Our Tiny Sparks project, in Leicester, was designed to develop children’s language and music skills and has achieved its objective and improved children’s sense of well-being thanks in large part to artist Dave ‘Stickman’ Higgins.
The ten-week project took place in the North and Central areas of the city, home to diverse communities, where many families speak English as an additional language and face barriers to accessing music-making.
More than 290 children, 280 parents and 94 early years practitioners took part in the initiative, which was funded by Youth Music and delivered by The Spark Arts for Children, in partnership with Leicester City Council’s Children, Young People and Family Centres (CYPFC).
THE PROJECT
Tiny Sparks placed musicians in residence across a range of settings, from Children’s Centres to private and school nurseries. Alongside the residency, a programme of CPD was offered, plus bespoke resources were developed to continue music activities at home and in the setting. A symposium was also held to help develop early years music provision in Leicester. The residency began with an introductory visit to meet the families and professionals.
The project provided a combination of 45-minute structured sessions and two-hour, drop-in stay-and-play sessions. Formats with both types of session varied according to the style of the musician and interests of the children and parents, but the aims were to provide participants with opportunity to work with a highly skilled musician whose styles and influences drew on a multitude of world cultures and traditions. The artist had skills in singing and song-writing and an ability to use story, sound and rhythm to develop language and communication skills.
At the end of each session, the musician and partner teachers met informally with the aim of discussing any ‘wow’ moments, what worked well and what could be improved. These review sessions were vital in nurturing a reflective and pedagogical approach.
THE OUTCOMES
As well as improving children’s communication skills, the project also had a marked impact on their well-being. Assessed using the Leuven Scales for involvement and well-being, a significant majority of children demonstrated a deeper level of involvement in the musical play over time, and an increase in their willingness to relax, respond and express themselves.
For some children with additional needs, the distance travelled was significantly further than for their peers, with them showing greater confidence as communicators both individually, and as part of a larger group.
Significantly, the project raised both practitioner and parent confidence in sharing music with children and they continue to use the tools learnt, both at home and in the settings. All families involved received a CD and booklet, which are still being played in settings and homes across Leicester, so the nurturing of creativity continues.
PIVOTAL ROLE
Dave ‘Stickman’ Higgins brought his unique style of performance to the sessions. As well as being a world-class drummer and percussionist, Dave is a poet, actor, educator and conceptual artist, with Barbadian, West African, South American and Irish roots, and a strong Bury accent.
His approach is multi-sensory, interactive and one of LOVE: Love, Open, Vital Energy. Rhythm, word play, music and movement intertwine and flow to create a seamless and organic musical experience for young children.
Dave has a deep understanding of early learning and is passionate about creating ‘rhythm as one, connecting in one flow’, providing a ‘landscape of movement and sound which can have a mesmeric impact on all and one that it is hard not to be part of’.
Immersion in the music is at the very heart of the sessions. Dave introduces a wide-ranging mix of music styles and influences, from jazz to hip hop, Ella Fitzgerald to rap. He also works on the principle of ‘if you say it, you can play it’, so building children’s phonemic awareness is also very much part of his approach.
A typical example is ‘Sponge play’ (a version is now available on YouTube – see More information). In one of the nursery sessions, the children were invited to:
throw a ‘tower’ of washing-up sponges in the air and catch them on paper plates
throw and catch ‘after four’, introducing both co-ordination skills and maths development
then move onto ‘cushion mountain’, where children helped balance a pile of cushions to reach the sky before the ‘bad cloud’ appears, using percussion instruments to herald its arrival.
While appearing to be a free-flowing, creative process, planning is very much at the heart of Dave’s approach. He ‘surveys’ each setting before any session and works out how he is going to ‘dress’ each location beforehand. Collaboration is critical to the success of the sessions.
Dave explains, ‘Building a professional understanding with the Children’s Centre teachers, Liza, Juliet and Liz, who had a shared understanding of the aims of the project and the barriers faced by some children and families in accessing musical learning opportunities, was vital to each session’s success.’
First impressions
To ensure the multi-sensory experience started as soon as families entered the room, Dave arrived at each setting at least an hour before each session to douse the space and some of the cloths that participants would use with fragrances, such as peppermint.
Dave says, ‘The children often immediately talked about the fragrance when they arrived – “this smells like grandma’s garden” – triggering memories, the imagination and making them feel more relaxed.’
He also put up pictures of animals and trees on the walls to stimulate the imagination, and hid the instruments he was going to use under a large African print cloth.
Engaging everyone
Speaking to Dave, it is clear that his poetic, enthusiastic language is very much part of helping everyone feel at ease, and it was incredibly important for him to engage all participants right from the start. Inclusivity is vital – ‘Everybody becomes an actor,’ says Dave.
For many of the parents attending the sessions, English was not a first language, and Dave acknowledges there was an initial reticence from some to engage in the activities. ‘I try to create a free, but safe, free, but guided space for everyone to be playful,’ he says. A key element of this approach is giving parents an instrument to hold early on in the sessions if they are struggling to get involved.
Dave gives the example of an overwhelmed parent who had suffered from post-natal depression and initially sat away from the group. By the second week she felt able to join in with her children and share in the musical play. ‘My aim,’ says Dave ‘is for everyone to leave with nourishment and a smile on their face.’
Dave will also challenge practitioners if they don’t engage. On one occasion, a manager explained that her nursery nurse trainee’s reluctance to join in may be because she felt ‘silly’ getting involved in some activities. Dave suggested this word be replaced by ‘playful’. Over time, Dave encouraged the more reluctant practitioners to relax and respond playfully, in tune with the children.
The reticence of some children to initially join in the sessions, Dave believes, is partly due to the shock of seeing the sessions being led by a man, as quite a large number of the children attending had no significant male presence in their lives. Dave talks about how four or five older children held back in early sessions, but by session three were totally involved in the group.
One teacher who took part in the project says, ‘Right from the beginning the children were engaged and interactive. You could see that over time the children had learned the songs and rhythms. [The sessions were] excellent for listening development, as well as body percussion.’ And, importantly, they were ‘fun!’.
Adel Al-Salloum is director of The Spark Arts for Children
MORE INFORMATION
- https://thesparkarts.co.uk
- See Dave in action at: Sponge play – www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOmK35QnTJ4
- Paper play – www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O8Xs2OG1Sk
- Sphere play – www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1Rg1P9mSM
