A celebration and evaluation of a partnership music programme in Dublin’s canal communities
Common Ground
An evaluation of Music for Me on behalf of Common Ground prepared by Mullan Consulting with Paula McHugh, February 2010
Evaluation Repor t
Executive Summar y 29
1. Setting the Scene 33
1.1 Introducing Music for Me 33
1.2 Aims and Elements of Music for Me 33
1. 3 Aim of the Evaluation 34
1.4 Conducting the Review 34
2. The Par tners 35
2.1 The Canal Communities Area 35
2.2 The Homework Clubs 36
2. 3 Common Ground 38
2.4 The Musicians 38 2.5 A Snapshot 38
3. Music for Me and Dolphin House Homework Club 41 3 1 Get ting Involved 41
3 2 Main Activities and Milestones 42
3. 3 What Now? 46
4. Music for Me and Fatima Homework Club 47 4 1 Get ting Involved 47
4 2 Main Activities and Milestones 47
3 What Now?
5. Music for Me and St Michael’s Family Resource Centre 53
5.1 Get ting Involved
5.2 Main Activities and Milestones
3 What Now?
6. Impacts and Benefits
6 .1 For Programme Par ticipants
6 .2 For The Homework Clubs and their Staf f
. 3 For The Musicians
.4 For Common Ground
0
3
We Are Now (2012):
from the Music for
Lady of the Wayside National
The Music for Me partners would like to thank all the individuals and organisations who have supported Music for Me over the years, including all the Homework Club and After Schools staff, Jessica Fuller, The IRMA Trust, Katie Wink, The National Concert Hall, Dr Marie Bourke, The National Gallery, Dublin City Council Arts Office, Lucy Harrington, The Canal Communities Partnership, Mary Farrelly, Jackie Maguire, Dr Paul Roe, Rialto Development Association, The Base (Ballyfermot), RTÉ, Aisling Roche, Music Network, CAN and former Common Ground board members Mary Hanlon and John Everett
The Music for Me partners would specially like to thank all of the many children and young people who have participated in the programme since it began 2005; sincere apologies if your name isn’t listed below
The children from the Dolphin House Homework Club who participated in Music for Me are: Nicole Carney, Megan Kenny, Kyle Dunphy, Lydia Lynam, Allanah Curtis, Chloe Doyle, Chloe Moore, Shannon Redmond, Kelsey Redmond, Saoirse Conlon, Corrie Colgan, Nicole Kelly, Ryan Collins, Michael Donohoe, Shannon Patterson, Chloe Hendricks, Kelly Doyle, Niamh Tracey, Courtney Byrne, Chelsea Whelan, Kelsey Balfe, Ciara Reynolds, DJ Moore, Lauren Harford, Jade McCarthy, Graham Harford, Darragh O’Grady, Sean O’Grady, Kirsty Whelan, Saoirse Buckley, Paula May, Nicole Myers, Sean O’Grady, Dylan Coombes, Jordan Donohoe, Dylan Kane, Jordan Dunphy, Leea Patterson, Abbey Dunphy, Ciara Reynolds and Erin Kiernan
The current participants from the Fatima Homework Club who participate in Music for Me are: Sam Byrne, Megan Kenny, Jodie White, Claudia Cooney, Jamie Byrne, Adam Cox, Chloe Murray, Megan Quinn, Terry Gavin, Stuart Brophy, Kaylee Dunne, Jodie Kearns, Caitlyn Connolly, Amanda Bowes, Karen Cummins, Katie Cox, Shane White, Clive Kenny, Jessica McCarthy, Kirsty McCarthy, Jennifer Kiely, Robyn McGrath Past participants from the Fatima Homework Club who have participated in Music for Me are: Sarah McConnon, Michael Mahon, Steven Doyle, Josh Lawrence, Niamh Lyons, Jason Carney, Paul Ryder, Sean Mulvaney, Carl McConnon, John Cooney, Michael Byrne, Gavin Kelly, Wesley Kelly, Edward Bowes
The children from the Family Resource Centre Af ter Schools Programme in St Michael’s Estate who participated in Music for Me are 2010 2012: Dylan Kelly, Kallum Morris, Russell Grant, Mark Cramp, Clayton McKeever, Saoirse Connolly, Jeffrey Osazuwa, Gina Osazuwa, Whitney Osazuwa, Owen Osazuwa, Michael Quinn, Megan Flynn, Adam McKeever, Kym Fallon, Lynette Murphy, Chloe Murphy, Rudy Burke, Katie Wynne, Kirsty Coulahan, Ally Fitzgerald, Niamh Fitzgerald, Sarah Moore, Carley Fahy, Chelsey Wynne, Demi Lynch, Patrick Maughan, Cian Keogh, Josh Keogh, Christopher Green, Shauna Rogers, Chantelle Wynne, Zoe Keogh, Carmel O’Brien, Seán McKeever, Jack Wynne, Niamh Coulahan, David Osasara, Tyrone Crowley, Nicole Moore, Matthew Larkin, Jake Jones, Paul Edigboye, Clayton Lowry, Chantelle Green, Angel Mikialu, Azizat Banjo, Steven McKeever, Philip Cramp, Dylan Bolten, Rose Bernadette Maughan, Ryan Rodgers, Halema Msman, Sharon Eleguishi and Derek O’Brien.
We would also like to thank all the children who have participated in the programme from the Family Resource Centre Af ter Schools Programme in St Michael’s Estate since it began in 2007
‘Societies dif fer in what they regard as ar t and in what they consider the function of ar t to be. Yet there is no known society in which recognisably ar tistic activity cannot be found. Evidence for this ranges from the simple non-functional ornamentation on flint arrowheads to the complexities of a Gothic cathedral. It seems that such activity satisfies a need that is common to all humanity.’ ci ar an benson Music for Me 2005 2012 is an important publication for Common Ground marking the significance of Music for Me an eight year long partnership music programme between children / young people, musicians, youth groups, Common Ground and Dublin’s Southwest inner city. Implicit within this report is the belief that music can affect change in the lives of children.
Common Ground is very proud of Music for Me. We regard the participation and development of the children who have worked alongside musicians for the past 8 years as being at the heart of Music for Me. Those children are members of the communities of Inchicore, Rialto and Bluebell in Dublin’s south city. These three localities were categorised together in the late 1990s as the ‘Canal Communities’ through initiatives including those to tackle long term unemployment, educational disadvantage and a serious drug problem which devastated the local authority flat complexes of St Michael’s Estate, Dolphin House and the former Fatima Mansions in particular. Many changes have taken place in the Canal Communities over the past 15 years. Regeneration processes in Dolphin House and St Michael’s were disrupted by the collapse of the Irish economy, while Fatima Mansions realised substantial physical and social regeneration. Ethnic diversity is part of the demography of the area, where the community faces a real challenge to become truly intercultural. Arts and cultural work with children, young people and adult members of the community here has for decades supported expression of self and
M u s i c f o r M e F o re w o rd
community through drama, visual arts, photography, music and street performance. Music for Me found natural locations in which it grew, as those working with children readily identified the excellent opportunity to start to develop the musical interests and skills of children at a young age.
Music for Me, funded through the Young People’s Facilities and Services Fund from the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and generously supported by our corporate sponsors Accenture from 2008 to 2010, has been co ordinated ambitiously and passionately by Common Ground’s Arts Development worker, Irma Grothuis. Her belief in the developmental opportunities for children, created through their relationship with professional musicians and homework club workers, has enabled a sustained opportunity for many children in the communities of Inchicore, Rialto and Bluebell to learn about music, to play a musical instrument, to compose (co create), perform and on occasion record their own musical compositions. The magic of this work is found in the weekly sessions between child and musician, while there have been a number of exciting celebrations with family and friends, and others interested in our work in such venues as City Hall (2007), the National Concert Hall (2010) and St Michael’s Parish Centre (December 2009 and December 2010).
Since commissioning an evaluation of Music for Me in 2009 Common Ground has sought the optimum opportunity to share the learning that emerged from this partnership music programme. We have chosen this time to do so, a time when the funding to continue the work is under significant threat and may lead to a premature ending of a programme highly valued by all involved. The evidence of this value is recorded in the chapters that follow
with this publication, based on the contribution of the partners to the project. The core value is in the enjoyment and musical education of the children involved within their community, and the interaction between musicians and children as they push each other beyond their own perceived limits.
We would like to thank all those who have contributed to the work since its beginning; those who have worked with us through difference and agreement, through risk taking and brilliance, through achievements (personal and collective), through fun and creativity. We would particularly like to thank all of the children and young people who have participated in the Music for Me programme to date.
This publication is a record of the benefit of the investment of all involved from 2004 present, and we hope that it will provide the focus for debate and action that will enable music to play a more vigorous and fulfilling role within the context of community and in the lives of the children who live there.
Bronagh O’Neill Chairperson Common Ground
13 Musicians and childcare staf f deliver the Tiny Voices pilot programme (an early years ar ts programme) to young children in the Canal Communities area.
14 15 First and Second Class pupils from Our Lady of the Wayside National School, Bluebell, Dublin 12
16 (below) Dolphin House Homework Club per forming in the Kevin Barr y Room at the National Concer t Hall
17 (opposite) Nick Roth and par ticipants from the Dolphin House Homework Club recording in RTÉ’s studios
18 19 Children from St Michael’s Family Resource Centre recording with Robbie Harris at The Base (Bally fermot)
20 – 21 A young child enjoying activities as par t of the Tiny Voices pilot programme (an early years ar ts programme)
22 (opposite) Children from Fatima Homework Club at tend a weekly group
guitar lesson with Mark Ellison
23 (below) Children and young people from Fatima Homework Club par ticipate in a ‘music circle’ with Nick Roth
24 25 Par ticipants from Dolphin House Homework Club per forming at Cit y Hall
26 27 Elaine Agnew and par ticipants from the Dolphin House Homework Club recording in RTÉ’s studios.
28 Dolphin House Homework Club per forming Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel at The National Galler y, Dublin
Music for Me is a programme which since 2005 has aimed to provide opportunities for children and young people in the Rialto and Inchicore areas of Dublin to experience and participate in music It has been managed on a collaborative basis by Common Ground, an arts development organisation focused on the Canal Communities area of Dublin, and three homework clubs: Dolphin House Homework Club, Fatima Homework Club and St Michael’s Family Resource Centre After Schools Service (Inchicore) In addition, a host of professional musicians and facilitators have contributed their skills and talents to the programme.
At various stages and in various ways, Music for Me has benefited from the support of City of Dublin Youth Services Board1 , Accenture2 , the Arts Council, the Dormant Accounts Fund3 and many other organisations
When first exploring what shape Music for Me might take, the partners were struck by the apparent absence of other music centred projects operating outside of the school system and in areas characterised by the same degree of deprivation as Rialto and Inchicore From the outset, the programme has been shaped by the interests of the young people involved, the needs and priorities of the partner organisations, the availability of resources and the learning experiences that all have amassed along the way.
With a view to identifying the impacts and the key learning points which have arisen from the programme, the partners commissioned external consultants to conduct an evaluation of the programme As well as informing their own future actions, the partners were keen that the evaluation would be a source of practical guidance and advice for other organisations interested in implementing this type of project
Though the exact nature of the programme has differed from club to club, the core elements of Music for Me have been introductory group sessions, individual tuition in guitar and keyboard, public performances by the children and young people, opportunities for
participants to see other musicians perform and, finally, the provision of support to professional musicians as regards enhancing their own capacity to contribute positively to projects of this kind in a sometimes challenging context
The array of outcomes arising from Music for Me is extensive and diverse Perhaps most importantly, the children and young people have derived personal, educational and social benefits such as:
B A new found or enhanced interest in music;
B Musical skills and knowledge;
B Thinking and learning skills;
B An oppor tunit y to experience and build new or improved relationships;
B An appreciation of working in a team environment;
B Persistence in working through a task and striving towards a goal, working through the challenges, fears and pressures that might arise along the way;
B Pleasure and pride in their musical achievements, reinforced by the recognition and praise received from family, friends and the local communit y.
These represent a strong contribution to the goals of the homework clubs, which have benefited from an enhanced profile in their areas and the developmental experiences which Music for Me has afforded their staff. The musicians have seen their own approaches and techniques challenged in many respects. Their commitment and willingness to adapt has been rewarded by the benefits they have seen children and young people derive from
the musical experiences Common Ground has amassed a whole new body of knowledge and networks in the musical arena and enjoys a clearer understanding of the contribution it can make to projects of this kind
One of the strengths of Music for Me has been the extent to which the project partners have adapted the programme to suit evolving circumstances and challenges. So there is no recipe or formula which will guarantee success. However, the evaluation has helped identify a number of factors which have greatly assisted in making Music for Me a success:
B The commitment of the project par tners to shaping a music programme that would contribute to the goals of all involved, while maintaining a central focus on children and young people;
B Constant review and communication of what is working well and not so well;
B Ensuring that homework club staf f were encouraged to be involved from the ver y outset and providing accessible oppor tunities for staf f with no par ticular musical skills to play an active role;
B Selecting and suppor ting musicians who, while not necessarily exper ts in this contex t, were commit ted, energetic , adaptable and open to learn, not least through ongoing communication with homework club staf f;
B Responding to the interests of young people when selecting instruments for the programme, while bearing in mind the practicalities and hygiene dimension of sharing instruments;
1 CDYSB has been providing help and assistance to the young people of Dublin since 1942 when it was established by the Cit y of Dublin Vocational Education Commit tee (CDVEC) The role of CDYSB is to promote, suppor t and co ordinate development of voluntar y youth clubs, communit y based youth projects and youth ser vices in the cit y of Dublin CDYSB administers grant aid on behalf of government to some 70 youth projects throughout the cit y and directly grant aids more than 300 youth clubs and groups
2 Accenture is a global management consulting, technology ser vices and outsourcing company, with more than 249,000 people ser ving clients in more than 120 countries The principles of corporate social responsibilit y are fundamental to Accenture’s character
B Having Irma Grothuis, Ar ts Development Worker with Common Ground as a central coordinator for the programme (rather than someone tied up with the ever yday running of a busy homework club) to provide impetus, assist in organisational terms and facilitate communication bet ween all involved
The programme has benefited from a very significant investment of resources, both in terms of direct funding for programme activities and the time contributions of the staff of the homework clubs and Common Ground. The increasing unpredictability of funding streams, coupled with reduced operating budgets for all the organisations involved, make even medium term planning very difficult The evaluation has, however, shown that investment in musical provision for young people from a background of disadvantage, while resource intensive, yields very powerful impacts This is a message which Common Ground and its partners must proclaim loudly among all relevant players
and the way we run our business Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship commitments are anchored in our core values, our Code of Business Ethics and, ultimately, reflected in the actions of our people From Skills to Succeed to the environment, Accenture and our people work to make a sustainable, measurable dif ference to the communities in which we work and live
3 Dormant Accounts are accounts in financial institutions (banks, building societies and An Post) that have not been used, or insurance policies that have not been used, or insurance policies that have not been reclaimed by their owners for at least 15 years The main purpose of the dormant accounts legislation (Dormant Accounts Act 2001, the Unclaimed Life Assurance Policies
Act, 200 3 and the Dormant Accounts (Amendment) Act 2005) is to reunite account holders and policy holders or their nex t of kin with their dormant funds and unclaimed policies in credit institutions and insurance under takings The legislation also provides for a scheme for the disbursement of funds that are unlikely to be reclaimed for projects and programmes designed to alleviate pover t y and social deprivation.
The Dormant Accounts legislation targets three broad categories of persons for suppor t from the fund:
B Those af fected by economic and social disadvantage
B Those af fected by educational disadvantage; and
B Persons with a disabilit y
Common Ground was established in 1998 with the goal of providing opportunities for people of all ages living within the Canal Communities of Dublin to experience the enjoyment, entertainment, reflection, questioning and expression that the arts provide Facilitating, building and sustaining relationships with organisations and artists is a central pillar of Common Ground’s approach to creating opportunities for engagement with the arts in the target area
Since early 2005 Common Ground, through the Music for Me Programme, has worked with three homework clubs in the Canal Communities area of Dublin, offering children and young people the opportunity to explore music, participate in group based musical activities and undertake individual tuition In so doing, Common Ground has worked in close partnership with the management and staff of the participating homework clubs and a range of professional musicians
The Music for Me Programme aims to offer children involved in three homework clubs in the target areas opportunities to play, listen to, participate in and experience music that interests them. An associated aim of the programme is to support the musicians taking part to enhance their skills as music educators. In broad terms, the programme has entailed five main elements:
B Group music sessions which take place during school holidays;
B Individual or small group music sessions where children work with the same musician over the course of a school year;
B Per formance whereby children can per form their musical talents within their communities and contribute to communit y events and festivals;
B Per formances whereby children can per form at venues outside their communities and their comfor t zone and reach a wider audience;
B Musical appreciation which brings various musicians to the target area to play for children while also bringing children to ex ternal venues to hear musical per formances;
B Training aimed at enhancing the skills of the musicians taking par t as music educators
Music for Me benefits from a very significant investment of time, effort and money on the part of all of those involved Its ‘out of school’ focus makes it relatively rare, if not unique in an Irish setting, hence an interest on the part of all the partner organisations in commissioning an external study that would:
B evaluate the Music for Me programme;
B identif y how well it is meeting its current aims and objectives;
B make recommendations for its future direction and development
In particular, the partner organisations hoped that the evaluation would provide an objective perspective on:
B The ef fectiveness of current structures and processes for deliver y of the programme;
B Par tner organisations’ respective definition of success within the contex t of Music for Me, and the implications of these for programme deliver y;
B Common goals that exist for all par tners within the programme;
B Current resource implications that the Music for Me programme places upon all programme par tners;
B The impact that par ticipation in Music for Me has had upon programme par ticipants, relevant workers and the host organisations;
B Priorities for future development of the programme
In the late summer of 2009, the partners appointed Dominic Mullan, an evaluation consultant working in multiple fields including social inclusion and the arts, and Paula McHugh, a freelance arts project manager and consultant with specific experience of delivering music education and outreach initiatives notably in disadvantaged areas, to conduct the evaluation 4
In conducting the evaluation, we had the very enjoyable experience of learning about the work of Common Ground and the partner homework clubs through extensive conversations with their staff We also enjoyed asking the children and young people themselves what Music for Me means to them Through a combination of lively focus groups, small group discussions and one to one chats, we were able to gather the views of 49 children and young people, some of whom offered impromptu performances to demonstrate just what Music for Me had done for them!
Clearly, the professional musicians involved in Music for Me are crucial to the programme’s success Eight musicians shared with us their thoughts on the programme and what direction it might take in the years to come
We also felt it worthwhile to seek out initiatives elsewhere with similar goals to Music for Me and seek additional perspectives from relevant organisations such as Music Network
We warmly acknowledge the generosity of all those involved in giving of their time to share their views and experiences with us in such an open fashion.
4 The Terms of Reference for the evaluation and the methodology are outlined in Appendix I.
This section provides an insight into the Canal Communities area and the main players in Music for Me: the homework clubs, Common Ground and the musicians It also provides a brief snapshot of the development of the programme in each of the homework clubs
The Canal Communities areas of Rialto, Bluebell, Inchicore and Kilmainham are characterised by a high level of social exclusion and social disadvantage The demographic profile of the area is characterised by a relatively high rate of unemployment, a high incidence of lone parent families, low educational attainment, poor local authority housing and an increase in new communities. Though now slightly dated, Census 2006 data provides a picture of socio economic conditions in the area relative to national averages.
B The rate of unemployment was more than one and half times the national average, with par ticularly high levels of male unemployment;
B 49 2% of families were headed by lone parents, almost t wice the national average of 25 2%;
B Of these lone parent families, 25 5% had all children under the age of 15, as against the national figure of 10.4%;
B In educational terms, 17. 3% of the adult population had lef t school before the age of 15 years, compared to the national average of 11.9%; in cer tain pockets such as Dolphin House, as high as 75% of young people had lef t school at the age of 16 or younger;
B Just under one in five of the local population lived in local authorit y housing, as against a national average of 7.2%; much higher rates of up to 89.6% applied in estates such as Dolphin House in Rialto and St Michael’s in Inchicore;
B The area was marked by a strong presence of new migrant communities: 81 8% of the population was classified as being of Irish nationalit y as against a national average of 88 8%
Taking all such factors into account, the context for the delivery of Music for Me is marked by endemic poverty and very limited
opportunities for the children and young people living there
Music for Me has been delivered in partnership with Dolphin House Homework Club, Fatima Homework Club and St Michael’s Family Resource Centre After Schools Service All three clubs were established for broadly the same reason: addressing the early school leaving problem highlighted above Some of the children and young people involved the clubs would be affected by issues such as:
B Irregular at tendance at school among some children;
B Poor levels of concentration, delayed educational development and, in some cases, Special Educational Needs;
B In some cases, chaotic family environments af fected by drugs and alcohol, and not conducive to a child’s educational development;
B Lit tle or no access to other education -focused ser vices or suppor ts;
B Limited oppor tunities for exploring the ar ts, culture or life beyond their immediate neighbourhood;
B Persistent exposure to drugs and associated criminalit y in the communit y;
B Lack of a sense of continuit y or securit y in their lives, especially in the contex t of the completed regeneration of Fatima and the planned regeneration of Dolphin;
B Friendship and peer issues such as erratic behaviour and tendencies to bully and/or be bullied
The ‘core’ activity of each club is the provision of one to one or small group assistance to children in completing their homework
The activities of all three clubs stretch far beyond assistance with homework. All three seek to provide opportunities for the young people to experience the arts, music and intercultural activities, among others. The children and young people themselves are encouraged to contribute their own ideas and suggestions. The clubs also provide hot meals and snacks to the children and young people attending While attendance at each of the clubs is entirely voluntary, club personnel strive to build close relationships with the children, young people and their parents in order to encourage continued participation
The clubs themselves operate with very limited resources in terms of funding and the size of the staff team. Having operated initially with relatively loose structures and a high dependency on voluntary inputs, all three clubs have become increasingly focused and structured in their approach to addressing the educational needs of the children and young people with whom they work Dolphin House and Fatima Homework Clubs merged with Rialto Youth Project in 2008 and, as well as continuing their current work, are rolling out a new 3 year programme, namely the Rialto Learning Community This involves working in partnership with parents and schools to develop new interest led programmes and practices with a view to enhancing the educational attainment and progression of 5th, 6th, 1st and 2nd year students.
The initiative which is supported by Atlantic Philanthropies, the Irish Youth Foundation and Fatima Regeneration Board, includes the
Common Ground’s Arts Development Worker, Irma Grothuis, has been at the centre of the Music for Me Programme since its inception Having worked with a National Cultural Institution the Abbey Theatre for a number of years, Irma joined Common Ground in 2004 and began exploring new programme ideas with various community organisations It was Irma’s initial discussions with the homework clubs that led to the very first Music for Me workshops with Dolphin House Homework Club at Easter 2005.
No introduction to Music for Me would be complete without mentioning the musicians who have been central to the programme’s success. The many musicians who have contributed to the programme at different stages come from diverse musical backgrounds, encompassing many genres: classical, jazz, world music, blues, rock, folk, samba, Indian Classical Music, electronic music and improvised music
Their training is as diverse as the genres of music in which they are involved, including those that are largely self taught, those that followed an academic route in another subject area but have chosen to work in music professionally, those trained in the pedagogy of Kodaly, those with a background in composition rather than performance and those with conservatoire level training in Ireland and the UK.
Outside of Music for Me the musicians are involved in performing, song writing, composition, music therapy, research, recording, teaching, cross arts projects, youth projects, community projects, festivals and commissions.
Since the first workshops at Dolphin House, Music for Me has expanded to include the homework clubs in Fatima and St Michael’s The format and evolution of the programme in each club has been shaped by a range of factors including the availability of funds and staff, the interests of the young people involved and the priorities of the three participating homework clubs The table overleaf seeks to provide a brief snapshot of what happened when, highlighting key developments and events at each of the three clubs. The main activities and milestones are explored further in subsequent sections of this report.
Dolphin House (DHHC)
B Planning with CG
B Pilot 2 day Easter programme for 10 – 12 year-olds with musician Elaine Agnew.
B Music Fridays with 4 musicians in June.
B 3 day summer programme with Elaine Agnew and Klaus Vormehr, and a per formance for parents.
Fatima (FHC)
B 2 day Halloween programme. B Co operated with Arklink on
B Monthly sessions with digital music project. Klaus and Elaine to prepare
B Star ted exploring possibilit y Xmas per formance. of music workshops for the club with Common Ground
Dolphin House (DHHC) Fatima (FHC)
B Pilot guitar lessons with Dara O’Brien
B Weekly guitar lessons begin
B Group sessions with Klaus B 6 week workshop programme
B Trip to National Concer t Hall with Elaine Agnew (basic
B Group work with Elaine to rhy thm games, chime bars, prepare per formance at CG’s etc .) . Target group 4 – 6 year strategy launch event. olds.
B Visiting brass quintet
B Repeated Arklink digital music per forms at DHC. project.
B Siobhán Daf f y leads drumming sessions for Summer Festival.
B Saxophone quar tet
B Guitar lessons with per forms at DHC. Dara O’Brien commenced.
B Nick Roth leads 2 introductor y keyboard sessions.
B Weekly keyboard
B Elaine and Klaus deliver sessions begin Halloween Introduction to Music: 2 group workshops (melodic tubes and drums) for 9 12 year olds
St Michael’s (SMFRC)
(6pt/6mm)
2007
Dolphin House (DHHC) Fatima (FHC)
St Michael’s (SMFRC)
B Initial discussions and planning with SMFRC
B DHHC per form in Cit y Hall B Brian Fleming helped organise African drumming (djemba) with a group of 8 young people (age 10 14) and 7 young people (age 8 12) wrote and per formed a rap song
B A group of 15 children
B Percussion sessions begin suppor ted by Peter Crann at SMFRC. per form a Samba Piece at local summer festival.
2008
Dolphin House (DHHC) Fatima (FHC)
St Michael’s (SMFRC)
B 10 week song writing and B Guitar sessions begin per formance with Sean Millar. at SMFRC.
B Group singing sessions begin at SMFRC
B One young guitarist plays and sings at local summer festival
B DHHC per form Hansel and B Homework club involved in Gretel in the National Galler y 2 × per formances with Music and the local St Andrew ’s Club and The Jammers Communit y Centre
2009
Dolphin House (DHHC) Fatima (FHC)
B Leaders begin par ticipation
B Leaders begin par ticipation on the Ceol Programme. on the Ceol Programme.
B 4 × young people per formed B Christmas carol event.
St Michael’s (SMFRC)
B Christmas concer t 2 × pieces with guitars and in Parish Centre. piano at the Local Music Group at Christmas.
COMMON GROUND (6pt/6mm)
MUSIC FOR ME 2005 — 2012
Prior to 2005, Dolphin House Homework Club (DHHC) already offered a wide range of activities in addition to homework support, knowing that different children and young people would be attracted and interested by different aspects of the club’s overall programme While the club had already been involved in a number of arts projects in the area, these had typically been modest in both scale and duration, involving some visual and digital art as well as some drama Music, which was perceived as slightly elite and complex, had never featured The homework club staff had no formal experience and certainly no particular skills in the musical field. At the same time, the club’s close link with Rialto Youth Project had offered some exposure to a great number and variety of arts projects within a youth work context. The positive impacts of these were clear for all to see.
Like Irma Grothuis at Common Ground, Sabryna Porter was getting to grips with her new post as Project Leader of Dolphin House Homework Club and open to exploring different means of developing all sorts of literacy in the children and young people with whom the club worked
A series of very open discussions between Irma and Sabryna, facilitated perhaps by a shared newness to their jobs, led to music being recognised as a gap in provision and an area which the two organisations could possibly address in partnership A tentative agreement was reached to deliver a group based pilot initiative in early 2005, along with professional musicians/facilitators The partners agreed a rough approach and framework of activities, coupled with acknowledgement that both were very much ‘feeling their way’ Meanwhile, Irma was able to identify Elaine Agnew as a musician and composer with a strong reputation in this area of work and began discussing potential activities with her
At this point in time, the prospect of being actively involved in the delivery of a music programme and possibly even playing music with the children and young people caused a degree of fear, if not trepidation, in some of the homework club staff
3 . M u sic f or M e a n d D o l p h i n H o u s e H o m e w o r k C l u b
The first significant activity under Music for Me was a two day workshop for 10 12 year olds from Dolphin House Homework Club with Elaine Agnew at Easter 2005 Comprising a range of introductory musical activities such as percussion, singing and games, the workshops were marked by a mixture of encouraging enthusiasm from some children and quite challenging behaviour from others
Though at times challenging, the Easter Programme was successful enough to lead Common Ground and DHHC, in consultation with musicians, staff and young people, to agree to run a similar programme during the summer This took the form of a three day workshop once again led by Elaine Agnew along with Klaus Vormehr, a musician specialising in percussion, African drumming and Samba The programme culminated in a performance of The Sea composed by Elaine Agnew The performance, described as ‘beautiful’ by observers, is now seen as a defining moment in convincing those involved that the programme had significant potential and was worth developing further.
In the autumn, Elaine Agnew and Klaus Vormehr led a two day Halloween programme followed by alternate weekly sessions with broadly the same group of participants in preparation for a festive concert at St Andrew’s Community Centre5 entitled Twas the Night Before Christmas. Curiously, the event itself met with quite diverse reactions from different quarters. On the one hand, the musicians and Irma Grothuis of Common Ground found the behaviour of some children challenging in the sessions leading up to the concert and were disappointed by the poor turnout of parents and
supporters for the children involved On the other hand, Sabryna Porter, her colleagues at DHHC and indeed members of the wider community were very happy with the outcome of the concert and the work which preceded it Indeed, with the benefit of hindsight, both Common Ground and DHHC now suggest that this was when the club ‘bought into’ the whole programme
By this stage, there was already a realisation that, for a number of reasons, sporadic music sessions and events were not enough Firstly, not all children benefit as much from group sessions as others Secondly, the relatively simple approaches to music that had been employed up to that point were unlikely to continue to motivate or satisfy those children with a keen appetite for more As one observer commented: ‘You can’t keep banging bongos forever’ This led to an agreement that 2006 should see the introduction of regular individual lessons coupled with group activities at Easter, summer and Halloween.
Early 2006 saw the commencement of weekly guitar lessons on Wednesday afternoons at Dolphin House Homework Club with Dara O’Brien as the tutor Children who had been involved in the previous group sessions were offered the opportunity to avail of this tuition in a one to one or small group format As the number of children involved in these lessons grew, so too did the level of interest among their friend, and a waiting list was soon required. As participation is entirely voluntary, any young person can opt out at any time, with his or her place being offered to the next child on the waiting list.
In May and June of 2006, Elaine Agnew once again worked with a group from Dolphin in preparation for a performance at the launch of Common Ground’s Strategic Plan The value of a performance of this kind in harnessing the attention and dedication of the children and young people quickly became clear
When Elaine Agnew and Klaus Vormehr delivered group sessions at Halloween, increasingly familiarity between staff, tutors and the children meant the sessions ran smoothly, productively and enjoyably for all involved, in comparison with some of the more trying workshops towards the start of the programme
The autumn also saw a new addition to the programme at Dolphin House, with Nick Roth delivering two Introduction to Keyboard sessions in October. The children’s reaction, along with positive feedback from the tutor and homework club staff, led to the commencement of weekly keyboard sessions in November
In 2007 and 2008, the children at DHHC continued to build their guitar and keyboard skills through weekly lessons, supported in part by additional funding from the Dormant Accounts Board channelled through the Canal Communities Partnership6 , which also helped purchase some new instruments. The highlights of this phase of the programme were two public performances by the DHHC group at prestigious venues in Dublin.
At Easter 2007 in the grand surroundings of Dublin City Hall, twenty six young musicians performed a range of Spanish, Irish, West African and East
European pieces percussion, guitar, keyboards, singing and chanting in front of a sizeable audience of public representatives, youth workers, and many friends, family who had travelled by coach from Rialto The event was opened by Olive Braiden, at the time Chair of the Arts Council Her words of praise, the congratulations of friends and family and the warm applause which reverberated around City Hall combined to provide a real boost for the performers who had worked over a period of weeks for the event with Elaine Agnew, Klaus Vormehr, Nick Roth and Dara O’Brien. Footage of the concert illustrates vividly the mixture of nerves, excitement, concentration, determination, relief, pride and delight that made the event a powerful experience for the young performers and the audience, which also included some children and young people from Fatima Homework Club.
Over a period of nine months in 2008, the children and staff of DHHC worked regularly and intensively with Elaine Agnew, Nick Roth, Pia Dunne, Dara O’Brien and Robbie Harris in the preparation of a musical interpretation of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel. Notably, the children and young people wrote the words to a number of the songs which recounted the well known tale, while Courtney Byrne and Chloe Donahue composed the two main piano pieces. The group were delighted to perform in the National Gallery in front of a suitably impressive and impressed audience. They also performed closer to home at St Andrew’s Community Centre Both performances were warmly received and caused visible delight among the friends and family present
Hansel and Gretel marked a shift to a whole new level of activity for the Music for Me programme,
introducing elements of composition and solo performances While this reflected the fact that some participants had by then been involved in the programme for four years, it also illustrated the huge investment of time and energy on the part of all concerned However, with the benefit of hindsight, the nine months of preparation required to deliver the ambitious programme was arguably too long for the children and young people involved There is no doubt that performances of this kind have an immense motivating impact on participants, but excessively long preparatory phases can dilute the focus and motivational spur that a looming public performance carries.
Since the inception of Music for Me in early 2005, Common Ground and DHHC have sought to offer the young people involved multiple opportunities to see and hear other musicians perform. On one level, this happens within the group sessions and even the individual lessons when the children catch glimpses of the skills of the musicians involved In addition to this, a number of groups have visited and performed at the homework club, organised generally on a free of charge basis through the contacts of the musicians working on the Music for Me Programme These have seen a brass quintet and a saxophone quartet perform for the children and staff, and have generated an undoubted ‘wow’ factor which came across strongly in the research team’s discussions with the young people involved who look up in awe and, in some cases, ambition, to the professional musicians they have had the opportunity to hear. This role model factor was also evident when the young people talked of having the chance to attend performances by The Jammers a
group of young but accomplished musicians based at the nearby Rialto Youth Project
A further element of this ‘exposure to performance’ element of the programme has involved visits to the National Concert Hall and the opportunity to meet with professional classical musicians. One such visit took place in early 2006, quite early in the overall Music for Me Programme. More recently, in March 2009, a group of ten 8 12 year olds from Dolphin House had the opportunity to visit the National Concert Hall where they met members of the orchestra of Camerata Ireland and heard a performance by John Brown, the Young Musician of the year 2009 This visit was facilitated by Music for Me’s corporate sponsor, Accenture, who also sponsor the Young Musician of the Year Competition These visits stirred some curiosity among the young visitors from DHHC, but the overall context of the National Concert Hall and perhaps the formality of the musicians meant that the experience had less immediate relevance for the children and young people than visits to the homework club by the brass or saxophone ensembles.
Since April 2005, 65 children and young people at Dolphin House Homework Club have taken part in Music for Me, either through group sessions or individual lessons As this report is being written, in late 2009, both keyboard and guitar lessons are continuing at the club and levels of interest remain undiminished At least one member of staff is getting on well with her own guitar lessons and just about keeping up with the children! Stimulating and satisfying the musical interest of the young people, while also building the skill of club staff to work in this area remains an ongoing challenge.
5 St Andrew ’s Communit y Centre has been ser ving the needs of the community of Rialto for over t went y five years The centre provides accommodation for a range of projects addressing social inclusion and cultural development including the Rialto Day Care Centre for the elderly, the Rialto Youth Project and the Rialto Communit y Drug Team
6 Canal Communities Par tnership is a local development company ser ving the communities of Bluebell, Inchicore, Rialto, Islandbridge and Kilmainham Established in 1997, the Par tnership’s aim is to address disadvantage, social exclusion and long term unemployment The Par tnership is funded by the Government under the National Development Plan 2000 2006 and is one of 38 par tnership companies nationwide operating in areas of serious disadvantage.
Fatima Homework Club (FHC) is part of a community infrastructure which has enjoyed a long standing link to arts and performance on a number of levels Firstly, the community has always had a penchant for performance oriented events, with Stars in Your Eyes being a regular favourite Secondly, the Arklink, a community arts outreach initiative of the Ark Cultural Centre for Children was based in a flat within the Fatima Mansions complex from 2002 to 2006, providing the opportunity for local children to become involved in drama, visual arts and many other disciplines Thirdly, in terms of both location and working relationships, Fatima Homework Club is close to Rialto Youth Project, with its strong tradition of arts and musical activity. Coupled with this history, there was some anecdotal evidence of an appetite for music in the area. For example, Cian O’Melia, a young and musically talented youth worker who had recently joined Rialto Youth Project, was attracting groups of young people merely by strumming a few tunes in a stairwell. There was clearly an element of curiosity associated with music and, in some quarters, a desire to be able to ‘play like Cian’ or some of the performers at nearby Rialto Youth Project.
In late 2005, Common Ground’s Arts Development Worker, Irma Grothuis met with the staff of Fatima Homework Club to explore possible ways of getting the ball rolling. On the back of this meeting, it was agreed to jointly design a programme that would include some group activities and individual lessons with the musicians who were already working at Dolphin House Homework Club.
Music for Me made its debut in Fatima with two pilot sessions with Dara O’Brien in May 2006, during which the children responded very well to the various percussion instruments they had the chance to try. Musical appetites now whetted, further workshops were held during the Easter and Halloween school breaks The Easter session, which was facilitated by Elaine Agnew, was marked by some disruptive behaviour on the part of some participants, causing the project partners to review their approach and seek some words of advice from
Top: Dara O’Brien leading an introductor y music workshop at Fatima Homework Club Above right : Individual guitar lesson with Mark Ellison at Fatima Homework Club.
facilitators involved in other music projects in disadvantaged areas
The Halloween sessions saw a greater number of musicians involved, with Elaine Agnew, Klaus Vormehr and Dara O’Brien delivering more successful workshops over the course of two days at Rialto Parish Centre.
Even before this last workshop, as had happened at Dolphin House Homework Club, there had been a common realisation that these sessions, while beneficial, offered only a very sporadic experience of music to the young people involved. As guitar had already shown itself to have a particular pull for young people, it was decided that individual guitar lessons would start at Fatima Homework Club in November.
Individual guitar lessons with Dara O’Brien began for a group of 12 15 year olds in late 2006 Dara’s quiet manner and approach immediately found favour with the young people involved and was instrumental in encouraging young people to come back for more, even if the learning process was sometimes challenging
With the benefit of hindsight, Olive Monahan, Project Worker at Fatima Homework Club, now sees that staff involvement in the early phase of lessons was not as extensive as it could have been. This was most likely a result of Dara being very strong in his role and the staff themselves feeling unfamiliar with music and unsure of what role they could play Staff were inclined to let Dara ‘get on with it’, resulting in him often being left to conduct outreach with the participants while also
trying to deliver high quality music tuition Greater staff involvement in planning and organising in conjunction with Dara would have allowed him to dedicate his time and talents to helping participants develop their musical skills more fully
Having laid a very strong and positive foundation for Music for Me at Fatima Homework Club, Dara moved away from Dublin, and Common Ground contracted Mark Ellison to continue the lessons. In many respects, this was something of a watershed for Music for Me at Fatima Homework Club in that Olive Monahan saw it as an opportunity to add structure, organisation and support to the music tutor In discussion with Mark, it was agreed to prepare simple 6 8 week plans for each young person, identifying key tasks to be achieved or songs that the participant wanted to try to learn The young people themselves are encouraged to contribute positively to this planning discussion, while the musicians are remunerated for a certain amount of planning time. Finding the time to meet with the tutors is sometimes difficult for the homework club staff, but all concerned would agree that it has proven to be time well spent. This enhanced degree of planning has tied in well with the Individual Learning Plans associated with the Rialto Learning Community initiative.
In parallel with this, the homework club staff have become more active in managing the schedule of music lessons Through active outreach, Olive Monahan in particular ensures in so far as possible that the young people turn up for their lessons and on time, though the need for this sort of intervention has reduced with time and the maturity of some of the participants. It is striking that since Mark began working at Fatima Homework Club, only a handful
of participants out of approximately forty have missed more than one lesson
At its peak, Music for Me was delivering seven hours of guitar tuition in the homework club each week during the school year, financed on a roughly 50/50 basis by Common Ground and the homework club. Participants were gradually organised into small groups of two or three for their lesson. Our conversations with the young people would suggest that they enjoy the banter and element of competition that springs from this group format
Importantly, it is also much more cost effective for the programme and means more children have the opportunity to avail of regular lessons
Music for Me at Fatima Homework Club has focused primarily on guitar lessons and has not involved the same kinds of public performance as at Dolphin House Homework Club However, the children and young people who have availed of lessons in Fatima have had access to a number of other opportunities to play in groups and to perform in public.
Firstly, the summer months see the organisation of Music Circles which offer young people the chance to sing and play a range of instruments Typically, these take place two days a week throughout the summer school holiday period
Secondly, The Jammers group and the Music Club at Rialto Youth Project provide progression paths for members of the homework club as their musical skills develop After one or two years of tuition, some of the Fatima participants were able to join The Jammers’ weekly sessions, just around the corner from the homework club Some of the more
accomplished musicians have been able to perform at the Music Club, which enjoys strong support from professionals such as Sean Millar Olive Monahan, the Project Worker who is most involved with Music for Me and who has been learning the guitar along with some of the young people, recently stepped up to the plate and played bass for a performance by three of the young women partaking in the programme It was clear from talking to many of the young people that getting to perform at the Music Club was a key ambition for them and one which generated huge enthusiasm for continuing to learn and, of course, have further opportunities to perform.
Even for those programme participants who are not yet invited to play at such events, attending the performances clearly creates a very positive buzz and heightens their enthusiasm for improving their own musical skills
Thirdly, while the research for this study was ongoing, several of the programme participants at Fatima Homework Club were preparing to sing and play at a Christmas Carol event Both excitement and apprehension were plain to see
In all, just over 50 young people aged between 8 and 16 have availed of musical tuition through Music for Me at FHC There are currently six hours of tuition per week and a one hour jamming session Of this, three hours are funded by Common Ground, while the Homework Club finances the balance A total of 17 young people are enjoying regular guitar tuition, 12 of whom have been involved since the lessons first began
The club is keen to build on the experience of the guitar lessons thus far, strengthen capacity and address future sustainability Each young person involved in the music in Fatima will now have an individual learning plan drawn up in consultation with teachers, musicians and the young person him/herself Keyboards and drumming will be introduced after Easter 2010 and it is also planned to make singing and song writing a stronger part of music programmes The Ceol Programme will be become an integral part of the club’s programme for children aged between 5 and 8 years. The club is also exploring the area of performance and stage for young people. Along with Rialto Youth Project, Dolphin House Homework Club, Common Ground and the Arts / Cultural Coordinator of Fatima Groups United, Fatima Homework Club is contributing to the development of a wider music strategy for the area.
Based only a few hundred metres from each other and having already worked together on two photography centred projects in 2007, Common Ground and St Michael’s Family Resource Centre met in the spring of 2007 to discuss the prospect of widening the Music for Me programme to include the after school project managed by the Family Resource Centre Up to that point, music had not featured at all on the programme of the after school project, but some of the staff had attended and been impressed by musical performances on the part of Dolphin House and Fatima Homework Clubs There was therefore a keen interest in bringing the programme to St Michael’s.
With the benefit of Irma Grothuis’ insight into how the programme had been delivered to date in the other clubs, it was agreed to start off with a series of introductory sessions in the autumn term of 2007 with a view to commencing individual lessons thereafter
Various combinations of Klaus Vormehr, Peter Crann, Elaine Agnew and Robbie Harris delivered six group sessions between September and December 2007, centred mainly around drumming, chime bars, bodhrán and other percussion instruments.
The sessions involved two groups of approximately ten children, generally with four adults present On the whole, the children embraced the activities enthusiastically, with some taking to the group format immediately and others prone to distraction and mischief
Aileen Balfe, Project Leader at the after school project, was nevertheless enthused by what she witnessed and keen to make one to one lessons available to the children, including some of those who had not behaved well in the group format but whose interest in music seem to have been piqued It was therefore agreed to proceed with a pilot of individual guitar lessons in January and February 2008 and to review progress thereafter
Above: Ray Boyle and young people from St Michael’s Family Resource Centre recording at The Base (Bally fermot) .
(6pt/6mm)
As regards the choice of instrument, St Michael’s followed the lead of the other homework clubs who had already noted the general attractiveness and relative accessibility of the guitar for the programme’s young participants A total of eight children, four boys and four girls, took part in the initial series of lessons, which were delivered by Eoin O’Brien and ran very well indeed, with the children keen to get into their lesson and learn the basics of playing the guitar.
With little hesitation, it was decided to roll out the provision of one to one tuition, with the lesson time being reduced from 30 to 20 minutes so that more children would have the chance to take part While two of the initial participants dropped out, they were quickly replaced from a growing waiting list Eoin O’Brien continued to provide guitar lessons until June 2008 The lessons resumed with Ray Boyle in May 2009.
An initial plan to offer keyboard lessons was deferred to allow the guitar lessons to become embedded into the project’s working routine This was a sound decision simply managing the movement of children in and out of lessons consumes the time and energy of at least one member of the staff team on afternoons when the lessons are provided At the same time, the staff team are trying to ensure that all the other activities within the homework club are progressing as normal, with children receiving the level of attention that is so crucial in a service of this kind.
In parallel with the individual tuition, it was decided to organise some group sessions in the
spring of 2008 Peter Crann ran three workshops in the spring, building upon the sessions which he had delivered with Klaus, Elaine and Robbie in the autumn of 2007 It was hoped to conduct these sessions in the local sports centre but, as this would have stretched the after school project’s staff across two venues, it was decided to revert to the sometimes cramped surroundings of the project itself
The after school project staff felt that singing would work well, especially with some of the younger children, so Common Ground invited singer Pia Dunne to work with a number of small groups of participants Aligned mainly with the age of the participants, these groups of two to six children were able to experiment with singing and percussion with Pia Generally, no members of the project’s staff attended these sessions with the exception of those involving the youngest participants (five years of age) These sessions demanded very considerable effort on Pia’s part in terms of identifying activities that would be accessible, interesting and motivating for the children. They were nevertheless very successful and presented a number of advantages. Firstly, the low number of children involved in each session helped in overcoming any behavioural issues. Secondly, where staff were involved in the sessions with the younger children, this provided the first real opportunity for Pia to build a relationship with the project’s staff. Up to that point, staff involvement had been purely at an organisational level with no direct participation in the process of making music or helping the children make music Springing from this, efforts are being made to ensure genuine staff involvement in the programme Thirdly, the group sessions soon
progressed to encouraging the children to make music by, for example, composing their own Halloween song The sessions, facilitated by Pia Dunne and Ray Boyle, also allowed the project to begin preparing for its first public performance since the arrival of Music for Me in Inchicore
In December 2009, the various children involved in the Music for Me Programme at the after school project made their musical debuts in a Christmas Concert held in the local parish centre.
The concert, which attracted friends and family, was the first time that Music for Me had ‘gone public’ in St Michael’s Estate It proved to be an important stimulus for the children and a very positive step in the local development of the programme
Ray Boyle and Pia Dunne are continuing to deliver individual guitar lessons and group sessions to the young members of St Michael’s Family Resource Centre After School Project. In all, over 100 children have now taken part in some element of the programme.
The project staff are keen to look into the potential of combining music with dance, as dance has already attracted enthusiastic participation locally This combination could also form the basis for some more public performances which, like in Dolphin House and Fatima, would help Music for Me become embedded in the local community.
The consultation process on which this repor t is based identified a wide range of impacts and benefits for the dif ferent stakeholder groups involved in Music for Me
At the simplest level, Music for Me gives participants the opportunity to develop an interest in music Some of the young people said that they were interested in music before participation, whereas others said that without Music for Me music was not something they would have pursued. Music has become a regular part of life for participants; it is something that they look forward to and enjoy. For many, Music for Me has become a routine, consistent and enjoyable part of life.
Some of the older former participants regretted having had to withdraw from Music for Me, usually due to clashes with other activities, most commonly training for team sports They did, however, feel that music was still part of their life and that if an opportunity arose to re engage with the programme or a similar musical activity they would welcome that opportunity Their interest in music remained strong despite it not being possible for them to continue to be part of Music for Me.
A number of participants now own their own instruments, particularly guitars For all involved, this was a very concrete example of the value placed on Music for Me by the young people and their families, as purchasing an instrument required a significant financial outlay Some families chose to buy the instrument for the young person, in other cases the young people requested an instrument as a birthday gift or used birthday/confirmation money
Once the young people own their own instruments, they can practice and play at home and can bring the instrument to other events and activities This is one way in which Music for Me gradually impacts on the wider community, led very much by the individual young person
‘People come to my house and listen to me playing and say “oh my god!” That makes me feel good.’ par t i ci pant
The skills learned by participants through involvement in Music for Me are wide ranging and encompass the skills commonly viewed as important for young people in order to become confident individuals and successful learners Music for Me activities result in improved concentration, focus and listening skills all essential skills for successful learners In addition, key skills are gained in the form of analytical and critical skills, the ability to review and to redo, improved hand eye co ordination, fine motor skills and memory skills. The Individual Learning Plans associated with the Rialto Learning Community provide an opportunity to make a clear link between specific needs and skills that can be developed through music.
‘For some kids their creativity is the driver of their skills development . ’ musi ci an
The participants learn how to work in a team and collaboratively with their peers, musicians and homework club staff. As part of this, they learn that a group dynamic is a powerful one it is simply not possible to achieve certain things alone. Group working, while presenting many challenges, opens up a huge range of possibilities. They learn the importance of everyone ‘playing their part’ not just in the musical sense but in every aspect of the group activity. In order to ‘play their part’, they need to develop the ability to communicate effectively and to express their views and opinions in an appropriate manner
One young participant said that for her Music for Me had proved to be the best way to get to know people
properly in the homework club, including peers and staff
‘I knew most people in the club but I didn’t really know them properly until I played music with them, for me music is the best way to get to know someone … It’s just dif ferent . ’ par t i ci pant
The young people clearly loved the opportunity to work closely in a small group or individual setting, enjoyed the attention given to them during Music for Me and formed close bonds with the musicians and homework club staff involved. They regretted when any particular teacher was no longer involved but were able to appreciate that the programme did not depend on the involvement of any individual musician. Young people cited an occasion when they had written songs for a musician who was leaving the programme, a very appropriate response.
As with the young people, the musicians are all individual personalities from a range of backgrounds. This in itself had an impact on the participants, broadening their range of role models and challenging perceptions.
During the consultation process, young people, musicians and homework club staff all referred in different ways to the positive impact of Music for Me on the personal development of participants, which carried into later life will impact on the roles they take as a family member, friend, neighbour, partner, parent, employee, employer, citizen and member of the community
The young people widely reported that they had learned through Music for Me that if they really
wanted to learn to do something, that with sheer hard work and persistence they had a real chance of achieving their goal
‘The kids are prone to chopping and changing what they want to do … They had to learn to plan ahead and work at reaching a goal however small.’ musi ci an
Participants came to accept that it was normal to feel very frustrated when progress was slow or when something was presenting a particular difficulty. With encouragement, they learned to persevere or to try another approach and not to let the frustration prevent them continuing to pursue their goal such feelings were temporary and could be overcome. This knowledge transferred to other challenges in life.
‘Before I would have just been cursing and would have given up. Now I know that sometimes you just have to keep at it , keep tr ying, tr y anything! par t i ci pant
Similarly from the experience of performing for an audience the young people learned that it was OK to feel nervous, under pressure or frightened and that these feelings were normal and usually ultimately outweighed by the excitement and elation of a successful performance They learned that the musicians and homework club staff had similar feelings They were supported and given ways to cope with the pressure They also came to understand that at times they would have competing pressures to deal with including from home, school and other activities.
Music for Me provides opportunities for young
people to benefit from a sense of enjoyment and achievement, through performing, composing/creating and listening Their enjoyment grows as they gain improved musical knowledge, understanding and skills This sense of enjoyment and achievement reaches a peak after a public performance and the praise, recognition and status this generates
Both the musicians and Music for Me participants spoke fondly of the incredible reactions from family and friends of the young people when they attend Music for Me performances The young people relish the attention, the adoration, the hugs and kisses and enthusiastic congratulations The family and friends express their pride openly and are impressed by the achievements of the young people This very positive flow of emotion between participants and the wider community is significant and another way in which Music for Me impacts on the local community Modestly one young participant stressed how important performances were for friends and family:
‘The shows are the best. Instead of them (friends and family) or me sitting in the flats, they can see what their kids are doing.’ par t i ci pant
Just as the young people become increasingly aware that they have abilities, it is important for them to have opportunities for family and friends to witness and recognise their abilities. The challenge for Music for Me is to keep the young people believing in their abilities
Great value was placed on how involvement in music helps young people in the outside world by
giving then improved self esteem and a sense of identity Being a musician brings a degree of confidence to the young person and a certain amount of ‘street cred’ in the eyes of their peers
Music gives them direction, identity and something positive to focus their energy on ‘For some, music has been a great big stick to get them through their teenage years.’ h omew or k cl ub l eader
One participant expressed the desire to have an opportunity to present this identity in their school setting. In the context of Music for Me they were musicians but this did not transfer to the school setting where there was either a lack of awareness of the pupils’ interests and abilities or insufficient value placed upon them.
All of the benefits and impacts above have had a ripple effect on the local community and there is potential for this to be strengthened further As numbers increase, as young participants reach and as the reputation of the programme and its worth become increasingly known in the community, this impact will intensify
The musical skills and knowledge delivered as part of the programme vary widely with the type of activity in which participants have engaged They include:
B Technical skills relating to playing par ticular instruments drums, keyboards, guitars, percussion;
B Vocal skills learning to use their voice;
B Musical concepts through practical work on pulse, rhy thm, tone, timbre, dynamic;
B Melodies and chords, simple musical forms and structures such as call and response activities, songs, games and activities to reinforce musical concepts and musical memor y;
B Musical structure, expressive devices, tex ture, sound worlds and tex ts are explored through creative work;
B Reading musical notation and chord char ts
Musical literacy and an ability to read music have not been addressed to any significant degree through the programme Indeed, the extent to which they could or should be generates differing schools of thought, as explored further in Section 7 8
The homework clubs exist to encourage and assist every child and young person they work with to reach their full potential. In this context, all of the benefits which young people have derived from the programme represent a significant achievement for the homework clubs and a positive return on their investment of time, energy and financial resources. In addition, the clubs and their staff have benefited in a number of other ways from partnering with Common Ground in the delivery of Music for Me:
All three of the clubs are committed to continually improving the range and quality of activities which they offer to their clients, stretching far beyond homework support Music for Me has proven to be a very positive and powerful addition to the clubs’
efforts to expand their programmes and be more than ‘run of the mill’ homework clubs Indeed, Music for Me has provided an additional route to building the ‘literacy’ of participants and has become part of the fabric of the three clubs in question
Making musical tuition and experiences available to children and young people, coupled with public performances, has added great weight to the profile and credibility of the homework clubs in the community. More than ever, they have become a channel for inspiring and constructive activities.
In a number of cases, being involved in Music for Me has proven to be catalytic in the professional development of homework club staff. Though not unanimously enthusiastic at the outset, many staff members have risen to the challenge, not only embracing the programme, but beginning to learn an instrument themselves Indeed, their willingness to do so adds a positive dimension to the children and young people who are facing the same challenges and frustrations
Music for Me has required homework club staff to work in close partnership with external organisations and contractors This has helped enhance the skills and approaches behind successful collaboration, while also affirming for homework club staff the valuable skills and knowledge which they bring to work of this kind.
From the outset, it was the intention of Common
Ground that Music for Me should offer development opportunities not only for the programme participants, but also for the musicians From their own comments and those of the people with whom they have worked, it appears that this original goal has certainly been addressed, with the musicians deriving a range of benefits
For the musicians facilitating Music for Me, the project offers a rare chance to work in a community setting over an extended period of time. Their previous experience of involvement in grass roots community music in areas similar to the Canal Communities was often as part of short term projects, with limited potential for any long term impact. Music for Me differs in that most of the musicians are engaged on a weekly basis over a number of years, or for intensive project work over several consecutive days during a holiday period. This means that there is potential to embed the work into the local community via the homework club in which they are based and to develop a close and effective working relationship with homework club staff This makes for a much more meaningful and fulfilling engagement than is possible through the short duration interventions that are common in musical tuition
Through involvement in Music for Me, the musicians have learned about the reality of life in the Canal Communities for young people. They have gained a greater understanding of the issues affecting the young people and the wide range of reasons for their lack of opportunity in many areas of life. This knowledge and insight has required the
musicians to reassess previously held values and beliefs and keep a constant self critical eye on their own work in terms of tuition and workshop leadership They have learned the importance of being aware of the views of others in response to their work, most importantly those of the young people and the homework club staff, and learned the benefits of taking this information on board and adapting their practice accordingly
‘It was my first time working so closely with youth workers lots of monitoring … lots of meetings!’ musi ci an
As discussed further in Section 7.3, Common Ground’s support and advice to the musicians was vital particularly in the initial stages of their involvement in Music for Me while the musicians became accustomed to the context within which they were working.
Most of the musicians have previous experience of work with youth groups and in community settings, particularly community festivals and events and many teach on a regular basis in secondary level schools and in schools of music, but none is a trained youth worker All agreed that working on Music for Me presented many challenges, primarily difficulty in engaging the young people due to their poor concentration skills and challenging behaviour
‘At times, even on a one to one basis, it felt like you were star ting with a concentration span of just 30 seconds. You had to work hard to improve their focus and keep the young people engaged.’ musi ci an
The musicians needed to develop a repertoire of techniques and strategies, particularly in group sessions for managing behaviour and getting the best from the young people Working alongside homework club staff, they learned skills that can only really be honed in a ‘real’ setting
The musicians recognised the importance of effective communication skills in the course of the work, both in their dealings with the young people and the homework club staff. Information of any kind needed to be clear consistent and effectively delivered.
The young people have high expectations and are demanding but their commitment cannot be taken for granted. The musicians learned that the level of young people’s engagement was linked to the opportunities they were given to contribute their thoughts and ideas to the plans for activity Regular ‘chats’ with individual participants have become a feature of the programme, whereby the young person, the musician and, as required, a member of the homework club staff take time to review recent activity and make plans for the young person’s involvement over the next 6 8 weeks
Once fully engaged, the participant’s commitment relied heavily on every lesson or workshop session continuing to motivate them and taking them a step further towards and agreed goal Should any session fail to engage or not have a real sense of purpose there was a real risk that young people would simply withdraw The musicians felt that this presented them with a very real challenge
which ultimately had a positive impact on their own practice
A major impact of involvement in Music for Me for the musicians was seeing the development of the young people through time and the very obvious benefits of Music for Me on the participants
Although the musicians highlighted the excellent technical skills and musical competence gained by a number of participants, it was the wider learning benefits and changes in attitude that seemed more notable and worthy to them, such as: improved focus; improved ability to communicate thoughts and feelings; improved ability to commit to something and the tenacity to follow it through; self confidence; maturity; listening skills and group work skills.
T h e m u s i c i a n s w o u l d a l l a g r e e t h a t , d e s p i t e t h e challenging behaviours sometimes presented by the participants, they really like the young people, enjoy working with them and admire their many positive attributes. They spoke of high levels of creativity, musical ability, boundless energy, independence, determination and a heartening joy for life.
Although all the musicians agreed that Music for Me has had an impact on their way of working in educational and community settings, views varied on whether the work impacted on their own performance or creative practice to any real extent
Some felt that the work had no real impact on their own performance or creative practice and that it was more a case of the reverse, whereby the work drew on all their resources as creative or
performing musicians Others felt that their involvement in Music for Me had had a significant impact on them as individuals on a personal level and therefore had some impact on their creative practice In terms of performance, some musicians felt the work reinforced their own motivations for involvement in music as both performers and creators They experienced a renewed energy and sense of commitment to their work Music for Me served as a pertinent reminder of the power of music and the creative arts to change lives and communities.
By getting to know the young people and seeing their potential, the impact of repeated lack of opportunity on the young people’s development was evident They had a strong desire to contribute to improved opportunities for the young people
It is worth recalling that, prior to the launch of Music for Me, Common Ground had not yet been involved to any significant extent in music programmes or activities. The organisation is now in a radically different position vis à vis music than in 2004 when it first embarked on discussions with Dolphin House Homework Club and the Regional Youth Service as regards possible areas of activity. It has derived benefits on a number of different levels.
Common Ground’s work with homework clubs across the Canal Communities had been relatively limited prior to 2005 The fact that Irma Grothuis was able to approach clubs, with no particular agenda, and discuss potential activities means that the programme has, from the outset, been shaped
Above: Music for Me musicians (lef t to right): Dara O’Brien, Pia Dunne, Nick Roth, Elaine Agnew and Brian Fleming.
and characterised by a very high degree of partnership with the homework clubs In terms of bringing quality arts experiences to children and young people in the Canal Communities, Common Ground and the homework clubs offer a very strong platform, verging on mutual dependence
The organisation’s knowledge of music programmes and its familiarity with networks of musicians were both very limited prior to Music for Me. The Arts Development Worker, Irma Grothuis, and Common Ground have now both amassed a wealth of knowledge, experience and contacts that the organisation can now build upon and, it is to be hoped, invest in similar work with other homework clubs.
As regards its own profile, Common Ground has now become associated within the local community with the performances and events that have been key highlights of Music for Me Without its input, drive and encouragement, the programme would most likely not have taken place and would certainly not have been as impressive and impactful In a wider sense, it should now be seen as a strong partner and delivery channel for community based music provision for children and young people, and it is vitally important that Common Ground’s successful venture into this area is widely disseminated.
As the multiple impacts and benefits outlined above attest, Music for Me has proven to be a very powerful programme which has most certainly addressed the original aspiration of giving children involved in three homework clubs opportunities to play, listen to, participate in and experience music that interests them The programme’s impacts on the young people have reached far beyond merely providing an opportunity, with personal, social and educational benefits arising. The programme has also delivered strongly as regards its secondary objective of building the skills of musicians to contribute to work of this type, while Common Ground, the homework clubs and their staff have amassed new know how, experience, networks and skills.
This impressive array of benefits begs the question just what did it take to deliver such an impactful programme? The next section of the report tries to capture the essential ingredients of Music for Me
It seems fitting to round off the section on impacts and benefits with a flavour of the comments made by children and young people during the evaluation process Those shown below relate to three areas: general comments on music at the homework clubs, how participants felt about any performances in which they were involved and how they would feel if there was no longer any music at the homework club
B ‘I really didn’t like music at school before, but since I’ve star ted guitar I’d love to go on and do music at college ’
B ‘The lessons make me feel happy ‘cos ever y lesson I do learn something ’
B ‘I’d love to keep singing and playing guitar and become a star You never know!’
B ‘Music is my favourite of all the things at the homework club ’
B ‘I like learning how to tune the guitar because it’s a challenge for me (an 8 year old) . ’
B ‘I love playing. It keeps me motivated to learn more and become famous.’
B ‘ We went to see a music gig at St Andrew ’s deadly! I want to be able to play like those guys.’
B ‘I star ted when I was 11. Now I’m 14 and I still really look for ward to it.’
B ‘I’d have liked to have done more There was a gap when there was no lessons ’
B ‘I liked all of the music . I liked not staying at home I could just come over here (to the homework club) ’
B ‘I’m happy just singing!’
B ‘It’s the best thing in the homework club ’
B ‘I’m get ting a guitar for Christmas ‘cos it makes me feel good ’
B ‘Sometimes I wake up saying, “Ah yes, I have music today ” ’
B ‘ Ver y interesting, great fun and all! You learn loads of things about music ’
B ‘I love it all.’
B ‘I would just like to keep playing guitar. I’m get ting a guitar for Christmas.’
B ‘The singing with Pia is dif ferent to the stuf f we do at school. It’s cool.’
B ‘I was a bit ner vous, there was lots of family there but yeah, it was great Some of my teachers from school came too ’
B ‘Af ter wards, my mam ran up and star ted hugging me!’
B ‘My mam, my aunties and my nan came to see the carols. They said it was brilliant and I felt ver y happy.’
B ‘I was ner vous about singing in the Music Circles, but it builds up your confidence.’
B ‘I used to think people wouldn’t like me, but I’ve per formed here so many times I know people like me, so I just want to do more.’
B ‘I told the teachers at school that I’d played with The Dubliners but they didn’t believe me Now they want me to do lessons for younger kids at the school ’
B ‘I felt proud, knackered and pret t y happy ’
B ‘I was disappointed it was over, but relieved too!’
B ‘I was proud because I’d tried it ’
B ‘I was ner vous at the star t but really happy when it was all over My dad said, “ You were brilliant!”’
About a Homework Club without Music for Me:
B ‘I’d be disappointed and I’d have to find somewhere else to do it.’
B ‘I’d be sad if the music here couldn’t go on any longer ’
B ‘I’d go mad I’d jump of f the nearest building!’
B ‘I’d feel terrible like I’d lost my right hand It would be like taking away a chance of something we really want to do ’
B ‘I’d be disappointed because ever y Wednesday you can’t wait to do keyboards ‘cos you’re learning something new ’
B ‘I’d be sad if the music stopped ’
B ‘I’d make a cross face.’
B ‘I’d go mad. Sure all the kids love it.’
Bringing Music for Me to its current stage of development has demanded plentiful amounts of time, commitment and energy on the par t of all concerned Needless to say, money has also been a vital ingredient! This section looks at the organisational side of Music for Me and some of the challenges that have arisen along the way It is hoped that this section and indeed the overall repor t will be of interest and help to any organisation considering embarking on a music centred programme within a similar contex t to Music for Me
In its earliest days, Music for Me benefited from the fact that Irma Grothuis of Common Ground and Sabryna Porter of Dolphin House Homework Club were both quite new to their posts and actively exploring new areas of activity. This led to a very open conversation on the basis of which a framework agreement was drafted, plotting a rough course forward and addressing key issues like financial resources and staff inputs. This approach has worked well, primarily because there has been ongoing communication between Common Ground, the homework clubs and, as things progressed, the musicians The partner organisations would highly recommend a similar approach within any programme of this type
At the very outset, it is vital that roles and responsibilities in respect of child protection are discussed, clarified and communicated. The homework clubs bring the most developed knowledge of this area to the programme, but it is vital to ensure that all musicians and facilitators are fully briefed and vetted as required.
It almost goes without saying that the staff of any homework club have their hands full, with as many as 80 children attending a club on any one day It is also important to note that the staff involved may have no particular interest in or experience of music Bearing these factors in mind, it should not be assumed that staff will necessarily embrace a music programme from the outset In the homework clubs involved in Music for Me, there was a range of responses encompassing
strong enthusiasm, apprehension, concern about the manageability of such a programme and, possibly, an element of ‘a bit of music would be nice for the kids’, without understanding the complexities of delivering the programme or its immense potential!
At the outset, it is wise to start off with modest activities that will overwhelm neither the staff nor the children and will give both a chance to see how enjoyable and beneficial making music can be Particularly in its early days, Music for Me was fortunate to benefit from the expertise of Elaine Agnew whom Common Ground had identified as having particular expertise in this area A facilitator’s role at this early stage is just as much about bringing the homework club staff on board as it is about capturing the attention of the children
As the programme develops, it is good to ensure that staff becoming increasingly involved and this can take many forms: playing a greater role in group sessions, learning an instrument themselves or leading some warm up activities
The homework club staff are rightly focused on the educational and personal development of the children. If the Music Programme is to make a real contribution to those goals, then ongoing communication between the staff, the musicians and Common Ground is crucial. It is vital to factor in time for this to happen and to ensure that homework club staff understand the importance of their input Music for Me has demonstrated that, as a programme progresses and all concerned are able to witness and take part in public performances, it becomes increasingly embedded in the club and in the work of the club’s staff This degree of buy in
may not begin to arise for many months after the programme’s inception, but it will develop with time and adequate communication
While Elaine Agnew and some of her colleagues brought extensive relevant expertise to Music for Me, Common Ground did not set out to engage only musicians with this sort of background Indeed, some of the musicians work primarily within the formal school system where behaviour and discipline are less challenging. Common Ground were committed to introducing new musicians to this area of work and supporting them throughout their learning process.
The majority of the musicians involved have, however, demonstrated similar important qualities:
B A calm and understated approach to working with the children and young people, especially in the contex t of tuition;
B A high level of musical skill: the children and young people are regularly impressed and inspired by the musical abilities of their tutors;
B Responsiveness: the musicians have shown an abilit y to adapt their approach and the content of their inter ventions, as well as liaising to an increasing degree with homework club staf f and engaging in discussions about the programme as a whole;
B Appreciation and staying power: most of the musicians involved have contributed to the programme for ex tended periods, due not least to an appreciation of how the programme is benefiting the young people involved.
There have, of course, been exceptions where one
or two musicians have adopted quite authoritarian approaches to the participants or been outraged by some of the behaviour they witnessed, possibly due to not being adequately briefed of the community context for the programme prior to their involvement On the whole, however, the musicians have shown themselves prepared to adapt and work through any issues that have arisen
The musicians have of course benefited from a very supportive environment encompassing many elements:
B Good levels of remuneration, including time for preparation;
B Access to suppor t and advice from Common Ground;
B Over time, an increasing level of suppor t and communication from homework club staf f;
B An element of peer exchange, where some of the more experienced musicians were able to share their approaches with their colleagues;
B Access to mentoring through ‘Connect’7 , a joint mentoring initiative of Common Ground and Create8 , the national agency for collaborative ar ts;
B For three musicians, financial suppor t towards their par ticipation in Music Net work’s professional development courses;
B Oppor tunities to take par t in facilitated reviews of the programme, contributing their perspective on the programme’s evolution
Some of the musicians would suggest that, as this type of work is quite demanding, musicians should not over stretch themselves in trying to deliver too many sessions in too many venues
In many respects, Elaine Agnew has acted as an adviser to Common Ground throughout the programme, especially in the early days There would be merit for any organisation becoming involved in this type of work to consider contracting a similarly experienced musician/facilitator as an adviser or even sounding board to assist in the shaping of the programme
Music is a great opportunity for young people and children to be creative and to have fun. As for activities of any kind, fun is a vital ingredient. A sense of achievement is also welcomed by all, so the first musical activities offered to a child or young person should be accessible in nature, allowing participants to create and achieve rather than struggle and become frustrated. As confidence and enthusiasm build, activities can become increasingly more challenging. Indeed, the children and young people involved in Music for Me have warmly embraced the challenge that learning to make music has posed
Variety or, in other words, extensive trial and error offer one means of maintaining the attention and commitment of participants.
‘I tr y something new with the group ever y single week , just for a shor t par t of the session. I discover what may or may not work.’ musi ci an
While medium term plans and goals have an important role to play, Music for Me has strongly demonstrated the importance of having reasonably imminent milestones along the way Performances provide a form of target or milestone with which
children and young people readily identify, and provide an element of what several consultees referred to as ‘self gratification’ However, the almost nine month lead up to Hansel and Gretel proved too long a horizon for all concerned, underlining the importance of variety, fun and ‘bite sized’ elements to a programme
As regards opportunities to hear other musicians play, the comments of the children and young people interviewed as part of the research process pointed to a much higher degree of enthusiasm and ‘thrill’ in respect of musicians who performed in local venues (e g the homework clubs themselves or St Andrew’s Community Centre) rather than the more formal surroundings of the National Concert Hall The inspirational impact of such performances seemed strongest when the performers were local young people or near peers of those taking part in Music for Me Indeed, the Jammers and the Music Club at RYP offer important positive progression paths for young people who through the programme have developed a strong foundation of musical competence.
Extending beyond the participants themselves, Music for Me has successfully generated buy in from parents and families, though this took time to achieve Simple steps included Fatima Homework Club issuing personalised invitations to parents to encourage them to attend an event and hear their children playing This was felt to have made the parents feel that their attendance was not only welcome but very important Similarly, Dolphin House Homework Club organised coach transport for parents and family to attend public performances by the young people involved.
Many of those involved in the programme would love to offer music lessons to parents, possibly even on a
‘parent and child’ basis It is felt that this would be welcome and would offer huge benefits, but would not be possible within the limited streams of funding available
Deciding which instruments to select for the purposes of individual tuition happened almost naturally Guitar certainly seemed to catch the imagination of the children and young people more than any other instrument and the programme responded to this interest. In practical terms, the guitar presents some advantages: as an instrument, it is relatively robust and easy to maintain; and in a context where children are sharing instruments, it is more hygienic than, say, wind or brass instruments. As the programme progressed, keyboards made a successful debut for largely the same reasons. Singing, where no instruments are required, has also become a more regular part of the programme through Pia Dunne’s work at St Michael’s.
None of this means that the homework clubs involved in Music for Me or indeed elsewhere should not consider expanding the range of instruments they offer. It is simply a case of ensuring that the instruments offered in the early stages of the programme are accessible. It is also worth bearing in mind that offering a wide range of instruments may lead to higher costs if several different tutors need to be contracted for shorter periods, while also potentially reducing the ability of homework club staff to support children in practising the different instruments
From group workshops to individual tuition, Music for Me has had to source a whole host of instruments and creative approaches have been required!
Common Ground has been able to secure the loan of instruments from a range of sources including he IRMA Trust9 and Lucan Educate Together School Financial support from the Dormant Accounts Fund assisted with the purchase of instruments mid way through the programme The musicians involved in the programme would have one request in this regard: be sure to consult the musicians before purchasing any instruments, as some of those purchased have been of dubious quality.
Certainly at the outset, virtually none of the children had their own instruments While some have since been delighted to receive guitars as birthday or Christmas presents, many still do not have access to a guitar at home This poses a challenge for the programme: how to encourage practice and improvement when children don’t have access to an instrument Coupled with this, many children do not have the space at home to practice The programme has been able to respond to this in a limited way. For example, Dolphin House Homework Club has a dedicated music room which programme participants can access under supervision at certain times outside of their lessons. This is a positive development, but still falls short of the ideal scenario where each participant would have access to his or her own instrument and the space to practice.
All of those involved in the programme stressed the importance of the pivotal role of Common Ground’s Arts Development Worker in the management and development of Music for Me As mentioned earlier, homework clubs are by their nature very busy places with the energy of personnel often focused
on meeting the immediate needs of the children and young people In this context, it has proven invaluable that the programme has been driven and coordinated by someone external who can encourage and support the clubs to move forward with the programme, watch over its general direction, manage resources, and tap into appropriate networks of organisations and musicians
The Arts Development Worker has also been central to extending the reach of the programme into three homework clubs following its commencement at Dolphin House Homework Club Not only has this enabled more children and young people to benefit from the programme, but it has also provided a channel for the organisational learning arising from the earlier years of the programme to be shared with the clubs that have joined the programme more recently
The level of financial investment in the Music for Me Programme has grown steadily since its inception and roughly in line with the expansion in activities across the three homework clubs The table below summarises direct programme costs incurred by Common Ground on the programme since 2005:
These figures relate mainly to tuition fees, purchase of instruments in 2008 and any costs associated with workshops, events or performances
In addition to these figures, it should be noted that the homework clubs have at different stages and to differing degrees funded a portion of the tuition fees incurred. This can run to over ¤200 per week a very significant expense within the context of the diminishing budgets available to homework clubs.
CDYSB
Young People Facilities and Ser vices Fund 1
CDYSB
Young People Facilities and Ser vices Fund 1
CDYSB
Young People Facilities and Ser vices Fund 1
CDYSB
Young People Facilities and Ser vices Funds 1 and 2, Accenture and Dormant Accounts.
CDYSB
Young People Facilities and Ser vices Fund 1 and Accenture.
Importantly, these figures do not include the time contributed by key personnel: Common Ground’s Arts Development Worker and homework club personnel. While the exact extent of involvement of different homework club staff is difficult to quantify and varies widely from club to club, managing the movement of participants in and out of lessons can occupy a member of staff for an afternoon, and group workshops generally demand a low ratio of staff to participants. Staff time therefore represents a very significant contribution to the programme, which could not proceed in the same manner or with the same quality of delivery without this organisational support This might lead one to ask whether the programme would benefit from the involvement of volunteers who could assist with the organisation of lessons and help out at workshops Clearly, it would be important for any move in this direction to be carefully planned with due attention being given to recruiting, training and managing volunteers, and child protection issues.
The Arts Development Worker’s involvement in Music for Me has grown from just over a half day per week in 2005 to more than 2 days a week in 2009 This amounts to a cost in the region of ¤22
¤23k per year, which is directly financed by City of Development Youth Services Board (Young People Facilities and Services Fund 1)
Like for many projects within the community and voluntary sector, the fractured and unpredictable nature of funding streams renders medium to long term planning difficult, which ultimately restricts the programme’s potential to generate positive impacts.
There is a shared concern among many of those involved in the programme as regards two linked issues: firstly, the question of whether participants should be offered a chance to learn the theory of music; and secondly, the challenge of developing the skills of homework club staff to become more closely involved in delivering some aspects of the programme, as budgetary conditions might make the extensive involvement of external tutors difficult
On the first of these, there is some debate among the musicians involved regarding the need to, and merits of, introducing theory tuition into the programme There are a number of relevant considerations For example, many would doubt whether the young people would be interested in dedicated theory lessons, which would also represent an added expense for the programme Some suggest that any attempt to address theory should be integrated into the ongoing practical lessons The homework club staff would generally have no relevant skills in order to support this type of learning. However, in an attempt to address how this issue might be addressed, Nick Roth, supported by Common Ground is currently working on a resource pack aimed at integrating elements of musicianship and theory into practical
lessons The pilot implementation of the pack should cast a very interesting light on the various dimensions of this issue as outlined above
On the question of enhancing the ability of homework club staff to deliver aspects of the programme, the recent participation of staff from Dolphin House Homework Club and Fatima Homework Club in the Ceol Programme is an excellent development. In brief, Ceol offers series of scripted music lessons which can be delivered to groups of young people from 3 4 years and upwards Importantly, while some initial training is provided, the teacher/facilitator does not require any particular musical skills Empowering the homework clubs to deliver some sessions on an in house basis is a very exciting development, especially in a time of tight budgetary constraints It also offers the clubs a means of introducing their youngest children to music at an early age Asking staff who had had no exposure to musical activities of this type to begin delivering Ceol based sessions might be difficult, but quite a number of personnel within the three clubs in question have through Music for Me had the opportunity to observe the approach of several tutors and facilitators, witness the positive impacts on the children and even become quite involved in music themselves, all of which augurs well for their ability to successfully deliver Ceol sessions without the constant involvement of external tutors.
7 The Connect Mentoring Programme, a par tnership from Create and Common Ground, was an Ar ts Council funded initiative that responded to the professional development needs of the collaborative ar ts sector The aim of the Connect Mentoring Programme and the learning resource tool that was developed from it was to enable and build capacit y within the collaborative ar ts sector to under take mentoring
8 Create is the national development agency for collaborative ar ts in social and communit y contex ts Our mission is to provide advice and suppor t ser vices to ar tists and ar ts organisations working collaboratively with communities in social and community contexts Create suppor ts ar tists across all ar t forms who work collaboratively with communities in dif ferent social and community contexts, be they communities of place or communities brought together by interest.
9 IRMA Trust was founded in 1997 by record companies in the Irish music industr y, with seed funding from the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and Phonographic Per formance of Ireland (PPI) IRMA Trust was a non profit making, charitable music trust fund The objective of IRMA Trust was to facilitate the development of music in Ireland, to encourage equal oppor tunit y and access to music activit y, to promote active par ticipation for young people in music and to facilitate fur ther education oppor tunities for young musicians
In reviewing any innovative programme of this kind, it is always helpful and interesting to seek out examples of similar projects elsewhere In terms of reasonably close comparisons to the Music for Me in Ireland or the UK , examples are few and far bet ween Most programmes operate within a school set ting or af terschool in the students own school Sistema Scotland, with its ‘priorit y on the development of the child through involvement in music’, is wor thy of some exploration, as are the Ceol Programme and the National Music Education Project both of which of fer potential synergies with Music for Me
Based in Raploch, Stirling, Scotland, Sistema Scotland is an official partner of the original Sistema orchestral movement founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Maestro José Antonio Abreu. El Sistema is a publicly financed voluntary sector music education program in Venezuela set up in the belief that the lives of poverty stricken children can be transformed through free access to music. The model of the symphony orchestra is central to all activities. Approximately 300,000 Venezuelan children are involved in the scheme at any one time. Sistema Scotland accept that it would not be wise to attempt to replicate the Venezuelan model in the UK However, they draw on the expertise within the Venezuelan model and certainly employ their methods, adapting them according to their own setting and participants
Sistema Scotland works on the premise that two key factors remain the same for the programmes in Scotland and Venezuela the ‘circumstances which can lead to the alienation of a child’ and ‘the attributes of playing in an orchestra’.
The Raploch Estate is an area with a history of significant problems, it is currently benefiting from regeneration driven by a number of agencies. There are issues with unemployment drug and health issues. The Raploch Estate is now home to Sistema Scotland’s first Big Noise Orchestra. Although drawing on children from specific schools in the area, activities are delivered largely outside the school setting in a community campus and Big Noise Centre. The scheme is open to every child in the area, no one is excluded and particular effort is
made to include those from difficult backgrounds
The organisation focuses on the belief that by play ing in an orchestra, children can gain huge social benefits. Activity takes place in the group setting of an ‘orchestra’ from the outset with the children learning together and developing social skills. Music making is used to develop confidence, teamwork, pride and aspiration in the young participants and across the community. Great emphasis is put on the participants’ enjoyment of the music making alongside standards of excellence in all aspects of the delivery of the programme
Similar to Music for Me there is individual tuition but the focus is on developing the skills to work in a group context and the belief that the participants’ involvement in music making has potential to have a positive impact on the local community. The participants perform at community events and, as part of the innovative and fun Take a Musician Home for Tea programme, musicians visit participants’ homes, performing with the young person for family and friends
Sistema Scotland activities include:
B A nurser y musicianship programme;
B A Special Educational Needs programme;
B An orchestral initiation programme aimed at the first year of primar y school;
B An af ter school orchestra;
B Excursions;
B Fun events like Take a Musician Home for Tea;
B Per formances by professional musicians for the communit y, both with and without the involvement of the par ticipants;
B Lunchtime choirs;
A number of parallels with Music for Me in terms of programme content are clear to see. Furthermore, the orchestras strive for musical excellence but turn conventional music education on its head, giving open access to all. The quality of experience is paramount both the musical quality and the delivery. Key differences would be that the musicians involved in Sistema Scotland and the music are deeply rooted in the classical tradition of playing, resulting in less variance in the musicians own training and approach to music making and less access to a wide range of styles and genre
In 1998, Ceol was set up with a view to ‘reawakening the dormant musical heritage’ of its home town in West Dublin Following a period of and piloting from 2005 2007, Ceol began to offer music education to primary schools (from Junior Infants up), employing a team of experts and using the newly developed Giusti Approach to music education, which focuses ‘on the development of musical fluency, teaching children to listen, speak, read and write the language of music’. The programme achieves its aims by supporting the delivery of the pre school and primary music curriculum, by providing professional development training and resources for educators such as CDs DVDs and lesson plans The programme is widely believed to be successful in encouraging and facilitating classroom teachers to teach music Similar to both Sistema Scotland and Music for Me is Ceol’s emphasis on the quality of
activity and the belief that through involvement in music children reap many benefits both educationally and personally
‘Ceol provides ever y child, regardless of physical ability or educational needs, with music education of the highest possible quality, that fulfils the requirements of pre school and the Primar y Music Curriculum, that is fun, simple and that forges links with other subjects.’ w w w ceol i r el and i e
As noted in Section 7.8, Music for Me programme has matured significantly. Many of the homework club staff members have developed to a point where they are keen to undertake Ceol training and implement Ceol resources within the clubs. In many respects, it is a very positive sign that a relationship has begun to develop between Music for Me and Ceol.
After initial pilots of Music Education Partnerships in County Donegal and Dublin City, an evaluation report found that the partnership model ‘provides a workable and replicable framework for development of music education services and for other art forms on a wider scale throughout Ireland’
Music Network is now in the early stages of partnering with VECs and organisations across Ireland in the establishment Music Education
Partnerships supported by ¤7 million from U2 and the Ireland Funds The Partnerships aim to address the lack of musical activity in schools in Ireland and the subsequently low level of musical literacy The programme will operate from 2010 2015 on a phased basis with new local or regional
partnerships being given the opportunity to tender for funding each year until 2013
The funding provided will subsidise the cost of teachers and local regional administration, but will be managed centrally by Music Network, who will also work to raise funds to sustain the programme beyond 2015. A requirement of the scheme will be that each partnership involves either a VEC or a local authority. The National Music Education Project may present an opportunity for Music for Me either in the short term or the long term, particularly if the programme is earnest in its desire to provide real access to young people across Ireland Perhaps the important issue for Music for Me currently with regard to the National Music Education Project is to communicate effectively with other organisations in the Dublin area considering tendering for the funds and undertaking effective PR create awareness of the programme among relevant organisations and the wider public Music Network hold the work of Common Ground and Music for Me in high regard, and believe the model has relevance for future provision.
The pilot Music Education Partnership in Dublin, in conjunction with City of Dublin VEC, is of interest in relation to Music for Me, in particular the strand involving the Ceol programme in Ballyfermot which incorporated an afterschool programme of instrumental and vocal tuition The programme has impacted on the wider community, evidenced by the now regular Ballyfamous Talent Show and end of year performances which bring community audiences into a range of community venues.
The focus of the programme is music education in a fairly conventional sense with a priority on it being
made more available and more accessible to a greater number of young people
Where Music for Me differs is in its focus on the development of the young people through music and the development of musicians through working with young people in the Canal Communities. More specific to the homework clubs, the great importance placed on the Music for Me by the clubs as an effective tool for keeping young people at risk engaged in the support system which the homework clubs offer
The Music for Me programme is tailored to the Canal Communities and could not be easily replicated across the country, as the same support structures are not replicated across the country. Any development of the Music for Me even within the Canal Communities will require significant time and resources to develop, but it is in the commitment of this time and resources that solid relationships develop, ownership is developed locally, and empowerment takes place
As the Music Education Partnerships become established across the country, and begin to embed in the life of young Irish people, it will be important to seek out structures and embrace organisations with specific experience and expertise in programmes which manage to engage those most lacking in opportunity and those with the most significant barriers to participation in music.
This section summarises the main conclusions which can be drawn from the evaluation process and provides recommendations as to ways in which the organisation and impact of Music for Me could be enhanced
Before entering into specific recommendations, it is important to reiterate that since its inception in 2005 Music for Me the programme has provided over 200 children and young people with the opportunity to explore music and develop musical skills through introductory group sessions, individual tuition in guitar and keyboards, exposure to performances by other musicians and participation in public concerts and events. It seems fair to say that few, if any, of the children involved would have had access to opportunities of this kind in the absence of Music for Me.
The programme has generated wide ranging impacts and benefits for all of those involved participants, musicians, homework club staff and Common Ground.
While the nature and extent of the benefits of Music for Me vary widely from individual to individual, the evaluation identified clear evidence of impacts such as:
B A new found or enhanced interest in music , coupled with greatly improved access to music and musical tuition;
B Musical skills and knowledge, though in most cases not ex tending to musical literacy or an abilit y to read music;
B Thinking and learning skills, encompassing concentration, focus, hand eye coordination, fine motor skills and the abilit y to review and redo;
B An oppor tunit y to experience and build new or improved relationships with homework club staf f and musicians, and an appreciation of working in a team environment;
B Persistence in working through a task and striving towards a goal, working through the challenges, fears and pressures that might arise along the way;
B Pleasure and pride in their musical achievements, reinforced by the recognition and praise received from family, friends and the local communit y
For the Homework Clubs and their Staf f
In addition to the benefits derived by participants, which are very much consistent with the goals of the homework clubs, the staff involved in Music for Me have also been very positively affected by their involvement, especially where this has spanned a number of years. The benefits for the clubs and their staff include:
B A ver y positive addition to their educational programmes, of fering a new plat form for capturing the at tention of young people, addressing needs and building capacit y;
B Enhanced profile and credibilit y within the local communit y – much more than ‘just a homework club’;
B A whole new challenge for homework club staf f which, for some, has turned out to be a catalyst for their professional development, not to mention their own musical skills;
B The oppor tunit y to collaborate with the musicians and ex ternal organisations like Common Ground, while also recognising the value of their own knowledge and experience of working with young people
Music for Me offered all of the musicians an unusual opportunity to work with the same young people over an extended period of time, during which they had to adapt to a sometimes challenging environment Their dedication to the task has yielded benefits including:
B Working in an environment which has forced them to constantly re examine their own approach and devise strategies for managing sometimes disruptive behaviour in a group contex t;
B Recognising the fundamental impor tance of ef fective communication when working with young people, along with encouraging the empowerment and engagement of par ticipants in conversations and decisions af fecting them;
B A stimulus for their own practice in terms of energy, motivation and, in some cases, creativit y;
B A ver y strong sense of reward arising from obser ving the impact of the programme and their ef for ts on the young people involved.
Common Ground, in many respects the lynchpin of the programme, has also benefited from its key involvement in Music for Me:
B A sustained oppor tunit y to build ef fective working relationships with the homework clubs, enhanced by the fact that the programme was shaped from the outset by Dolphin House Homework Club in par ticular;
B Newly acquired knowledge and net works of relevance to delivering music centred programmes;
B Like the homework clubs, an enhanced degree of profile and credibilit y within the communit y and among other local agencies
The Terms of Reference for the evaluation posed the question whether all of the organisations involved shared the same vision and definition of success. The consultation process would suggest that expectations have evolved significantly since the outset. It seems fair to say that most of the key people involved were broadly receptive to the programme at the outset. Common Ground was perhaps most convinced of the extent or depth of benefit which can be achieved through arts work, although it had little first hand experience of music projects. The homework clubs certainly saw that music would be a positive addition to their programmes, but were possibly not so aware of the extent of the opportunities music might present for the personal and educational development of children and young people
Regardless of any nuances in vision or expectations at the outset, the programme has allowed all to see the benefits which can arise from appropriate musical provision over a sustained period. For example, the synergy between music and education support initiatives like the Rialto Learning Community has become clear If anything, expectations are now more aligned than ever, coupled with a heightened sense of potential or ambition
More than any other factor, Music for Me has been shaped by close collaboration between Common Ground, the homework clubs and the musicians
This approach, which sought mainly to respond to the priorities and needs of clubs at different times, coupled with uncertain levels of finance, meant that the programme’s evolution has not been perfectly linear Indeed, the development of innovative ventures tends not to be so It has nevertheless benefited from a central driver and coordinator in Common Ground’s Arts
Development Worker who encourages all involved to keep moving forward and lends immense organisational support to the programme.
Other keys to the programme’s success and important learning points for any other agency considering this type of activity would include:
B At the outset, an open discussion of the possible directions the programme could take and the plot ting of a rough course of action, including the approximate resource commitments of the bodies involved;
B Constant review and communication regarding what is working well and not so well;
B Ensuring that homework club staf f are encouraged to be involved from the ver y outset and providing accessible oppor tunities for staf f with no par ticular musical skills to do so;
B Selecting and suppor ting musicians who, while not necessarily exper ts in this contex t, will be commit ted, energetic , adaptable and open to learn, not least through ongoing communication with homework club staf f;
B Responding to the interests of young people when selecting instruments for the programme, while bearing in mind the practicalities and hygiene dimension of sharing instruments;
B Having a central coordinator for the programme, in this case someone who is not tied up with the ever yday running of a busy homework club, to provide impetus, assist in organisational terms and facilitate communication bet ween all involved
The programme has benefited from a very significant investment of resources, both in terms of direct funding for programme activities and the time contributions of the staff of the homework clubs and Common Ground The increasing unpredictability of funding streams, coupled with reduced operating budgets for all the organisations involved, make even medium term planning very difficult The evaluation has, however, shown that investment in musical provision for young people from a background of disadvantage, while resource intensive, yields very powerful impacts. This is a message which Common Ground and its partners must proclaim loudly among all relevant players.
There is a strong appetite for continued and indeed expanded musical provision across the three partner areas: Dolphin, Fatima and St Michael’s.
A number of challenges and priorities came to the fore in the consultation process
Like all community based initiatives, Music for Me faces a tough challenge as regards securing
resources to sustain its operation In its favour, the partners can now put forward an in depth review of the programme and its impacts to support requests for funding Even with this, it is likely that resource limitations will make it difficult to maintain the model of recent years and some adaptability may be required
B The par tners may wish to explore the potential for voluntar y contributions to the programme. There may be some appetite among third level students of music to become involved in working with more experienced musicians and organisations within a programme like Music for Me While requiring an initial investment of ef for t, this would mean elements of the programme could be delivered in a cost ef fective manner
B The Ceol training on which some homework club staf f have recently embarked should allow the clubs to deliver introductor y music activities within the clubs at lit tle or no cost This also provides a means of of fering music to younger children, which was also identified as a wish of the par tner organisations.
B A number of other ar ts projects for young people within the Rialto area have benefited indirectly from the ar tists involved securing bursaries of various sor ts from the Ar ts Council. There would be some merit in exploring whether an ar tist with a musician with a par ticular interest in working with children and young people could, in conjunction with the par tner organisations, devise a proposed programme of activit y with the potential to secure Ar ts Council funding
Music for Me has over its course been able to generate a positive impact on the local communities in Inchicore and Rialto This has great merits and very strong potential for further development in the future
B Many of those involved believe that being able to make music lessons available to adults within the local communities would reinforce and expand the programme’s impact. Parent and child lessons would have multiple personal, family and social impacts Common Ground and its par tners should explore alternative funding avenues which might suppor t this area of activit y The Communit y Foundation runs a small grants scheme which is targeted, inter alia, at families at risk
B Similarly, it may be possible to secure small grants which would assist on covering the costs of communit y events
B Against a background of mixed views regarding the appropriateness of teaching music theor y to the young people involved in Music for Me, Common Ground and Nick Roth are to be congratulated for embarking on the development of resources which can be implemented on a pilot basis within a home work club environment It will be impor tant for this pilot phase to be monitored closely with a view to identif ying both impacts and learning points as regards the development of ef fective approaches to addressing theor y.
B If the par tners are to continue to of fer a range of musical activities aimed at young people of dif ferent ages and skill levels, increased coordination and cooperation across the three par tner areas is likely to be required This is perhaps most relevant to accommodating the needs and interests of young people with more developed skills and who are keen to progress to more challenging activities It is ver y positive that recent months have seen the beginning of a more strategic conversation involving multiple par tners as regards the provision of music activities in the Canal Communities area.
Shout it from the Roof tops Finally, all of those involved in Music for Me have, over time and thanks to great commitment, shaped a programme which has yielded very significant personal and educational impacts for its primary target group children and young people in the Canal Communities area It has also built capacity among the musicians, the homework club staff and Common Ground to take forward this type of work locally The model which has been developed is undoubtedly worthy of support for continued implementation locally and of direct relevance to multiple other contexts in Ireland and beyond The project partners should therefore ensure that they avail of all opportunities to highlight Music for Me, its merits, achievements and potential
Common Ground wishes to engage a suitably qualified and experienced individual or organisation, to:
B Evaluate the Music for Me programme;
B Identif y how well it is meeting its current aims and objectives;
B Make recommendations for its future direction and development.
As this programme is delivered in partnership with a number of other organisations, it will be important for the evaluator to consider the implications of this in terms of aims, objectives, outcomes and future development.
The evaluation will identify:
B Ef fectiveness of current structures and processes for deliver y of the programme
B Par tner organisations’ respective definition of success within the contex t of Music for Me, and the implications of these for programme deliver y
B Common goals that exist for all par tners within the programme
Current resource implications that the Music for Me programme places upon all programme par tners
B The impact that par ticipation in Music for Me has had upon programme par ticipants, relevant workers and the host organisations
B Priorities for future development of the programme
In order to guide the overall review process, a Steering Group was formed, comprising Irma Grothuis, Arts Development Worker with Common Ground, Siobhán Geoghegan, Common Ground’s Director of Artistic Programme, Sabryna Porter, Leader of Dolphin House Homework Club and Fiona Joyce, Youth Worker with the Canal Communities Regional Youth Service. The project team met with the Steering Group at the outset and mid point of the evaluation process.
The evaluation team met with the following members of homework club staff:
B Dolphin House Homework Club
Sabr yna Por ter and Tina O’Sullivan
B Fatima Homework Club
Katia Hanke and Olive Monahan
B St Michael’s Family Resource Centre
Aileen Balfe and Leonie Flood
Jim Lawlor, Manager of Rialto Youth Project which encompasses the Dolphin House and Fatima Homework Clubs, was also consulted.
A total of 51 children and young people were consulted in a variety of ways including group discussions and one to one interviews. A small number of young participants provided their feedback to homework club staff, following templates devised for the purposes of the evaluation
The following musicians contributed their views to the evaluation process:
Dara O’Brien Telephone Discussion Elaine Agnew Individual Inter view Klaus Vormehr Telephone Discussion
Mark Ellison Group Discussion
Nick Roth Individual Inter view Pia Dunne Group Discussion Ray Boyle Group Discussion
The evaluation team met with Aisling Roche, Acting CEO of Music Network
In addition to internal Music for Me documentation, the following sources were consulted:
Repor ts:
B Repor t of the Evaluation of the Music Education Par tnerships in Count y Donegal and Cit y of Dublin by Karan Thompson Consulting Ltd, co commissioned by Music Net work and the Ar ts Council, jointly funded by the Ar ts Council, City of Dublin VEC and Donegal Music Education Par tnership, 2009
B A National System of Local Music Education Ser vices Repor t of a Feasibility Study 2003, Music Net work , 200 3
B A Sound Investment: Workforce development in music education, Scot tish Ar ts Council, July 2007
B Live Music in the Classroom: Vogler Quar tet in Sligo Residency: Orla Moloney, Ar ts Of fice, Sligo Count y Council, April, 2006
Websites:
Sistema Scotland
w w sistemascotland org uk
Big Noise
w makeabignoise org uk
Ceol Ireland
w w.ceolireland.ie
Even if we wanted to (which we don’t), we couldn’t take music from children, they listen to music at every opportunity, it is a common language for young people, it is swapped, sold, learnt, reproduced. There is a danger however, that children in ‘disadvantaged areas’ are mainly consumers of music and get less opportunity to be producers of music. Certainly they get less opportunity to play music than those in more affluent areas.
Bringing children to guitar/piano/singing classes requires considerable resources, not just financial but time and is just not a possibility for many parents. Happily, dance classes are more accessible and are thriving, testament to the hunger for and commitment to rhythm and music in working class areas. Parents again, will quickly say that these too can be prohibitively expensive.
Our Lady of the Wayside NS is a small school in Bluebell with DEIS Band 1 status (DEIS is Delivering Equality of Opportunity in School but don’t get me started!) in other words it is recognised that most of the pupils have ‘educational disadvantage,’ a majority of pupils at the school come from families with very low incomes, mostly social welfare. Music is a huge part of the children’s lives, they swap songs on their phones and MP3 players, they (especially girls) form pop bands and rehearse in the school yard and all love to perform at the Christmas concert. However, few, if any go for individual musical instrument classes and singing training to date has been confined to the amateur attempts of harassed teachers, impaired often by anxiety about their own inadequacies and about how ‘hyper’ the pupils will get. The opportunity, therefore, offered by Common Ground to have ‘choir’ / singing lessons in the school
was greeted with enthusiasm by teachers and pupils. It is not easy to come into the formal setting of a school, pupils and teachers are demanding they want results immediately practice is resisted but satisfaction at producing good sounds makes it all worthwhile. (Resistance to music practice is universal as a fortunate parent who has brought ‘a very lucky girl!’ to guitar classes ‘at her own request’, I am accused of extreme cruelty when I suggest that ‘practice’ might be required.)
For the past five years, Our Lady of the Wayside NS has been part of the Creativity in the Classroom programme this visual arts projects aims to provide children with time to explore their creative energy, time and space to allow a multitude of emotional responses to enfold, the opportunity to develop language skills, and provide a supportive and nurturing environment for the overall development of the child. This is done through a close partnership between teacher who knows the children and comes to develop his or her artistic skills and the artist who knows art and comes to know the children and their creativity. The difference between this and other art programmes is that it is the creative context where all children are included, despite or perhaps because of their emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Common Ground’s Music for Me programme has brought the production of music closer to the pupils of Our Lady of the Wayside NS. Though not all classes have benefited yet all children in some classes have done so. Again, all children, regardless of special educational needs are included. This can be a challenge, as a cultural impediment at play is the notion that
some people are musical and some not. (Other cultures are emphatic that everybody has music in them just with different styles or voices.) All children love music, movement and rhythm and should have the chance to explore or experience the production of music. Younger children are more open to this notion of inclusion and difference in the production of music and this was evident in the very successful Love Live Music day hosted at the school in June (see www.olw.ie). This brought together the wider school community to show all that the production of music is not just a delightful privilege but a right and one which brings joy and confidence to the whole community.
It is an unfortunate cliché that these are difficult times the school is suffering extreme hardship with cutbacks to every area
we no longer have a caretaker, we have lost a teacher, we are unable to pay crippling utility bills and cannot raise funds to do essential repairs. At the same time it is apparent from many of the pupils that they are experiencing significant difficulties at home while therapeutic services are disappearing. A few initiatives this year have helped us to stay positive one is the excellent Write to Read literacy initiative (see www.writetoread.ie) and the other has been Music for Me from Common Ground and Maeve O’Hara’s gentle encouragement of singing ability. We are delighted that this year we were able to offer the chance to have a singing teacher to two classes and we hope that the partnership with Common Ground will continue and develop into the future.
Anne McCluskey Principal, Our Lady of the Wayside National School amccluskey@olw.ie
St Michael’s Estate is changing. After almost 10 years of campaigns, disappointments and negotiation by the residents of St Michael’s Estate; regeneration has finally arrived.
The Family Resource Centre’s After Schools Programme, St Michael’s Estate will be moving. It will have a state of the art new facility across the road in 2013. New homes are being built, there will be a new community centre. The lives of the children and families in the estate will change radically.
O f course there are many memories that will also move. If an area becomes synonymous with a particular reality or type of behaviour, society can forget the vast spectrum of other realities that exist within the same geographical area.
The Family Resource Centre’s After Schools Programme, St Michael’s Estate is a place of positivity and joy. As soon as you walk through the front entrance of a grossly neglected building you enter a world that has been created by warm, caring and deeply professional and committed staff. The children attend a place that is bright, encouraging and full of love. They meet staff who care for them, mind them and yes make them do their homework every day!
Sadly these staff have been reduced now and while there is the excitement of a much needed new premises this is tinged with concern as to how an After Schools Programme can be run in a climate of constant budgetary cuts.
The music programme continues apace. Similarly to the commitment of staff, the musicians who work there are committed to the musical development of the children who access its services. Weekly guitar sessions and singing sessions
continue. The children have written and recorded their work and perform regularly for the parents and local community who support them by attending in large numbers a testament to the work of the After Schools Programme, the musicians, participants and a community who fiercely loves its children. We do not presently know what 2013 holds for Common Ground or its Music for Me Programme with the Family Resource Centre’s After Schools Programme, St Michael’s Estate. The funding prognosis is not positive but both organisations are well used to functioning and overcoming circumstances that may seem adverse or insurmountable.
A lot of groundwork has been laid. A lot of children have been given their voice and the confidence to use it, that seed has already taken root. Music is playing a significant role in their lives. They won’t let it disappear. Somehow music in the Family Resource Centre’s After Schools Programme, St Michael’s Estate will find a way to flourish and continue. We just have to figure out the ‘How’.
The weekly sessions of the Music for Me programme have been running in the After Schools Programme for 4 years and have evolved and flourished through various stages; from very basic music (rhythm and singing) workshops to young people taking individual lessons in singing, piano and guitar right up to groups composing, recording and performing their own compositions.
As we originally started working with all age groups, including groups of 3 5 year olds, we ' ve had the pleasure of working with young people who have developed such a strong interest as to start composing raps and songs outside of the weekly sessions and bring them in to be worked on in the groups. Also whole families have gotten involved in the Music for Me Programme. It's now common place for a younger brother or sister to join, having been inspired by an older sibling. In some cases we have up to 4 siblings from the same family, ranging from age 6 12. The standard of musicianship and levels of interest just keep rising and we’re just as excited as the young people to see how high we can set the bar for the future.
Pia Dunne delivers weekly singing and keyboard sessions with the children of the Family Resource Centre’s Af ter Schools Programme, St Michael’s Estate
How the Rialto Youth Project and other community par tners have brought music education to an exciting new point of depar ture.
Rialto Youth Project1 is located in the south west inner city of Dublin 8, beside the Grand Canal where since the 1950s the local physical landscape has been dominated by two large local authority flat complexes the former Fatima Mansions and Dolphin House.
The Youth Project works with local children and young people considered most at risk, aged 5 21. Since its establishment in 1981 it has had a pioneering role in developing a distinct set of youth work programmes/interventions that strive to authenticate and affirm young people’s life experiences; while also developing the skill sets and capacities necessary for young people to function in critical, meaningful ways among their peers, local community, wider city and with an emerging sense of civil society.
The Project has a unique tradition of arts practises dating back to the mid 1980s and a particular commitment to developing the arts as a central aspect of the lives of children, young people and the wider community.
Over the past 20 years the Project has engaged with a significant range of artists and arts organisations across most art forms visual arts, drama, music, film, creative writing, street theatre and dance within which it has sought to design and deliver innovative programmes/projects while also experimenting and reflecting upon the nature of collaboration.
The Music for Me initiative was one such initiative. It originated in Dolphin House in 2005 and then extended to the Fatima Homework Club in 2006 through a partnership initiative and
arrangement with Common Ground, a local arts development organisation. The various values / aims / outcomes of the initiative are the subject of this publication largely informed by the formal Music for Me evaluation carried out in 2009 2010 period and as such does not require any elaboration in this brief article. Suffice to say that the Rialto Youth Project (including its constituent Fatima and Dolphin House Homework Clubs)2 has covered a lot of ground in strengthening a collective commitment to music education for children and young people. It is important to note that beyond Music for Me, the Youth Project had either led out or partnered other stakeholders in establishing a vital set of music initiatives within the community including the Rialto Jammers, CEOL training for youth workers, local music circles for children and the Rialto Music Club that collectively have engaged hundreds of people in a consistent and exciting manner in recent years.
So at its core the Youth Project recognises music as a distinct language that offers a particular licence to feel, to inquire into and explore our individual and collective sense of identity and life experiences. It is regarded as a powerful and potentially liberating experience especially for young people as it touches and resonates with them in special ways, often being of great importance for them at critical times in their lives. It follows therefore that as a Youth Project we have a particularly dedicated and diligent approach to developing Music in the lives of young people on a long term, sustainable basis.
In 2009, the Youth Project against the backdrop of economic recession, the rationalisation of youth work services and
persistent, worsening, inequality issues with regards to arts access and participation for children and young people moved to create a two day Music Dialogue one in which all the stakeholders and co ordinators of the various local music programmes in operation were drawn together to set out shared and realisable goals for the future.
That visioning process was extended and supported through the establishment of a Rialto Music Working Group3 that has since fed into and informed the development of a new model of local arts provision that found full expression in the A Local Imagine Nation: Rialto Arts Plan 2012 2016 4 launched by Michael D Higgins, President of Ireland in November 2011.
This Music Working Group comprises key Youth Project leaders and youth workers in music, professional musicians, the Common Ground and other community interests. Its aim is to promote public interest and participation in a community based music programme for children, young people and adults within Rialto. The group has provided leadership, resources and a co ordinated response to the existing music initiatives in the area. It has also worked with the interdisciplinary arts group Vagabond Reviews to examine its values, consolidate its history, develop appropriate pedagogies and a clear strategic approach to working with music policy makers, funders and music institutions in the future.
The signs are that energy and progression is in evidence at all sorts of levels, not least in the increasing confidence and accomplishments of children and young people; the launch of The Little Strings album and follow up CD imminent in
November 2012; the connectivity between local music programmes and those of the CDVEC, Kylemore College and the Ballyfermot School of Music and the recent award of a major grant from The Arts Council towards the development of a young people’s music ensemble in Rialto. These developments, taken together including the legacy of Music for Me makes for interesting times ahead. The foundations are in place, the vision and ambition within the community is clear, increasingly articulate and very focussed on ensuring that music becomes a central facet of the ordinary, everyday, education and life of this and future generations.
Dolphin House Homework Club and Fatima Homework Club, Rialto
1 Rialto Youth Project is a communit y based youth project based at St Andrew ’s Communit y Centre, 468 South Circular Road, Rialto, Dublin 8. T 453 16 38.
2 The integration of the Dolphin House and Fatima Homework Clubs into the Rialto Youth Project organisational and management structures occurred in the 2005 / 2006 and 2009 / 2010 respectively
membership: 2010 / 2011 Rialto Youth Project; Sabr yna Por ter (Chair) , Olive Monahan, Vanessa Kenny, Michael Byrne. Common Ground; Irma Grothuis / Jackie Maguire Musician; Mark Ellison Fatima Groups United; Niall O’Baoill 2011 / 2012 Rialto Youth Project; Gillian O’Connor (Chair) , Olive Monahan, Michael Byrne, Erika Cox and Lisa McKenny Common Ground; Irma Grothius. Musician; Mark Ellison Fatima Groups United; Niall O’Baoill
4 A Local Imagine Nation: Rialto Ar ts Plan 2012 2016 is a 5 year plan that sets out to establish a new model of local ar ts provision that will be owned and operated within a communit y contex t over the 2012 2016 period This initiative involves a local par tnership bet ween Fatima Groups United, the Rialto Youth Project and a set of allied relationships to wider communit y interests; the cit y of Dublin and national ar ts policy; suppor t bodies and institutions including The National College of Ar t & Design Fur ther information and/or copies of the plan please contact Niall O’Baoill (Ar ts Manager, Fatima Groups United) at the F2 Neighbourhood Centre, Reuben Street, Rialto, Dublin 8 T 453 4722
Common Ground often acts like an invisible thread, linking up new opportunities and introducing possibilities to new partners, artists and local groups. Since 1999 our commitment has been that be they children, young people, adults or artists, through the quality of their engagement, that they experience the transformational experience of the arts in its many forms, whether its music, visual arts, dance, film, public art and collaborative arts initiatives and practices.
In Common Ground we understand that the arts facilitate a child to make sense of the world; to question, to speculate and to find solutions; to deal with feelings and to respond to creative experiences, engaging the brain, body and emotions at the one time in a range of symbolic languages and forms. Sometimes this can be a difficult process to support. Especially in an education system where the realities in place are often designed to focus on how the brain gathers knowledge, rather than making sense of ‘the how’ and ‘the why’.
Since its inception in 2005, Music for Me, a core programme of our work, has operated in five different community based homework clubs and after schools and youth project settings. Through weekly and group music sessions children and young people worked with a variety of professional musicians. The children and young people’s dedication and perseverance demonstrated to everyone the very real value of music in their everyday lives. They have informed our continued commitment to expand new and diverse ways to work with children so that their creative and artistic thinking is stimulated and that their participation in the arts is a well informed personal choice and positive experience.
E a r l y Ye a r s T i n y Vo i c e s – t h e t i e t h a t b i n d s
For Common Ground it was inevitable that we would eventually begin to develop arts programmes specifically for the early years. Our arts development worker, Irma Grothuis was a consistent champion of the arts and early years and in 2010 Early Childhood Ireland approached us to consider how we could jointly develop and research a new early years arts programme in Dublin 8 and 12. As a result we formed the Tiny Voices pilot with three core strands of learning; 1. to offer young children an opportunity to engage their brain, body and emotions through the symbolic language and form of music; 2. to introduce childcare staff to a new creative and artistic experience that would influence their daily work practice and 3. to create new opportunities for musicians to engage in artistic experiences with the early years. The creativity and co creation between young children with musicians and childcare staff where they embraced the possibility and positivity of working together allowed us to witness the freedom of ‘the possible selves’ that inspired us to make the pilot happen.
Nelson Mandela once said that if the cultural life of a country is strong, then its soul is strong and building a strong cultural life begins at an early age. Think of all the music you listen to and then imagine the unimaginable; Ireland without music. No songs. No voice. Imagine you are told you cannot listen to music for one whole day. The potential loss is indescribable. The reality is music adds value and richness to any nation’s cultural life in ways that facts and figures can never quantify or describe.
As adults and during tough times it’s our responsibility to value the tiny voices, to secure their possible future and place in Ireland’s rich cultural life. Simply put, it’s our job.
Siobhán Geoghegan Director of Ar tistic Programme, Common Ground
Published by Common Ground, October 2012.
Common Ground 15 Tyrconnell Road, Inchicore Dublin 8, Ireland t +353 (0) 1 707 8766 f +353 (0) 1 454 8311 e info@commonground ie www commonground ie
Photography: Courtesy of Conor Healy, Darragh Shanahan, Phillip Cullen, Siobhán Geoghegan and Ailve McCormack
Design: Atelier David Smith, Dublin Printing: Print Media Services, Dublin
© Common Ground, Dolphin House Homework Club, Fatima Homework Club, Our Lady of the Wayside National School, The Family Resource Centre’s After Schools Club St Michael’s Estate and Mullan Consulting, 2012 ISBN: 978 0 9539024
The attached CD collects recordings from the Music for Me programme, 2005 – 2012.
Tracks 01 03 created by Dolphin House Homework Club, Nick Roth and Elaine Agnew.
A collection of recordings from the Music for Me programme, 2005 2012
A collection of recordings from the Music for Me programme, 2005 2012
© Copyright 2012 Common Ground, Dolphin House Homework Club, Fatima Homework Club, Family Resource Centre After-Schools Programme – St Michael’s Estate and Thomas Johnston.
Tracks 04 06 created by Stuart Brophy, Jennifer Kiely, Jodie, Caithlin, Amanda, Karen, Fatima Homework Club, Mark Ellison and Olive Monaghan.
© Copyright 2012 Common Ground, Dolphin House Homework Club, Fatima Homework Club, Family Resource Centre A er-Schools Programme – St Michael’s Estate and Thomas Johnston.
If You Want to be a Good Friend of Mine
Graveyard Blues
Tracks 07 – 09 created by Family Resource Centre After-Schools Programme – St Michael’s Estate, Pia Dunne and Ray Boyle.
Good Morning How Are You
Little Fishy
Magic Train
Tracks 10 12 created by Thomas Johnston for Tiny Voices.
© Copyright 2012 Common Ground, Dolphin House Homework Club, Fatima Homework Club, Family Resource Centre After-Schools Programme – St Michael’s Estate and Thomas Johnston.