As a Music Educator, I have worked extensively in schools and early years settings across Cornwall, Devon and Somerset and have managed and developed high quality participation projects that show categorically how essential positive musical play is when developing young children’s speech, language and communication. Until the Covid-19 crisis, I had been a lead artist working on a project supporting nursery managers/staff and University students in Bristol and Plymouth to use music pedagogically within their settings.
I have, in the past, devised in-depth training programmes for musicians and early years practitioners in settings across Cornwall, embedding and enhancing links across a local community. This involved working regularly with non -specialists, supporting planning and mentoring other musicians throughout the programme.
Although, on the surface, these sessions were delivered around a child-centred approach, it was the bigger picture that interested me. As a new parent myself, at the time, I could identify with those parents struggling, not only with sleep-deprivation, but also everyday anxieties that new parents experience. I developed a 0-5’s parent and child session called ‘Tots Rock’ in settings across the South West. Like other baby groups, this became a lifeline for many parents and carers, allowing the informality of the style and setting to ensure they felt welcome, could meet and share with other parents the challenges and joys faced at that time.
Over the past few years I have, like many professionals working in this field, balanced my own creativity and passion for playing, with working in education or youth work settings.
I have worked extensively with young people in care, young offenders, and those whose home lives were disruptive, setting up much needed access to music equipment for young people in youth centres all over Cornwall, with recording and composing driving changes in aspiration and notions of self-worth and achievement.
As part of a team that has recently delivered a wellbeing programme called Schools for All seasons, I worked as part of a multidisciplinary team, with Consultant Psychologists, Trauma- informed education consultants, artists, teachers, and schools. Using seasonal change as way to observe the changes in ourselves, how to slow down and use nature-based activities, we created songs, recipes, art works and writing to share with families that took part across Cornwall.
This work was in response to the huge concerns of the impact of the pandemic on children’s and families lives, with social isolation and anxiety at being in social spaces and how to gently encourage ways of being in nature -for just small amounts of time that are beneficial.
As part of the project, we created sketchbook walks for families, collecting leaves and seeds, whilst drawing places and spaces very close to each school or home, making the scale of activity gentle and possible to do – even in 5 minutes. The important thing was not the sketchbook but being able to be together and have space and time outside.
Using music as tool for inclusion and to encourage diversity I have endeavoured to create possibilities and pathways that are supportive, helping young people to be active agents of their own lives.
In my own studio practice, I work as a music therapist with young people and adults struggling with mental health related issues and anxieties. This one-to-one work is easily transferable when working with individual young people in youth or school settings as part of an integrated approach to wellbeing.