Learnt a few things from teaching a few things!

When asked to give some one to one sessions with looked after children aged from 9 to 13 (in and around Stoke-on-Trent), I was very keen. It sounded like a special part of someone's musical journey to be a part of, which it really is. It sounded challenging, which it really is - and it sounded fun - which it really is. Honestly though - I wasn't 100% sure what to expect.

I thought of course that I would encounter young people in somewhat challenging circumstances with an interest in music. So I did some homework. I attended a fantastic workshop and training session in conjunction with Blue Cabin and Artslink (Virtual Schools) and learnt a vast amount about how to approach pedagogy with children in care. I read up further and spoke to other community musicians to prepare for my initial meetings with the young people and their carers, I deliberated with my manager over what kinds of things would be most valuable for the young people that I was going to be working with and I drafted up some possible handouts and had a good think about what kind of approach would most benefit the young people.

I'm glad that I'd done this, but nothing could have prepared me for the initial meetings. Whether in a front room, a spare room or a takeaway restaurant before opening hours, I was overwhelmed by how warm and positive the approach and attitude was of every looked after child and carer that we met with. Every child posed a different set of needs, a different set of strengths and a different set of challenges. All the young people and their carers that we met with were keen to move forward with the sessions, and most of the children were keen to begin as soon as possible! The first meetings were the perfect way to informally say hello with the young people and initiate that trust-building process. The meetings lasted anywhere from half an hour to an hour, and my manager and I made sure that I had established common ground with every young person I visited. The children were great, all with potential and all excited to try something new, I was excited myself to see where the sessions took us.

My approach with these children was most pivoted around giving that young person, regardless of their age, ownership over their own progression, as opposed to a set of rings that they needed to jump through (as is often the case with traditional school-based tuition). With me - you can't fail, there are no exams or grades, and you can work toward whatever you like. I wanted every child to want to progress. This way they often lead the sessions themselves, seeing me as more of a friend that would show them a few "musical shortcuts". I found it quite easy to relate to all of the children that I worked with on some level, as they are all bright, amicable and capable. I have been very lucky, the children are an absolute pleasure to work with.

My end goal was for all for all of the children to feel excited and empowered through their ability to express themselves and their own feelings through music, regardless of their musical capability. To get to this stage, a common level of musical understanding was required. I began the sessions with some very informal, basic conversations and demonstrations as to how we can speak with a musical language and how this language is used to make all of their favourite songs, of any genre whatsoever. I began by teaching them the very basics of harmony and rhythm, moving quickly into relatable application of these ideas with (for the most part) a keyboard – to a song or tune they know and like, that they themselves would suggest and choose. From this point I was able to begin to cater each session to the individual needs of each child. We had made sure that we had a song that each child might like to explore before their first session - so that straight away they are fully engaged and invested in what they are doing - rather than learning scales and playing Jingle Bells!

To build their confidence further, I also wanted to balance this with a slightly more traditional teaching technique helping them to improve their ability to play and ultimately understand and use music as a means of expressing themselves. This meant some tips and tricks, a little bit of basic music theory, finger positions, pitch and rhythm exercises but all framed in a practical, relatable and useful way, The most important thing that I made clear to the children was that they keep a healthy and positive attitude toward practicing and developing one's music. This applies to all the different things that each child would like to pursue, be it playing a song they are keen on, writing their own or even arranging compositions on a mobile audio workstation.

I was guilty, as many of us are, of making assumptions about the kinds of challenges that looked after children would face and the kinds of environments that they would live in. I can't describe clearly what it was that I expected to encounter, but I can say that I was overwhelmed by how supportive the carers were and how much energy and potential the young people have that I am lucky enough to be working with. The children that I have been working with have gone from being unable to a play a note - to playing and singing songs in their entirety, that they want to play in just a few weeks. Some have learnt about music production, some have even begun to freely improvise over basic progressions and compose their own music and some enjoy having a friendly chat about things they are interested in or things that they are dealing with before and after sessions. I am continuously impressed and sometimes surprised by how much information is readily absorbed by these children in a short time, and how much progress is made.

The sessions feel as though they take no time at all, they are in the comfort of their own home, with someone that they can relate to and treats them with respect. This helps to give them ownership of their music outside of the school environment. I have noticed a boost in overall confidence with a couple of the children that I am working with and I can honestly say that it's some of the most rewarding and special work that I've done in this field in a long time. Very happy, will post an update again before the end of the project!