Derrington 2012 thesis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

others to hear what is being played and who fling wide the doors and windows for
others to hear their music, even on the coldest day. However for others, making
sounds that express how they are feeling and for these to be heard by someone else,
even within the confidential setting of therapy, can often be the reason to refuse
sessions. The way that music therapy is organised in school is very important. In
order to help students get the most from music therapy, the setting and the systems
have to be in place, including arrangements for when they refuse. If it does not feel
safe and organised, vulnerable students with emotional and behavioural difficulties
are not likely to keep attending.
As already considered, teenagers need structure and things to feel familiar and not
unpredictable. The timing and the consistency of each session can be enough to hold
this and provide the overall container, allowing students to feel safe enough to play. If
a student’s behaviour becomes very controlling it can be difficult to see the progress
week after week. However, with the help of monitoring and reflection by notes
written after sessions, as well as supervision, it becomes easier to see how a student
has used the time in a way that works for them and how it has helped them. The
specially designed music therapy assessments and the awards form just part of the
monitoring of music therapy that has been set up at this school.
At every stage of its development, from Cottenham Village College with a Learning
Support Unit to The Cottenham Academy encompassing two schools, the provision
of music therapy has endured. Having made presentations to head teachers and
Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos), and worked with other music
therapists to promote music therapy, several other secondary schools in
Cambridgshire have followed suit and employ a music therapist to work with students
with special needs.
However, music therapy needs to be made available to more disaffected students and
to those who do not necessarily have special needs. As highlighted by the literature
review in chapter two it has been recognised that music therapy helps adolescents
with special needs (Flower, 1993; Strange, 1999; McFerran, 2010) but there is much
less published evidence for its benefits for students at risk of exclusion due to
emotional and behavioural difficulties. With an established pattern of working at
Cottenham, good communication with the staff teams and a recognised referral
! ($!