The Provision of Music in Special Education (PROMISE) 2015

The paper reports the outcomes of a national survey of music in special schools in England that was conducted in the summer of 2015. The survey sought to uncover the current state of affairs in the sector, whilst also allowing a comparison to be made with the findings of a related study undertaken at the end of the last century. The survey outcomes also provide contextual data to inform the design of a current wider national initiative to improve the overall effectiveness of music education in the UK for all children (the inspire-music project). In total, fifty-seven special schools responded to the on-line survey. Findings suggest that music is taught at least weekly to 95% of children aged 2–13 years (noting that 5–13 are the statutory ages for music in mainstream schools), with slightly smaller proportions for 14–16 yearolds (83%), an age group for whom music becomes an optional subject in mainstream schools, and less for the oldest age group (66% of 16–19 year-olds). Eighty per cent of schools reported that they employed a specialist music teacher, which appears to be a much higher proportion of musically qualified staffing than almost two decades earlier. Where schools have a formal music curriculum, over half (59%) report that this is specially designed and adapted from existing models, such as the new Sounds of Intent framework. Music was also reported to be a common element in other lessons by 3:4 schools, and common at lunchtimes/break times (2:3). Regular and systematic input from outside music agencies was reported to be relatively common (3:4 schools). Four-fifths of schools had a dedicated music room, and music technology use was commonplace. Music therapy was reported to be available in 1:3 schools, a similar proportion to 1999–2000, but for relatively double the numbers of children (11%, compared to 5% earlier). In addition, virtually all schools (96%) reported children with a particular interest in music and almost all schools felt that music was important. The detailed data imply a clear positive shift since the late 1990s, with more musically qualified staffing, a broader range of resources for the music curriculum, more external organisations available to support music, increased use of music technology and improved music therapy provision. Nevertheless, given the small number of schools responding to the survey compared to those in total within the special schools sector, it is not yet possible to confirm that all children have access to an effective music education

Technology, SEN and EY

In this chapter, we present a novel framework of musical development in the Early Years, which is informed by the now well-established Sounds of Intent (SoI) framework for the assessment of the musical development of children and young people with complex needs. Notwithstanding the novelty of the SoI paradigm, where the Special Educational Needs (SEN) world is now coming to inform the so-called mainstream world of Early Years (EY) education, we raise the importance of the conceptualisation of an extensible taxonomy of music educational technologies. We suggest that the theoretical framework of Sounds of Intent in the Early Years is a robust platform on which the proposed taxonomy can sit, and propose a way forward in developing such a taxonomy. We pose that this will lead to the decoupling from current practice that is believed to be tool-centric, often industry driven and not necessarily one that fosters critical thinking that places the child on the centre of the focus

Muziekonderwijs voor kinderen met speciale onderwijsbehoeften

Er komt steeds meer wetenschappelijk bewijs voor positieve effecten van muziekbeoefening op het sociale, psychologische en fysieke welzijn van mensen. Vooral voor kinderen met beperkingen en speciale onderwijsbehoeften kan dat waardevol zijn en meer onderzoek hiernaar is dan ook wenselijk, stellen Eva Wilde, Adam Ockelford en Graham Welch. In dit artikel beschrijven ze het project Sounds of Intent, het eerste empirische onderzoeksproject dat de muzikale ontwikkeling van kinderen en jongeren met leerproblemen in kaart brengt en een eerste poging doet om vast te stellen hoe die ontwikkeling tot stand komt

Effects of cyanobacteria soil crusts on surface roughness and splash erosion

Soil surface roughness (SSR) modifies interactions and feedback processes between terrestrial and atmospheric systems driven by both the abiotic and biotic components of soils. This paper compares SSR response to a low intensity multi‐day rainfall event for soils with and without early successional stage cyanobacteria‐dominated biological soil crusts (CBCs). A rainfall simulator was used to apply 2 mm, 5 mm and 2 mm of rain separated by a 24‐hour period over 3 days at an intensity of 60 mm hr‐1. Changes in SSR were quantified using geostatistically‐derived indicators calculated from semivariogram analysis of high resolution laser scans. The CBCs were stronger and splash erosion substantially less than from the physical soil crusts. Prior to rainfall treatment soils with CBCs had greater SSR than those without. The rainfall treatments caused the physical crusted soils to increase SSR and spatial patterning due to the translocation of particles, soil loss and the development of raindrop impact craters. Rainfall caused swelling of cyanobacterial filaments but only a slight increase in SSR, and raindrop impact cratering and splash loss were low on the soils with CBCs. There is no relationship between random roughness and splash erosion, but an increase in splash loss was associated with an increase in topographic roughness and small‐scale spatial patterning. A comparison of this study with other research indicates that for rainfall events up to 100 mm the effectiveness of CBCs in reducing soil loss is >80% regardless of the rainfall amount and intensity which highlights their importance for landscape stabilization

Impact of multi-day rainfall events on surface roughness and physical crusting of very fine soils

Soil surface roughness (SSR), a description of the micro-relief of soils, affects the surface storage capacity of soils, influences the threshold flow for wind and water erosion and determines interactions and feedback processes between the terrestrial and atmospheric systems at a range of scales. Rainfall is an important determinant of SSR as it can cause the dislocation, reorientation and packing of soil particles and may result in the formation of physical soil crusts which can, in turn, affect the roughness and hydrological properties of soils. This paper describes an experiment to investigate the impact of a multi-day rainfall event on the SSR and physical crusting of very fine soils with low organic matter content, typical of a semi-arid environment. Changes in SSR are quantified using geostatistically-derived indicators calculated from semivariogram analysis of high resolution laser scans of the soil surface captured at a horizontal resolution of 78 μm (0.078 mm) and a vertical resolution of 12 μm (0.012 mm). Application of 2 mm, 5 mm and 2 mm of rainfall each separated by a 24 h drying period resulted in soils developing a structural two-layered ‘sieving’ crust characterised by a sandy micro-layer at the surface overlying a thin seal of finer particles. Analysis of the geostatistics and soil characteristics (e.g. texture, surface resistance, infiltration rate) suggests that at this scale of enquiry, and for low rainfall amounts, both the vertical and horizontal components of SSR are determined by raindrop impact rather than aggregate breakdown. This is likely due to the very fine nature of the soils and the low rainfall amounts applied

Promoting the musical engagement of autistic children in the early years through a program of parental support: an ecological research study

Some autistic children display an intuitive capacity to reproduce and restyle the musical stimuli that they encounter in their environments. Music also offers a safe space for the development of social competencies and, across the spectrum, musical interventions are regarded as an effective way of promoting engagement with others. Yet, there is a lack of empirically researched music programs for parents and carers of children with autism. In this study, 11 families with autistic children incorporated music making into everyday life, supported by researcher-practitioners and framed by resources outlining musical activities based on the Sounds of Intent in the Early Years framework. Assessment of video data and interviews revealed that the new resources were flexible enough to be adapted to each child and they helped parents to build confidence to engage with their children musically. It was found that children had an increased interest and engagement in music as well as in joint play, which impacted positively on their musical and social development. The interpersonal music spaces created by the parents provided opportunities for unlocking expressiveness and interactive behavior, which in turn supported verbal development, emotional regulation and social interaction. These findings have implications for arts-in-health research and highlight the potentially crucial role of parents as mentors for their child’s musical development. The study further demonstrates that specialist musical training is not a requirement to develop parent–child engagement in music making at home

Building musical lives: the impact of supporting musical play in the everyday lives of autistic children and their families

Musical spaces have been observed to be highly engaging for autistic children, ameliorating barriers often experienced in communication and interaction. Music interventions with this group are widespread and have frequently noted the importance of integrating caregivers. Yet beyond music therapy, there is limited research on how to support music-making in daily life for autistic children and their families. In particular, there is a lack of long-term ecological evidence with this group for how music can support everyday functioning, care routines, and wellbeing. In this study, 25 families participated in a 12-month program which supported the integration of music into everyday life. Families were interviewed at the end of the project regarding the effectiveness of music as a support for daily routines, play, and wellbeing. Qualitative thematic analysis highlighted how families implemented musical strategies in widespread ways as a medium to support communication, create valued opportunities for shared interaction, and as a way to scaffold everyday caring routines. Families’ uses of musical play strategies, as observed in this study, emphasize the importance of incorporating caregivers and home environments as part of arts programs for autistic children, and the effectiveness of empowering parents to use music as a tool to navigate everyday life