Theoretical Background: The lead up to the 1989 revision of the “Course of Study for Kindergarten” in Japan saw growing support for Jiyu-Hoiku (a liberal childcare) approach emphasizing instruction through child's voluntary activity. This influence has continued to the present day, and in preschool settings, the term “instruction” in relation to music is generally avoided. Given this background, what forms of musical expression activities have been implemented in Japanese early childhood education from the 1989 revision to the present, as an alternative to avoiding musical instruction?Aim: To answer this question, this presentation analyzes four volumes of “The Contents of Childcare: Expression” (1990, 2004, 2010, 2019) published by Minerva Shobo, a series of textbooks for training childcare workers. This presentation aims to provide insight into the historical development of how musical expression was taught in Japanese early childhood education.Method: Using the four volumes as source material, the content analysis focused on three perspectives:① The conception of “Expression”② Characteristics of musical instruction at the conceptual level③ Characteristics of musical instruction at the practical levelResults: Regarding the understanding of “Expression,” the textbooks from 1989, 2004, 2010, and 2019 consistently rejected the “training of technique.” Instead, the books emphasized “recognizing” and “acknowledging” the spontaneous expression of children’s simple emotions as a new form of expression. Regarding musical instruction, while the textbooks noted the necessity of “instruction of technique” that differed from past practice at the conceptual level. Although at the practical level, “instruction of technique” was not presented. However, in the 2019 textbook, instruction at the practical level also began to appear. Conclusion and Implications: The findings revealed even at the time of the 1989 revision, musical instruction was deemed necessary for specific purposes. However, musical instruction at the practical level remained hidden behind the child-centered approach, finally emerging in 2019. In Japanese early childhood education settings, there is still a general tendency to avoid musical instruction. This study suggests that Japanese early childhood education avoids providing necessary instruction.