Interdisciplinary journey in creating audio-visual ‘buckets for feelings’
My British Academy postdoctoral fellowship created research-based inclusive creative and musical activities designed for children with and without additional support needs (study 1). Another focus was to investigate wellbeing impacts from community music participation with children who have additional support needs (study 2). A further research priority was to find ways for teachers to support children’s engagement with music after the workshops ended (study 3). A key theme from the research of the children’s experiences was the difficulty that they and their teachers and support workers had in understanding and supporting them to process difficult emotions (e.g., sorrow, anger, frustration). One child decribed that playing and listening to music was a ‘bucket for my feelings’. Inspired by this metaphor and informed by music therapy, music psychology and improvisation theory, I designed 5 audio-visual pieces. These were tailored for specific children’s emotional needs through participatory research. The participatory research process and interdisciplinary conceptual map are outlined below.
Study 3 -participatory research process
Interdisciplinary map and roles in informing the research process