Music Treehouse – A new method of integrating Music Therapy into regular activity
Music Treehouse has come to the end of its first year at the HMDT Music Saturday Programme (SP). Supported by Youth Music and using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, Music Treehouse is a much needed SEN/D extension of our Saturday Programme which offers students a range of conditions the opportunity to participate in the programme, enabling us to broaden our inclusion to students who are often isolated and overlooked outside of the school environment. A sense of community and working together to create music is integral to the SP, which is hugely sociable for both parents and students and Music Treehouse (MT) students have now joined the community.
“Music Treehouse has been an amazing experience for my son. The musicians are wonderful and very patient which helps every time. Thank you for everything. (parent of Music Treehouse participant)
The Music Treehouse has two branches:
The first branch is for students who are still in mainstream education but who need 1:1 or 1:3 support, and who would normally therefore struggle with the group atmosphere of our Saturday Programme. Being a small charity, we have previously been unable to integrate students who would not need 1:1 support. Ongoing CPD sessions for the tutors at the mainstream SP programme, have meant that with the support of specialist TAs, students can now be integrated and included in the programme, in a way that is beneficial to them. Liaising with the teachers the TAs tailor each class to the specific needs of the child and ensure that all activities are obtainable, they remain in the class and when needed, they have the support with them, to find their own path.
The second branch is for students with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties, including those with ASD and Physical Disabilities who are unable to access the mainstream ICS! and CYMH programmes. MT branch 2, is about interaction, and basing the learning around the students, rather than the students learning a set curriculum. It is a reactive user-led environment. Branch 2 is led by Jason Rowland, with a team of two musicians, Graham Lee (trombone) and Nadine Nagen (violin), and two SEN TAs who both work at local Special Schools and therefore know many of the students. Working alongside them is an HCPC registered Music Therapist from the Music Therapy Tree run by Camilla Farrant, one of our core partners.
Initially it had been planned to only have two groups, and two hour long sessions, however, after the taster sessions in our Partner Schools, it quickly became obvious that we would be extremely oversubscribed. We therefore re-structured the programme and as a result now have three groups each having 50 minutes, increasing our capacity whilst keeping the groups small.
So what does Branch 2 do in sessions?
All aspects of Branch 2 are user-led. Over 10 sessions, the students work on creative composition pieces to help them develop different skills, ranging from instrumental skills to social engagement and the ability to respond and communicate. They have a mixture of ‘full sessions’ where the whole group works on the piece together, and break-out sectionals where they have the opportunity to work more closely with a member of the team. The aspirations for these sessions is for the facilitators to become ‘invisible’ – the material is created by the students for the students. We have already made strides towards this, with Group 2 (the group with severe autism), leading the performances themselves last term. One of the facilitators roles is to be reactive towards the students who are not able to vocalise their opinions – take their cues from them in a musical way, thus developing the students’ ability to be able to communicate through music.
Alongside this, our Music Therapist runs a variety of sessions, working with individuals and small groups – it is acknowledged that this project challenges many of the traditional methods of Music Therapy where you work with one student indefinitely, to a more defined length of time, but over the past term moving to this more flexible mode of working, has been showing huge benefits.
‘I had fun and I enjoyed Music Treehouse because I did very well.’ (Music Treehouse participant)
Whilst there are a few students for whom joining in the main MT Branch 2 group, will always be a struggle and who will remain having Music Therapy sessions for the foreseeable future, having spaces where the Music Therapist can go into the group and work with different children in the group setting, is already paying dividends. There are occasions when our students have come to session unable to engage and concentrate due to a number of factors. Having the ability to call on a Music Therapist at this time is hugely helpful and enables the student to re-join or engage with the group much more quickly than they would otherwise.
At the end of each afternoon, the team has meeting assessing the day and creating certain points for individual and groups. Having this time for communication means that our team is able to cater and respond to our students more effectively, and can share ideas – this has led us to see huge improvements in our students’ concentration, confidence and ability to engage.
‘Staff are helpful and polite to all involved in the group (parents and students). A happy environment for children to learn and have fun. Children look forward to attending class.’ (parent of Music Treehouse participant)
Lessons we have learnt:
Experience has always taught us that the key to a successful project is flexibility and the ability to react to students needs in any particular situation, and this has proven to be the case. Due to the nature of the programme, attendance is sporadic, and so as a result, there have been occasions when we have had to redesign the programme slightly for one day, and work more intensively with a group of children.
For instance, we have had to take sessions outside when a fire alarm going off affected one student so much that he refused to join the group indoors. How do you entice him back in? By composing a theme tune for the boy in question, familiarising him with it, and then playing it closer and closer to the building until he was in it. This took a period of 7 weeks so it was a huge achievement for him to feel confident enough to enter the building for the final performance in week 10. Only a really strong relationship between the musicians and the student allowed this to happen.
‘Being a complete piece, the students did a nice job on their piece of music. Very good.’ (parent of Music Treehouse participant)
Is the project changing shape at all? Of course! No good project sits still, constant reflection in our post session meetings coupled with constant contact with the parents, means that the project is always being shaped in one way or another. Unfortunately, we have also been made very aware of the need for funded transport – we are having to seek extra funds just to get the students to the group each week, as more and more are having their personal funds squeezed making it difficult for them to even travel to a group. This is where the community at the SP comes in.