze o he child en’s di e gen ac ions. In his p ocess, we assume
ou ole as da a-in ol ed esea che s, as ou ision was ne e innocen o objec i e (MacLu e, 2013). I was
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du ing he e ision o ou da a om a mo e- han-human lens ha we no iced he sub le ne wo k o in a-ac ions
aking place, and he clues i p o ided ega ding he child en’s esponse o music in he class oom.
Ou analysis applies di ac ion as a way o a end o he mul iple laye s o eali y (Ba ad, 2014; Mu is and
Bozalek, 2019). The concep o a di ac i e app oach comes om quan um physics and, as explained by
Ka en Ba ad (2007), implies ha one single e en may be b oken down in o di e en , o e laying pa s, in he
same way in which ligh is sp ead (di ac ed) when i encoun e s ce ain objec s. Di ac ion conside s he
mul iple laye s concu ing in an e en (Ba ad, 2007), desc ibed as he in a-ac ion be ween ma e iali y and
discou se (Jackson and Mazzei, 2023; Mu is and Bozalek, 2019). In Ba ad's wo ds, di ac ion means hinking
‘cons uc i ely and decons uc i ely (no des uc i ely)’ a he same ime (2014, p. 187), simila o he many
hin ib es comp ising a s ong ope. This a i ude owa ds analysis a oids building hie a chies be ween he
pe spec i es o e lying in he e en (Jusslin and Øs e n, 2020) and implies a en ion o mino de ails (Ba ad,
2007).
We also apply di ac i e analysis as a way o ‘ eading he da a while hinking wi h heo y’, aiming o p oduce
new knowledge while a oiding educ i e language s a egies (Jackson and Mazzei, 2023). Thinking wi h heo y
also enables us o c ea e new connec ions be ween he phenomenon and he di e si y o pe spec i es ha
enhance he esea che s’ insigh . Ul ima ely, di ac i e hinking o e s new lenses ha con ibu e o
unde s anding he in ensi ies beyond he powe o con en ional quali a i e me hods (Mu is, 2021).
4. Resul s: A igne e
In ou analysis, we ocus on he igne e con ained in he opening ba s o his a icle. Howe e , we
acknowledge he limi s and cons ain s o wo ds as means o ep esen he wo ld. The igne e is he e o e
complemen ed by i s eco ding (Figu e 1) om he esea che s’ de ice/lens, and along wi h he w i en ex , is
he depa ing poin o ou di ac i e eading wi h heo y.
Figu e 1. Phenomenon’s ideo eco ding: h ps://sho u l.a /dp wH
I is Wednesday, 9.30am. The child en a e si ing in pai s in he class oom, looking a he blackboa d and he
digi al blackboa d. We call i a digi al blackboa d al hough in ac i is an A2 sized shee o whi e pape aped
o he wall. Today’s lesson opic is he le e ‘z’. Vi ginia wan s o imp o e he w i ing and eading skills o he
pupils and she equen ly uses music o ein o ce hei li e acy skills. She asks he child en o wa ch a YouTube
anima ed ideo, consis ing o a b ie explana ion o he le e and how o w i e i , some wo ds including i , like
‘zoo’, ‘Zumba’ o ‘zone’, and a inal song. Vi ginia has used his kind o ideo e y o en, and e e y ime he
child en wa ch a ideo, hey lea n o sing he inal song and copy he mo es and ges u es. F om he back o
he class oom, I can see Ma in si ing wo ows in on o me. Al hough he usually ies o engage in he
class oom ac i i ies, he ge s dis ac ed easily. A home he s ays up la e wa ching TV o playing ideogames.
Today he seems es less; he idge s a his able o a he ables close o him, swinging on his chai and ying
o alk wi h his iend si ing behind him. Vi ginia seems o pay no a en ion o him, and she goes on wi h he
lesson asking he child en abou hei a ou i e place o play. She asks all o hem, one by one, and Ma in
says he likes o play boxing a he gym. As Vi ginia con inues asking he o he child en, he s a s o mo e like

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he is boxing. When he song begins, Ma in s a s dancing like he was boxing: is s abo e he chin heigh ,
knuckles acing upwa ds, aised shoulde s and some imes h owing punches in he ai . A Vi ginia’s eques ,
he child en p opose some ges u es o accompany he song’s ly ics: animals in a zoo going o Zoe he zeb a’s
Zumba lesson. Ma in p oposes some mo emen s mimicking a duck, bu Vi ginia chooses ano he child’s
sugges ion. Ma in con inues boxing and mo ing his head o his igh , as i dodging a blow. The child en s a
singing he song and doing he ges u es a he same ime. Some imes Ma in s a s o join in, bu he goes back
o his boxing. Danny, a iend o Ma in si ing in on o him, ies o imi a e his mo emen s, bu no o long.
Some o he child en encou age Ma in o sing and copy he song, bu he pays no a en ion. The child en spend
abou en minu es lea ning he song and singing i along wi h he ideo. A e ha , Vi ginia mo es on o he
nex ask.
5. Di ac i e analysis
P ima y educa ion class ooms a e ull o momen s like he one depic ed in his igne e. A child mo es, ac s,
o answe s on his own, ega dless o he eache ’s ins uc ions. Mos o hese e en s ake place unno iced and
a e le aside, conside ed as b ie b eaks in he school ac i i ies. In ou esea ch, we emb ace Mazzei and
Jackson’s conce ns (2023) abou ‘ hinking o he wise’ in educa ional esea ch, and we mo e owa ds a mo e-
han-human eading o his igne e. Th ough a di ac i e mul i-laye ed analysis, we ead i wi h heo y and
del e in o he mul iplici y o agenciali ies, embodimen s and a ec s ha eme ge when we apply an o he wise
lens.
5.1. Fi s di ac ion: Sound and music agen iali ies
The phenomenon in ou igne e ga he s he in a-ac ions o bodies, Ma in, music, child en, he eache and
he class oom. Ou igne e comes- o-be in Ma ins’s embodied ma e ialisa ion o he ideo’s song, which
aises ques ions abou he phenomenological na u e o music. Music exempli ies Rousell’s (2019) conce ns
abou a wo ks as he ep esen a ion o he a is ’s will. In his sense, a wo ks a e ep esen a ional in essence,
de e mined by he humanis ic logic o bina ies (a is -public, mind-ma e , idea- ep esen a ion). The song in
ou igne e and i s in a-ac ions in/wi h he class oom has an agen ial dimension ha de aches i om his
human/a is -cen e ed pe spec i e. The e o e, we en isage music as equa ing o sound, ib a ion and
esonance, acco ding o Powell and Some ille (2020, p. 846): ‘We conside music in i s “ awes ” o m as an
in eg al pa icipan in he mo e- han-human wo ld’.
In he in a-ac ion o Ma in and he song, music becomes a mo e- han-human agen in he class oom and,
oge he wi h Ma in’s mo emen s, and i enables he eme gence o a newly c ea ed wo ld in he class oom
(Thompson and Biddle, 2013). As we shi ou ocus om Vi ginia’s sugges ions owa ds Ma in, his in a-
ac ion eme ges as a new laye in he class oom. The mul idimensional spaces cohabi ing he class oom de y
he linea i y o space and ime in educa ional se ings (Mu is and Kohan, 2021). Mo eo e , child en’s
pe cep ions o ime and causali y challenge linea i y (Kuby e al., 2018) and, hus, ‘ h oughou child en’s li es
hei language and li e acy de elopmen is enhanced by non-linea app oaches cha ac e ised by c ea i e
p ac ice, a he han he o e emphasis on linea i y and ch onology ha pe ades educa ional discou se oday’
(Hacke and Some ille, 2017, p. 388).
Ma in’s mo emen s o he song a e no aligned wi h Vi ginia’s aims when she asks he child en o sugges
some ges u es. The i e a ion o he class oom dynamics made i easy o he child en o unde s and wha was
expec ed om hem (B ownell, 2019), namely, o sing he song along wi h mo emen s ela ed o i s ly ics.
Gi en his awa eness o ha , Ma in's sugges ions ma ch hese expec a ions and con adic his own boxing
p ac ice. In his enuncia ion o his own embodimen o he song, as well as in he o he child en wan ing him
o ollow he es o he class oom (Figu e 2), powe ela ions eme ge amid in a-ac ions wi h sounds and he
way in which sound should be ma e ialised (Gallaghe , 2011).
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Figu e 2. Ma in's classma e u ges him o ollow eache 's cho eog aphy
5.2. Second di ac ion: A ec and embodied discou ses
The in a-ac ions in he class oom may be desc ibed, ollowing Massumi (2015), as an a ec i e encoun e
eme ging unexpec edly. Ma in is a ec ed by he music, as he is compelled o mo e when he lis ens o i .
Music is a ec ed in Ma in’s mo emen s, spa king a new se o meanings dis anced om songs used a school
o lea n g amma . As desc ibed by De nikos e al. (2020, p. 6), a ec , concei ed as a bodily impulse, ‘can s a
ou as a senso y expe ience o cha ged habi , bu hen, qui e unexpec edly, su ge up in ways ha in ensi y he
capaci y o bodies o ac and be ac ed upon’. Thus, he music in he ideo emb aces Ma in’s expe ience in
he spo s cen e when he boxes. A ec , as an in ensi y in i s Deleuzian concep ion (Buchanan, 2021), ac s as
a ela ional o ce ha in ol es o he mo e- han-human bodies ( he boy in on o Ma in when he ies o mo e
as he does [Figu e 3], he boy on he igh , he able, he chai , he song, he esea che ’s pe spec i e). They
become en angled in wha may be named an assemblage, acco ding o Deleuze and Gua a i (2004), o med
by bodies linked in in ensi ies and a ec in a dynamic and e e -changing way (Buchanan, 2021).
Figu e 3. Danny joins Ma in and s a s doing boxing mo emen s
The in ensi ies and a ec s linking he mo e- han-human bodies in his assemblage a e no linguis ic. Ins ead,
hey a ise in mo emen s, ges u es and exp essions, se by/among/wi h he child en, and de ached om he
eache ’s linguis ic discou se. These embodied in ensi ies ha e been ela ed o he ways in which child en
make meaning in he class oom (MacLu e, 2016), and challenge he bodily and spa ial es ic ions o he school
con ex (Ki by, 2020). In ou igne e, mo emen is limi ed by he class oom layou , wi h child en si ing acing
he eache and he sc een. The mo e- han-human alue o he ways in which child en hink wi h bodies
(Hacke and Rau io, 2019) leads us o conside Ma in’s assemblage wi h music, able, and o he child en as
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an embodied eme ging wo ld (Hacke and Some ille, 2017), ha o e laps adul linguis ic sup emacy (Yoon
and Temple on, 2019).
The linguis ic adul app oach is ollowed by Vi ginia in he ins uc ions o he child en, ela ed o he no ion o
‘symbolic play’ (Ruiz and Abad, 2011), whe e mo emen is supposed o ‘ ep esen ’ he song’s ly ics, hus
c ea ing a bina y o ly ics/music. Rep esen a ional hinking es ablishes a unique way o li e p ede e mined
o ms o lea ning expe iences (Rousell, 2019), whe e lea ning is a linea and unidi ec ional p ocess (Zembylas,
2016). The e o e, Ma in’s mo emen s don’ i wi h Vi ginia’s idea o being a ‘duck’ (‘in he duck zone’, in he
song). De nikos (2020) de ined hese decisions abou wha could be lea ned, said and done as ‘doing school’.
Vi ginia is ‘doing school’ h ough he spa ial ela ions she os e s (o no ) du ing he ac i i y, and also h ough
mo emen s and sounds in ol ed in he class oom dynamics. All in all, his phenomenon unde sco es he
class oom hie a chies be ween p ope and non-p ope esponses o ep esen a ional ways o unde s anding
music and mo emen (MacLu e, 2016).
5.3. Thi d di ac ion: T aces o a non-linea memo y
Ka en Ba ad’s agen ial ealism ejec s he idea o linea causali y and asse s ha humans a e no longe ‘pu e
cause o pu e e ec ’ (Ba ad, 2007, p. 136). Howe e , memo y has a ele an ole in a ec s (De nikos, 2020)
and may be associa ed wi h he aces le behind (Tsing, 2015). Acco dingly, ‘ he wo ld “holds” he memo y
o all aces; o a he , he wo ld is i s memo y (i s en olded ma e ializa ion)’ (Ba ad, 2013, p. 29). The aces
o boxing eme ge in he class oom as Vi ginia asks abou he s uden s’ a ou i e place o play, and Ma in
answe s ha he likes boxing a he gym (Figu e 4).
Figu e 4. Ma in answe s o he ques ion: ‘Wha is you a ou i e zone o playing?’
T aces o boxing become p esen in Ma in’s mo emen s, along wi h eminiscences o he new Fo ni e boxing
cho eog aphy launched a ew days be o e, and memo y wea es wi h mo emen and bodies, as well as sound
and music (Re ill, 2016). In ou igne e, Ma in mo es like boxing be o e lis ening o he song, and he song
e-ac i a es mo emen when i s momen um seems o ade. T aces a e no a linea sequence, o a cause-
e ec connec ion. Ra he , he ideo’s song, Vi ginia’s ques ions abou playing, mo emen and mo e- han-
human bodies a e a non-linea becoming o aces. Ma in’s memo ies become p esen in he class oom, and
hese ‘ aces’ come- o-be in hei ma e ialisa ion wi h music and sound.
Acco ding o his non-linea pe spec i e o memo y, Vi ginia’s ques ion does no unleash mo emen , because
i is al eady p esen . Thinking wi h Massumi’s (2015) concep ion o memo y, Ma in’s embodimen s a e an
ac i a ion o u u e memo y by/wi h/in he music (Jackson and Mazzei, 2023). Memo ies a e made by Ma in
in he p esen o be used in he u u e when he p esen will be pas . Memo ies emain embodied in Ma in,
like aces ‘wai ing’ o be igge ed by a u u e in a-ac ion wi h ‘le e Z’, ‘boxing’, ‘ he duck zone’ o he Zumba
music, anscending and ans o ming space, ime and ma e /sound (H is o a e al., 2020).
5.4. Fou h di ac ion: Dis ac ions and he eme gence o he unknown
The class oom in which his phenomenon akes place, i s u ni u e and e en he child en’s mo emen s, can
be ecognised as pa o a ‘cons ained’ sys em (Kuby e al., 2018, p. 152). Child en emain sea ed and a e
allowed o mo e he uppe pa o hei bodies and hei ee . Mo emen s a e con olled and o ganised by he
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eache , who decides which ones a e pe mi ed and which a e no (Gallaghe , 2011). Al hough Vi ginia doesn’
sanc ion Ma in’s mo emen s, his spa ial es ic ion is unde s ood as na u al by he child en when hey u ge
Ma in o ollow he mo emen s p oposed in he class oom, o when he himsel sugges s mo e accep able
mo emen s. Snaza and Sonu (2016) ha e highligh ed he implici ideology o he limi s in his asymme y o
s uden and eache s in e ms o space and mo emen : ‘ he eache con ols and he s uden s a e con olled;
he eache knows and he s uden s a e de icien in knowledge’ (p. 34). Di e ing om he eache ’s
expec a ions may he e o e be conside ed as ‘bad beha iou ’ (Snaza and Sonu, 2016). Mo emen limi s and
es ic ions may be ega ded as a colonised unde s anding o wha is sui able o he class oom (De nikos,
2020), and end up wi h Ma in’s non- ep esen a ional embodimen s being le aside.
Mo e- han-human esea ch does no ecognise dis ac ions as a sign o dis up i e beha iou bu ega ds hem
as a pa o eme gen sys ems o be emb aced (Rau io, 2018). A en ion o dis ac ions may highligh he
di e en ways in which lea ning is p oduced in he class oom. The e, s uden s may be bo ed o dis ac ed, and
a he same ime hey a e being c ea i e (Ge shon, 2018). Ma in’s ma e ialisa ion o music, memo y and a ec
helps us o imme se in child en’s wo ld- o ming p ac ices, especially when hey do no ollow he eache ’s
pu pose and challenge wha lea ne s should do (Bold and Leande , 2020). Memo y, mo emen , and music
eme ge in Ma in’s embodimen and sub ly de y he ask p oposed by he eache , de aching he song om
he i e a i e and amed school p ac ice (Sp inggay, 2020). Ma in doesn’ manage o sing he song o o
pe o m he ges u es accep ed by he eache . Howe e , he is no e using he ac i i y o he music, he is
p oposing some hing ha di e ges om he eache ’s ep esen a ional hinking, he eby gene a ing meaning
and knowledge in he p ocess (T uman e al., 2020). A ec and in ensi ies guide Ma in’s meaning-making
owa ds a iew a om he colonialised, linea and unidi ec ional lea ning a che ypes o school (De nikos,
2020).
6. Conclusions
The di ac i e analysis pe o med in his a icle has unde sco ed he ways in which sound a icula es he
a ec i e encoun e s and in a-ac ions eme ging in he class oom. The many laye s con eyed in his
phenomenon ( e)con igu e he wo ld, in a way simila o ha desc ibed by Jusslin and Øs e n (2020). Among
hese laye s we ind Vi ginia’s ask, Danny’s mimicking o Ma in’s mo emen s, he memo y o boxing and he
Fo ni e cho eog aphy, he spa ial es ic ions o mo emen , o ou p esence a he back o he class oom.
Thei en anglemen gi es way o a ne wo k in which all he agen s be-come in he in a-ac ions, and a e e-
ma e ialised in hei connec i i y.
The e-con igu a ion o space b ings ou he mul iple ways in which memo ies eme ge and disappea
simul aneously in wo ld- o ming p ocesses led by mo emen (Hacke and Some ille, 2017). Ma e /sound
a e also econ igu ed when Zoe’s Zumba is no longe a song o lea ning he le e ‘Z’, bu a song in a gym. In
he in a-ac ions, Zoe’s Zumba has become pa o an en anglemen o connec ed spaces and memo ies, a
Fo ni e expe ience, boxing and mo emen . Space, ime and ma e canno be sepa a ed because hey a e
en angled (Kuby and Rowsell, 2017), like Ma in’s embodied memo y which me ges pas , p esen and u u e.
Ou di ac i e analysis highligh s how he dis ac ion in ou igne e becomes a way o meaning-making and
being-in- he-wo ld o Ma in. We assume ha in dis ac ions, child en a oid ep oduc ion and a e open o new
becomings (T uman e al., 2020) which con lic wi h he adul s’ unde s anding o he wo ld in which hey a e
me e ecipien s o inpu s designed by he educa ional sys em and ansmi ed by eache s (Mu is, 2016). In
con as , we p opose mo e- han-human bodies (sound, ables, ligh , child en) as agen s ha in a-ac wi h he
child en in hei meaning-making. Thus, we conside sound in he educa ional con ex as an a ec i e o ce
ha goes beyond he idea o sound as a p oduc o dis up i e beha iou s o as a ‘dis ac ion o lea ning o
o he signi ican educa ional ways o being’ (Ge shon, 2018, p. 27).
In a ec i e and embodied encoun e s, child en challenge he ep esen a ional unde s anding o music and
sound. The ep esen a ional in en ionali y o adul s (like Vi ginia’s aim o ep esen ly ics wi h speci ic
mo emen s) clashes wi h embodied, a ec i e, eme gen and ace-based ways o child en o be-in- he-wo ld.
A ending o mo e- han-human bodies as discou se leads us o unde s and he non- ep esen a ional ways in
which child en make meaning, whe e a ec i e in ensi ies become agen s and eplace he linea i y o he wo d-
ges u e sequence. In his sense, a ec i e and embodied in a-ac ions in he class oom become an oppo uni y
o ‘in e up ing and emodula ing dominan modes o powe and igid no ma i i ies’ (De nikos e al., 2020, p.
19).
The di ac i e eading o he class oom’s phenomenon may help eache s o econside all he in a-ac ions
ha con e ge in daily lea ning si ua ions (Bu na d e al., 2021), beyond he human-cen ed and eache -led