NAMING OF ARTS
It was interesting to read that Drake Music has decided to stop using the term SEN/D when referring to the young disabled people it works with. As they say, ‘The SEN/D label does not come from a place of ownership. It has been placed upon children and young people and denotes “other” and “segregation”. We therefore prefer to say young disabled people rather than young people with SEN/D.’
I've often felt that the term SEN/D functions as a not-always-useful label, and if it is not a term that the people it is applied to are comfortable with, we shouldn't use it. But I also wonder if the term can be used as a catch-all for a certain type of social or charitable responsibility which allows organisations to look good, while not necessarily engaging with all of those children and young people who come under the label. People are doing SEN/D here, there and everywhere, so that's great, but underneath it, what if your child has Asperger's, or is deaf, or any specific learning need – if the SEN/D label obscures the precise nature of the work, it is easier for gaps to go unseen. I am in favour of using terms that are most appropriate to the people we work with, whose lives they affect. I also think that more clarity would ultimately be hugely beneficial as well.
James Diamond, Wiltshire
PARENTAL SUPPORT
Jane Werry is totally right that some parents ‘get’ the job that music teachers do. It's also impossible to forget that students often go through phases of bad behaviour because it's right there in front of us. Frustrating as it is, for teachers this is just something to deal with, competently and confidently – and that is so much easier with the support of parents and carers, as well as colleagues. The odd bottle of wine at the end of term also helps!
Joanne Dean, Bromley
Don't drop it: Adrian Spillett
DRUM PUN
I enjoyed the interview with Adrian Spillett in July's MT and it was lovely to hear him spill the beans over his musical and non-musical interests. That he is the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's wicket keeper is an unmissable thick edge, however: I hope he doesn't Spillett! Apologies to all.
Dan Friend, London
