Inclusive music-making is on a roll in the Leeds and Halifax area, where Music and the Deaf has launched a series of innovative workshops.
The charity's Keys to Music programme for pre-school deaf children was put together by its education projects manager, Danny Lane. Profoundly deaf himself, he admits the project initially appeared exciting but daunting, as he had no previous experience of this age group.
'Nursery rhymes proved not to be very effective when signed, and the lack of resources meant I had to go back to the drawing board to create activities,' he says.
In the end a collaborative approach with practitioners, parents and children resulted in a flexible programme that allows all children to experience the pure joy of music-making.
Calderdale Sensory Service in Calderdale, Halifax, initially commissioned the workshops and launched them in a children's centre where they felt the possibilities for inclusion could be maximised.
Children were brought out of the nursery to join hearing-impaired children who had different levels of disability. Some wore hearing aids or had a cochlear implant. Some had speech and language problems or other difficulties.
'They learned to take turns, listen and attend to each other and instructions from Danny,' says Linda Parrish, head of the sensory support service in Calderdale.
'He was very much a positive role model as he could sign and use his voice, and the children accepted him and each other really well.'
The workshop programme covers all aspects of the Foundation Stage curriculum and Birth to Three Matters framework, and adaptions have been made to ensure that even the youngest deaf children can be included.
A wide range of musical concepts including pulse, rhythm, pitch and dynamics are covered, and children have the opportunity to sample the visual and tactile delights of playing percussion instruments.
Danny explains, 'They learned how to start and stop playing instruments by looking at a conductor. They learned various instrument techniques through songs and were able to participate in a variety of action songs and perceive musical sound by watching carefully and showing their understanding through movement.'
While the workshops proved a great social opportunity for the parents and children to meet and share their experiences, they were not without their challenges. 'We used a lot of props and puppets but these tended to get in the way of signing, so we had to be aware of this,' says Danny. 'It is vital that children watch the leader at all times, especially when instructions are being given. We make sure that there are plenty of pauses, even during the songs, to give the children the chance to turn and pay attention.'
Word about the workshops has spread quickly this year and programmes have also been run in Barnsley and Bradford. Danny says he is keen to continue providing these in the future, either as a one-off or a weekly programme.
Linda Parrish says, 'There is now a bank of materials and activities that engage pre-school children, and these are included in the Keys to Music guide. The children love these sessions, which target all their senses.'
She adds, 'Parents report that they have been reluctant to use music with their deaf child, but these sessions have given them confidence and reassurance to bring songs and rhymes to their children at an appropriate level - with fantastic results.'
Further information
Music and the Deaf has produced a Keys to Music guide and DVD, with the support of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. The guides are available at 25 for early years settings and 15 for those who want to use them at home.
Contact Danny Lane on 01484 483115 or e-mail nationalcurriculum@matd.org.uk.
HOW KEYS TO MUSIC LINKS WITH THE FOUNDATION STAGE CURRICULUM
Although there are no specific references to music in either the Birth To Three Matters framework or the Foundation Stage curriculum, the latter does include a creative development section which refers to changing sound, sound patterns, rhythms and songs. Danny Lane emphasises that it is important to introduce a wide range of musical opportunities to deaf children at the earliest age, because many will have little or no awareness of what music is about.
In the Keys to Music guide, topics such as rhythm, pitch and even simple forms of music notation are covered. Sometimes references have to be borrowed from all of the six areas of learning to assess the musical development of children at a deeper level. The guide is designed to be helpful to those practitioners who do not have specialist music training.
For example, if a practitioner wishes to assess a child's ability to understand dynamics, they may need to look at mathematical development and refer to the section on shape, space and measures which can link with asking children to recognise and recreate simple patterns of loud and quiet noise.
When using the guide it is important to go for activities which are recommended for the particular age group, although children of the same age will have varying abilities.
The activities need to be kept short, but they can be effective at just 30 seconds long. Repitition allows children to become familiar with them, so in this way their musical skills begin to develop. Practitioners may also find that some children show off their skills to their parents and become 'teachers' themselves.
Dos and don'ts Do...
* remember to make eye contact with all the participants, especially when singing or signing
* plan exactly where children are going to sit or stand. The best way is to have them sitting in front of you or in the form of a circle. If you decide to have them moving around the room, make sure that you move with them or wait for their attention before you speak or sign.
Don't....
* use lots of different instruments at the same time, because this fills the room with complex sounds and background noise; one or two different instruments is enough
* work with any more than eight children at once. The smaller the group size, the better chance you have of maintaining everyone's attention.
CASE STUDY: FERN
One mother explains how her daughter Fern has derived enormous benefit from the programme.
'Our five year-old daughter has been profoundly deaf since birth. She was part of the early years music group in Calderdale from the very beginning, two years ago.
'She always enjoyed the sessions Danny leads. They are an excellent opportunity for the children to meet other children who are deaf in a friendly setting. The children really get involved in the music and there are always lots of suitable instruments to play, and Danny leads games and activities that hold their attention. Our little girl will always say "again!" after each activity.
'The children seem to really enjoy playing the different instruments and joining in all the activities - there is a lot of giggling and smiling. But they also really concentrate and follow Danny's lead, performing different actions when the instruments are played, and playing and clapping in time.
The music sessions have really helped Fern to focus and get involved.
'The workshops have also helped our daughter with her social skills, as most of the children in the sessions have some level of deafness (most are profoundly deaf like her). The children appreciate that they are not the only deaf child and make good friends with the others who attend the music sessions.
'The sessions have been really good for the mothers and childminders too - they have been great for us socially and have given us lots of ideas to carry out at home. Fern sings nursery rhymes at home that Danny has taught her, with all the actions, and she plays the drum and a recorder.
'Now that our daughter is at school we want her to carry on enjoying music and are really pleased that the school is following the Keys to Music guide. The teaching staff at the school have been attending the workshops and now they are continuing the activities with the deaf pupils in the hearing-impared unit at school, which is great.
'We are really grateful to the hearing-impaired service in Halifax for asking Music and the Deaf to work with the young children in our area.'