Music as a Tool to Communicate
In the classroom when a group of children are talking over each other and all that is heard is a clashing sound, what better way to channel those voices than through music. Could music be the start of learning to communicate better with each other?
At ENCORE, we offer short term music programmes with a basis of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) in schools for children suffering from anxiety and low self-esteem. As someone new to working with this programme, I’ve been part of helping these children feel that their voice is heard through music. I think for all of us, it’s easy to get bogged down with what’s not working but by being specific about what the worry is and where stands in the grand scheme of things, we can learn to rationalise and ultimately overcome the difficulties before us.
As a solution focused programme, we offer strategies for children to not only understand their worry and come to terms with it, but to conquer it and thrive. No matter how helpless a young person might feel, we hope they can take away something to feel more in control of the situation.
So, now I’ve given you a brief description of the programme’s aims, perhaps it would be good to give you a taster of what it involves. One of our primary focuses is exploring the emotions and where they sit in the body (early signs) to enable the group to build up a vocabulary for how they are feeling. As we develop an awareness of emotions, we investigate the links between our thoughts, feelings and actions and their effect on each other.
In one of our final group sessions explore our inner-bully to find out how habitual ways of thinking cause us to self-sabotage; we then call on our inner-cheerleader to empower us to change this. The awareness of this conflict and being able to write down some of these thoughts helps to reduce the inner conflict they may feel. This exercise gives the group an opportunity to support each other whilst taking ownership gaining of what they can do to help themselves and ultimately focuses on the positives to help increase self-esteem.
Playing music together gives the children an opportunity to share an experience of creating sound with their peers. With various musical instruments from keyboards to djembes, making sound collectively seems to transcend any fears or worries they have. It’s a time when they can engage with each other regardless of their differences and cognitive ability. The young people can explore pitch, tempo, the balance of timbres and how our physicality impacts the sounds they can make.
The programme culminates in a performance where each young person gets the opportunity to invite a friend or two, as well as teachers and sometimes parents and carers, to see what they’ve been working on. Many project participants have shared that the performance helped build their confidence and that they enjoyed using music to express how they were feeling. Making music together requires as much attentive listening as it does playing. The young people were able to recognise when they weren’t working together, often demonstrated with clashes in the music that they may find uncomfortable. What has struck me is how engaged the children are when they know their work is going to be seen and applauded by others. Gaining a sense of achievement and being recognised for their hard work is a good way to end our time together. Performing brings together something that is sometimes a chaotic and difficult process into something manageable and meaningful.
From my time at ENCORE so far, I’m starting to see that music may well be the start of learning to communicate and collaborate better with each other.
Written by Abi, Therapeutic Music Programme Assistant