YY&M director embarks on an MA in Psychology of Music

Yorkshire Youth & Music's very own Director, Gail Dudson is going back to school herself this academic year. Well, nearly...

She’s been offered a place at Sheffield University to do a part-time MA in Psychology of Music, studying over two years (alongside the fantastic work she does here at YY&M). This means she'll be offered the space and time to rigourously research and report on YY&M's amazing work with children in challenging circumstances.

It’s a course which combines taught modules with a dissertation, and Gail’s going to base her study on the work we do and have already completed here at YY&M. She’s already got a Masters level qualification (an MBA, Master of Business Administration) which she completed in 2000, so this will widen her skills, apply more of her knowledge and findings to the projects we run, as well as challenging her brain!

Another student on the same course is also basing his dissertation around our Deaf Instrumental Learning Project.

Gail is also by no means the only YY&M associate with, or studying for, a Masters Degree in an area directly related to the company’s work; at present one of our music leaders Chris Morris, is studying on the same course, though he’s a year ahead of Gail, and working on a thesis based on his work in Youth Justice settings.

The Music Department at Sheffield University is lead by Professor Stephanie Pitts, who many of you may have read, seen or heard as her own research specialism is in musical participation. It’s a highly rated department for research, and you can read more about it here: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/music

We will, of course, keep you posted on the research and outcomes of each project, on the Yorkshire Youth & Music website.