Early childhood researchers have found that play is an ideal way for young children to learn. Yet few music teacher educators have applied this finding with adult learners, and in many music education programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, playful activities are generally few. This article presents a rationale for developing “playful” music education undergraduate and graduate programs and offer examples of engaging in play as part of coursework, socialization, and research. Observations, suggestions, and findings drawn from the fields of cognitive science, philosophy, psychology, music education, as well as early childhood research and practice are described as the authors open a discussion of how “lightening up” our curricula may actually have a weighty positive impact.
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