The Durham Families Making Music programme has been particularly warmly received. Building on a strong history of partnership between The Sage Gateshead, Sure Start and Durham Family Learning, we’re using our Cascade Training model to help locate music at the heart of the emerging Children’s Centres network. “Music is becoming embedded into the fabric of service delivery through this programme” says Brian Brown, manager of Sure Start Peterlee. “It’s incumbent on us to use the skills and resources we’ve gained in the future. Music opportunities should be embedded in all Early Years Services.”
For example, in one of the Durham districts – Derwentside - our musicians have worked with over 100 parents and almost 600 children in a variety of settings since April 2006. All practitioners involved have had the opportunity to work alongside the musicians and put into practice some of the practice they’ve witnessed, as well as developing their own approaches. All settings and practitioners have been given one of our CDs “Songs for Under 5s” to help them extend their repertoire - these have been received with great enthusiasm, and the Little Green Frog song is being sung in many homes and groups throughout Durham! Focused training sessions for practitioners and parents are running alongside the work with children.
The most exciting element of this programme has been the response from people on the ground – this has meant that we’re working with far more settings than we had envisaged, because people are contacting us directly to ask for musical input as they hear about it on the grapevine.
Practitioners are full of enthusiasm:
“This has changed the way I work,”
“I use singing all the time now,”
“I used to be afraid to get out the musical instruments but I’m not any more.”
“All the nursery children were heading back to the class room in a line at the end of a music session, one little boy popped his head back round the door and said “Wendy, I love playing those instruments!” and carried on his way.”
“J used to be sad and not participate, at the last session he said “It’s good, It’s good, It’s good” until his shoes were on and he was out of the door!”
To support this work we’ve established a specialised Early Years Music Training strand of The Sage Gateshead’s acclaimed Trainee and Apprenticeship programme. Our first two Early Years trainees have now graduated to apprenticeship, with another two close on their heels.
It's very clear that if we can give groups and practitioners exactly the right kind of input and support they feel they need when they are asking for it, the effects are simply tremendous.