Introduction:

This critical evaluation examines my research and planning for the “Lyric Lounge”, a ten-week community songwriting project designed for adults aged 55 and over. This is part of the ‘HeyDays’ programme at Leeds Playhouse. The music community practice has increasingly recognised the importance of creating inclusive, meaningful opportunities for older adults, particularly in response to social isolation and barriers to participation in later life. This musical community project prioritises participation, accessibility, and shared creative ownership over formal musical training.

Context and Participation Research:

Our “Lyric Lounge” project is placed within the context of community music practice, which prioritises accessibility, participation, and social connection over formal musical training or technical mastery (Higgins, 2012). The target participants -adults aged 55+ – represent a diverse group with varied musical backgrounds, physical abilities, and confidence levels. Some research into music-making in later life highlights that the older generation can put up barriers for themselves in terms of participation, such as reduced confidence, fear of failure, physical limitations and social isolation (Creech et al., 2014). However, some say that active music-making can support wellbeing, cognitive engagement and a sense of belonging in older adulthood (Hallam, 2015). 

A consideration in my research is about avoiding the negative outlook/assumptions about ageing/ageism. Loneliness and isolation are most prevalent among older adults, as noted by the WHO Commission on Social Connection (2025), who say that if you describe people as only” vulnerable,” you may unintentionally reduce them to their problems and overlook their strengths and real-life knowledge. Instead, this project aims to recognise participants with musical memories, creative potential, and valuable contributions to group learning and involvement. This view aligns with community music values that emphasise empowerment, co-creation, and respect for participants’ identities. 

Learning Needs and Project Design:

Social connection has been prioritised through collaborative activities embedded throughout the programme, particularly in early sessions where trust and group cohesion are essential. Research suggests that shared creative activity can reduce feelings of isolation and begin meaningful social bonds (Hallam, 2015), and these principles were central to the project’s design. 

Confidence-building was another critical consideration. Many older adults may feel apprehensive about music-making due to negative past experiences or perceived lack of ability. To address this, the activities have been designed to be low-pressure and non-judgemental, with an emphasis on collective rather than individual output. For example, rhythm games and body percussion allow participants to engage physically with music education practices that prioritise participation over technical accuracy.

Accessibility has been addressed through careful selection of musical material and teaching strategies. Body percussion, spoken lyric work, and simple harmonic frameworks engage participants regardless of physical ability or musical background. Using familiar songs as reference points further supports accessibility by validating participants’ existing musical knowledge and reducing anxiety around new material. 

Teaching and Learning Methodologies:

The teaching and learning methodologies underpinning the “Lyric Lounge” draw heavily on experiential approaches to music education. Rather than delivering content through formal instruction, learning has been designed through active participation, exploration, and reflection. This aligns with community music pedagogy, where facilitators act as guides rather than authoritative instructors (Higgins, 2012). 

Informal learning strategies have been considered, such as learning through listening, imitation, and discussion rather than notation-heavy approaches. This reflects Green’s (2002) work on informal music learning and supports inclusivity by accommodating diverse learning preferences. Importantly, flexibility was built into the plan to allow activities to be adapted, reinforcing the importance of responsiveness in effective community music facilitation. 

Lesson Plans for HeyDays:

Week 1: Introduction

We will begin with introductions of everyone, making sure everyone feels comfortable in the first place, to share who they are with the group. We will also add an icebreaker, i.e. an interesting fact about us, including us who are running the sessions, to make everyone else feel more comfortable. We will ask everyone’s favourite song and why, introducing the meaning and feelings behind songs for us personally. We will play a quiz, i.e. we will play a clip of and song or instrument, adding a more comfortable/friendship level to the room. We will then explain the project and touch on some music basics. From there, we will ask everyone what type of music they’d like to write. Finally, we will sing a well-known and inclusive song at the end for fun. 

Week 2: Rhythm

We will begin with a warm-up, which will be to name the genre of music. This may be hard for some, so putting everyone into groups and having some of the team help out with them. We will then play the game “Here’s my rhythm”, which is an easy and accessible game which introduces rhythm with small body movement and percussion. We would then lead on to a famous body percussion song, “We Will Rock You” and the “Cup Song”.

Week 3: Harmony and Chords

To begin, we will play major and minor chords, asking about the difference between them (happy or sad). Then we will introduce the 4-chord song concept, which we can use to create our own song. As we approach the end of the session, we will introduce a globally recognised music concept, known as solfège, accompanied by hand movements. To make it more accessible, we can substitute the hand movements with arm movements for those who may experience coordination issues. Solfège fosters a solid understanding of notes and scales, which will be useful for songwriting. 

Week 4: Lyric Writing 1

A warm-up to begin with, then we will move on to showing a picture to everyone and asking them how it makes them feel. Asking questions like “What would it be like if you were there?” Asking about senses – touch, see, hear, smell and taste. One word to describe the picture. 

Week 5: Lyric Writing 2 – Structure

Warm up with a poem exercise. We will have printed out poems and cut them up, and mixed them around. Groups must rearrange them and share what the new poem could mean, and explore that. We would then show the original version of the poem and explore that meaning, showing how there can be two meanings of the same words in a different variation. Asking how structure affects meaning? We will then explore structure and come up with the hook for their songs. 

Week 6: Melody

This week, we will explore how the melody of a song makes us feel. We will take the ideas from the previous week and begin to put them together. We could take the people’s favourite song melodies and change the lyrics to them. 

Week 7: Reading

In week 7, we will begin to put the original songs into notation form, either on a device like MuseScore or written down on paper. This is when we go through some basics like note length. We may bring up Happy Birthday in sheet music and explain it. 

Week 8: Performance

This week, we will introduce the element of performing in music and possibly dance/movement. We would show them how the performance brings the song to life instead of hearing it through a device. Performance brings more meaning and feeling. A trick for performance is a distraction/focus on hands/movement so that the singing can just happen. 

Week 9: Mock Performance

Begin with a vocal warm-up (call and response). Rehearse the songs and go through how they would go about performing the song comfortably. Either singing, dancing or not making sure everyone is included and comfortable 

Week 10: SHOWTIME!

This week is when all the groups/individual people perform what they have been working on for the past 10 weeks in front of their peers and the public at Playhouse. 

Reflection on Presentation Feedback:

After the presentation, there was a mention to use a DAW such as GarageBand for those who want to try digital music making. So, we will be introducing more digital things during the middle weeks, like putting song ideas into GarageBand and hearing them back or creating new things with technology. It was also mentioned about backing music, either using us who are running the sessions or some of the participants who already play instruments. Going on with the show week, we may add some microphones to a recording device so that we can compile everything and give all the participants a memory to go home with. 

Critical Reflection on Individual Role & Development:

Reflecting on my contribution to the “Lyric Longue” at the planning stage has been central to understanding my development as a community music practitioner. At this stage of the project, my contribution has focused primarily on shaping lyric-writing and group discussion activities intended to foreground reflection, storytelling, and creating meaning in song form. These activities are informed by literature on inclusive music education and community music practice and were deliberately planned as low-pressure entry points into music-making that do not privilege prior musical skill. 

Engaging in the planning process has also highlighted areas for ongoing professional development that I anticipate during the sessions. One challenge is balancing structured planning with the flexibility required in community music contexts. While session plans provide clarity, shared understanding, and a sense of preparedness, effective community music often requires a responsiveness to group dynamics, participant energy, and emergent creative ideas. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this critical evaluation has demonstrated how my individual research into music education and community music pedagogy informed the planning of “The Lyric Lounge”. By grounding the project in an understanding of older adults’ learning needs and applying inclusive, experimental teaching methodologies, the project plan aligns closely with practice in community music. Reflecting both research and feedback has strengthened my understanding of ethical facilitation, inclusive planning, and the role of the community musician. This process has been instrumental in developing my identity as a reflective and responsive music educator, and it will continue to inform my future practice in community music settings. 

References:

• Creech, A., Hallam, S., McQueen, H. and Varvarigou, M. (2014) Active ageing with music: Supporting wellbeing in the third and fourth ages. London: Institute of Education Press.
• Green, L. (2002) How popular musicians learn: A way ahead for music education. Aldershot: Ashgate.
• Hallam, S. (2015) ‘The power of music: A research synthesis of the impact of actively making music on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people’, International Journal of Music Education, 33(3), pp. 285–299.
• Higgins, L. (2012) Community music: In theory and in practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• McPherson, G.E. and Welch, G.F. (2018) Music learning and teaching in infancy, childhood, and adolescence. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• O’Neill, S.A. (2012) ‘Becoming a music learner: Towards a theory of transformative music engagement’, in McPherson, G.E. and Welch, G.F. (eds.) The Oxford handbook of music education. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 163–186.
• Veblen, K., Messenger, S.J., Silverman, M. and Elliott, D.J. (2013) Community music today. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
• World Health Organization (WHO) (2025) WHO Commission on Social Connection: Final report. Geneva: World Health Organization.