Music for Education & Wellbeing

 In this episode, I talk with Professor Marcus Smith, who is co-founder of the Clem Burke Drumming project, based at Chichester University which is researching the physical, mental and health benefits of drumming. Marcus co-founded the project with Dr Clem Burke, who is the drummer with Blondie; and Professor Steve Draper of Hartpury University. We discuss the research, including the impact of drumming for young people with additional needs including those who are autistic. 

In this episode, I talk withNikki-Kate Heyes MBE, who was the founder, and until recently, CEO of soundLINCS, a community music organisation that’s been working with people from all walks of life through music, for 26 years. We talk about the development of the organisation, the health and direction of the community music sector, and Nikki-Kate gives her three tips for survival and resilience. 

 In this episode, I talk with James Dickinson, head of Hull Music Service, which is part of the local authority and also lead for the new music education hub covering Hull, East Riding, north and northeast Lincolnshire. We discuss how the music service is partnering with the local authority to use data to explore the impact of music on attainment. We also discuss how the service is using an annual impact report to engage partners, supporters and staff with the bigger picture around their value and impact. 

In this episode, I talk with Beatriz Ilari, a Professor at the Center for Music, Brain and Society at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. We discuss a 10-year study looking at the impact of music and sports programmes for young people; and a short study using an evaluation method and approach to teaching called Positive Youth Development. We also discuss how academic researchers and music educators might connect to work in partnership.

In this episode, I talk with James McPherson, Managing Director of Music Leaders UK, a new music course and award for secondary school age students. The downturn in numbers of young people pursuing music in schools and other settings is a worrying trend, particularly in the UK. The award aims to address this, by acknowledging learners’ own musical passions and interests while also developing their interpersonal and leadership skills. 

 A hate crime and a near death experience caused Ami Gaston to re-evaluate her life and future. She now works internationally to promote healing and wellbeing through music and activism. She’s worked with refugees and families through organisations such as the US government and the United Nations. She also has a great story to tell about performing for the Dalai Lama. 

 In this episode, I talk with Serona Elton, from the University of Miami and the Mechanical Licensing Collective; and Dr Oliver Morris, Head of Education and Skills at UK Music. We talked about their routes into the music industry, and the challenges and opportunities for young people – and their families - wanting to understand what roles they could pursue in music.  

In this episode, I talk with Penny Osmond, workshop and choir leader, about her singing work with new mums who have perinatal mental health disorders. We discuss the first randomised control research in this area, led by Professors Rosie Perkins and Daisy Fancourt, which found that singing could relieve moderate to severe post-natal depression at double the rate of control groups. We also hear about Penny’s wider music and perinatal mental health programmes including Songs from Home – addressing social isolation in new mums through online songwriting, and Music at Heart, singing with mothers referred through a hospital. 

In this episode, I talk with Emma Supica, Education Coordinator for Artiphon, a music tech company that creates new instruments to enable everyone to be creative, with or without prior musical experience. It’s latest is the Orba, a palm-held instrument that can be used alone or connected to other technology. We talked about the importance of play in music; how the Orba is being used in education, wellbeing and social justice settings and can be adapted for different people and environments; and the value of participant and user voice in education and in tech. 

 In this episode, I talk with Mark Robinson, the founder of Rocksteady Music School, which brings in-school rock band lessons to primary schools across the UK. It’s a new model for music education that combines peripatetic tuition approaches with group rock band tuition and inclusive pedagogy, increasing children’s interest in and uptake of music lessons. Mark’s lightbulb moment was when he realised that children in his lunchtime band workshops were progressing faster than those in one-to-one lessons, and his mission ever since has been to get more children making music by choosing what they want to learn, and learning as part of a band.