Our Project Planning Presentation:
In this essay, I will critically evaluate the research and project planning (Appendix 1) I have carried out for my 5-week community music project at the Pindersfield Hospital Early Years Assessment Centre, discussing what the project is and how I came to these decisions. These decisions are influenced by the objectives to build musical awareness, develop language, listening and gross motor skills and to provide a form of social and emotional expression. This will be executed through an experiential, multi-sensory approach as the children have Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, and therefore require stimulation through multiple senses. This critical evaluation will help me reflect on what the project currently looks like, and how I can, as a practitioner, further meet the objectives as effectively as possible, with the ‘vitality of objectives’ dependant ‘upon evaluation’ (Colwell, 1963), making the project as successful, inclusive, and beneficial for the children as possible.
Before planning my project, I determined it was essential to understand the learning needs of the project’s participants, so that the activities, objectives, and musical material could be appropriately tailored to ensure maximal engagement. After discussions with my placement mentor, I learnt that the participants are aged 2 to 5, 10/11 of them are pre-verbal and all of them have Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), which ‘whilst there is not a universally agreed definition of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities, this heterogenous population have a profound intellectual disability often combined with physical disabilities, sensory impairments and complex medical needs’ (Ruston et al., 2023). These needs are significant, particularly regarding communication and the ability to complete everyday tasks independently. Much of my initial research involved asking my mentor about the participants, following this up with online sources. These were insightful and aided me in beginning to plan the project. However, in retrospect, I do feel it would have been advantageous to meet the children beforehand, getting to know the their individual needs and styles of learning, thereby making the project more inclusive. Vygotsky’s ‘Zone of Proximinal Development Theory’ discusses the ‘gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with support from a more knowledgeable person’ (Vygotsky, 1978). Direct contact with the children would have increased my understanding of ‘what they can achieve’, though this was not feasible given the unpredictable nature of the placement’s environment.
Once I understood the learning needs of the children as fully as possible, I began mapping out the aims and objectives our project, as ‘it is a good idea to sit down and work out what your aims are and how you are to achieve them’ (Wood, 1983). Whilst other projects typically finish with a tangible, fixed outcome, this project is different, in that its goals are intentionally more holistic and indefinite. Its objectives therefore centre on what and how the children will gain from each session, instead of measuring its success at the end of the project. It will look at factors like appreciating ‘each individual and the contributions they make’, ‘active listening’, a ‘focus on ability’ and the ‘process’, ‘shared expectations’ and a involve magnification of ‘benefits and opportunities rather than barriers and challenges’ (Healthy and Safety Executive, 2024). Accordingly, the objectives of this project are to help build musical awareness, to develop language, listening and gross motor skills, to provide a opportunities for emotional expression and socialising. Whilst the absence of a fixed endpoint may feel stagnant in other projects, these aims are realistic, yet valuable to this cohort and make for a project which they can engage with, instead of setting unrealistic and inappropriate goals. These objectives align with the ‘SMART’ analogy, outlined by George Doran (1981), and is now used in many Special Educational Needs (SEN) curriculums. These targets must be ‘specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound’. My objectives are backed up by a plethora of research about these children, meaning that they are specific, achievable, and realistic, set over a 5-week period. Despite their holistic nature, I believe they are ‘measurable’, when considered alongside the ‘Sounds of Intent Framework’ (Ockelford, 2001), a suggestion made after my presentation. This is a ‘model of musical development’ which helps practitioners to ‘gauge the impact of their work’, and I believe it will be a valued way to easily discuss and measure how each child engages and progresses throughout the project. Using the ‘Expanded Sounds of Intent Framework of Musical Development’ (see Appendix 2) gives me a chance to measure quantitatively how the children are progressing, and hence a constructive way of measuring the objectives.
Having established the project objectives, I then developed the content and outlined strategies for achieving them. I created a week-by-week schedule (see Appendix 3), followed by detailed, individual session plans (see Appendix 4). Due to the project’s more holistic aims, there is more space for a larger variety of concepts and activities, broadening the children’s’ musical awareness and language skills. Each week centres on a different theme- ‘Welcome Week’, ‘Seasons’, ‘Colours’, ‘Jungle’ and ‘Disney Party’. To ensure this project engages the entire cohort, I concluded that it must be a multi-sensory project, where ‘a variety of equipment is on hand to provide visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile and kinaesthetic stimulation’ (Pagliano, 1999). The selected themes reflect this approach, incorporating visual, auditory, and kinaesthetic elements, allowing children to engage through multiple sensory channels, and therefore access more material. This multi-sensory design supports the project’s aims, with evidenced outcomes, including ‘reductions in behaviour that challenges, reduced signs of stress and agitation, increased engagement in activities during or immediately following intervention and increased signs of communication and attention within sessions’ (Humpheson, 2024).
As seen in ‘Appendix 4′, each session follows a set musical routine, beginning with a ‘Hello’ song, a ‘Name’ song, and a ‘Goodbye’ song or cool down. Musical routine is crucial to the project’s success, as ‘predictability and routine’ facilitates ‘participants with profound and multiple learning disabilities to feel more secure and provides opportunities for individuals to anticipate events or actions’, and this ‘replicates the routine and structure many individuals with learning disabilities experience and require to support their navigation of daily life’ (Doukas et al., 2017). This routine includes ‘Listening Time’, as seen in ‘Appendix 4’, which I view as equall important as music-making. Active listening is a meaningful mode of engagement, reducing ‘stress and positively’ influencing ‘emotions’ (Vastfiall et al., 2012). Each week features a themed song. For example, for the ‘Welcome Week’, the song ‘Hello, Hello’ (John, 2011), as seen in ‘Appendix 4’, will be played. The children will have the opportunity to move, with coloured scarves if desired, supporting their physical development and emotional expression. This ‘enhances childhood gross motor skills [..] improving balance control and movement coordination’, as well as ‘enhancing kids’ self-expression and creativity’. They can also play along on percussion instruments or actively listen to the song, encapsulating Pagliano’s (1999) definition of a multi-sensory project successfully, contributing to an effective and inclusive project.
As part of the research for this project, I explored the role of improvisation in music for individuals with PMLD. Improvisation is defined as ‘inventive, spontaneous, extemporaneous, resourceful, and it involved creating and playing simultaneously’ (Bruscia, 1987). It will be utilised weekly, in each of the themed activities, whether this be the ‘Colour’ soundscape, or the ‘Welcome Week’ improvisation, as seen in Appendix 3. Improvisation is a powerful tool for children with PMLD, able to move beyond communication barriers, where practitioners can match the smallest of communications from the children. A deeply meaningful connection can be formed on an entirely non-verbal level, ‘promoting creativity, communication and emotional expression’, allowing ‘individuals to express themselves through music playing’ (Rushton et al., 2022). In ‘Welcome Week’ (see Appendix 4), for example, each child will have an iPad, where the app ‘Bloom’ will be accessible, a generative music app which allows for the creation of ambient music, controlled through touch screen. The key will be set to C, allowing practitioner improvisation on guitar piano and vocals around the children’s music making. The app features bright visual responses, with radiant circles appearing when the screen is pressed, correspondent to the multi-sensory aspect of the project. This improvisation will support the children in their understanding of cause and effect, as they begin to comprehend the relationship between touch and sound, whilst further ‘promoting creativity, communication and emotional expression’.
The evaluation of my research and project planning has highlighted the importance of grounding my practise in a deep understanding of the participants’ needs. Despite not being able to meet the children, and relying heavily on second-hand information, I believe I have developed a project that has realistic, inclusive, and exciting objectives for the children, measured through frameworks like ‘SMART’ and the ‘Sounds of Intent’. The multi-sensory, experiential approach has proven essential to ensure meaningful engagement, and essential to make active listening, musical routine, movement to music, and improvisation accessible. This evaluation has assured me the sessions will be beneficial and purposeful. Whilst the project does not seek a fixed, singular outcome, it will create an environment in which participants can express themselves emotionally and socially, whilst simultaneously developing key skills such as listening, language, and musical awareness. Dewey’s concept of the ‘discipline of experience’ (Dewey, 2008) , reinforces this, emphasising that the best learning is done best through experience, instead of pre-determined, tangible expectations. As a result of this evaluation, I feel better equipped as a practitioner to deliver this project at the Pindersfield Hospital Early Years Assessment Centre.
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