Venue: Theatre 2, Irish World Academy
Presenters - Sarah Alley, Jo Parsons,
Chair - Steven Ryan
This presentation will explore current ethnographic PhD research, investigating music and health in primary schools with a focus on two schools, one in Ireland and one in England. Sarah Alley and Jo Parsons are music therapists who have created music therapy and music teaching programmes within primary schools to support children’s mental health, wellbeing and learning. Sarah’s work centres on music therapy initiatives for children who experience behaviours of anxiety which have stemmed from family and community trauma. Jo’s research and work focuses on the interaction of musical practices in regards to therapy, education and everyday life – and as they relate to children in a mainstream primary setting in a rural town in England. Combining theory, research, and real-world examples, this seminar highlights how creative music initiatives within schools can nurture children's mental health, wellbeing, and educational outcomes.
Sarah Alley is a PhD student at the Academy focused on the power of music therapy for child mental health, particularly anxiety in the school context. She is a music therapist working at Corpus Christi Primary School, Moyross, Limerick.
Jo Parsons is a music therapist and music educator who works within mainstream education in the UK (originally from Canada). She is a PhD candidate at Nordoff Robbins/Goldsmiths, University of London and her thesis focuses on the creation, development and sustainment of music ecologies in school settings. Along with Sergio Sorcia Reyes, she is co-editor of the journal, Music and Arts in Action.
Steve Ryan is an experienced songwriter, guitarist, performer, educator, researcher, and community musician with proficiency in facilitating creatively in a variety of specialised contexts. These include youth work, mental health, healthcare, senior care, primary and secondary schools, and 3rd level education. Steve is the Course Director of the Masters in Songwriting at the Irish World Academy. He is currently an Arts Practice Research PhD candidate in that institution, exploring the areas of creative reciprocity and positionality under the working title of “Articulating the fluidity of the songwriting community musician in the field: An autoethnographic interrogation of creative self-expression and self-preservation.” His broader research interests are in community music, songwriting and creative facilitation with people of all ages.