Early Years/Early Childhood
Facilitated by Nicola Burke – nicola@musicforearlyyears.co.uk
Five key issues have been identified that need addressing within Early Years.
1. Early Years not in the National Plan for Music Education
2. Engagement of parents / carers
3. The wide range of early years settings and business models
4. Training & CPD
5. Promoting and celebrating cultural diversity
Important considerations to carry across all planned activity:
The positive, evidenced effects of music making in the early years on:
a. cognitive, emotional and social development
b. language and communication skills
c. interacting with others
d. confidence and self-belief
e. parent and child attachment
The importance of continuing to professionalise the early-years sector as a whole and music within it, through:
a. a fit for purpose teacher training qualifications right from the off
b. a connected workforce to share ways of working
c. culturally diverse practice
d. activities informed by involvement of parents / carers and taking a multi-agency approach
Actions:
- MEC to push hard for the inclusion of Early Years in the National Plan for Music Education
- MEC to secure agreement from the national membership organisations under the MEC umbrella that they will do the same to ensure a united voice
- advocate the importance for all providers of early-years music-making to be more systematic in asking what parents / carers want and planning their activities accordingly
- advocate the importance of multi-agency working, which was also agreed to be vital in terms of assessing need and securing the interest of parents / carers and their children particularly for those in challenging circumstances
- share good examples of the engagement of parents / carers on the Youth Music Network
- Arts Council England has a social investment programme called the Arts Impact Fund. Further information here
- School for Social Entrepreneurs, runs courses in scaling up / social franchising and setting up a social enterprise
- Early Years will continue to be a priority area in Youth Music’s new business plan for the period April 2016 to March 2020 – informed by the responses to the MEC consultation