This article examines everyday musical practices and their connections to young children's learning and development, in and through music. It begins with a discussion of music learning in early childhood as a form of participation and levels of intention in learning. Next, conceptions of child that have dominated early childhood music education discourses are discussed, along with other factors that are known to influence children's musical lives, such as spatiality, repertoires and the politics of participation. Three illustrative vignettes that stem from the author's experience as an early childhood music educator and researcher are presented throughout the text. Implications for early childhood education are outlined at the end.