The autumn term was a busy time as we engaged in Phase 2 of our AHRC funded research collaboration between Live Music Now and University of South Wales.
This phase was all about collaboration, consultation and coproduction. We met a number of autistic and non-autistic stakeholders to understand their experiences, priorities and perspectives on our research.
The first two events were networking and stakeholder events in Northern Ireland and online for our Welsh colleagues. Below are summaries of what we learnt and took forward from these public engagement activities.
Our sincere thanks to all who attended, contributed or listened back to the events – we continue to welcome feedback and engagement as we move into the next phase of our research.
Another aspect of Phase 2 was a series of focus groups. We met a number of teachers and Live Music Now musicians involved in the Youth Music funded pilot work at ARB in England which preceded and informed this research project.
These conversations enabled us to learn more about the impact of the pilot work and consider how it shapes the next phase of our research.
We also held a focus group with a number of autistic and non-autistic professionals from the music education and autism services, and the wider music industry.
We engaged in a rich, thought-provoking discussion about access to musical opportunities for autistic children, as well as reflecting on the ethos and vision of our research. Several aspects of this discussion have really shaped our thinking and adjusted our research plans.
Our sincere thanks to Yasmeen Multani (USW), Flo Waddington (UCAN Productions), Jonathan Westrup (Open Up Music) and other autistic and non-autistic professionals who contributed to this discussion.
The final element of phase 2 was a songwriting workshop with autistic pupils at a local special school, as a form of Arts-Based Research.
Since our research focuses on autistic children and young people’s access to musical opportunities, it felt important that we collaborated with and consulted autistic children and young people in developing our ideas. Songwriting felt like an accessible and relevant medium for this project.
In addition to writing a song together about the experience of engaging in music, the following image gives a summary of what Dr Beth Pickard and Alex Lupo took away from the experience to inform the next phase of the research.
You can hear the song and read the lyrics here.
Sincere thanks to the local special school who hosted the workshop, parents/guardians who consented to pupils’ participation, and the children and young people who gave assent and participated in the workshop.
