“Recently I have been working in a school in Leicester for children with a varied degree of disability as part of a research project with Soundlincs, Soft Touch Arts and Nottingham Trent University.
I have worked with many children over my career as a music and arts educator and working with children with a disability is nothing new to me. However, this is the first time I have approached this type of work with a focus on research as usually the aim of the sessions is simply to make a few songs and give the children an experience they will enjoy.
The research questions that we have been looking at are set in the context of a music educator going into Special Educational Needs (SEN) school and working with a whole class. How well does the whole-class setup work? Is it possible to lead the session with only one member of staff? What is effective music practice and what works in SEN schools? Does technology work? To what degree can the children use computers? Can a child in a wheel chair play a drum? Even more importantly we are looking at the effect the sessions have on the children, the staff and the school and the barriers to participation…”
Read more on Joe’s blog here.
