Approach

The framework of musical development is based on research with three main elements.

a) Observational data of children with profound learning difficulties experiencing or engaging with music have been gathered by expert practitioners through videotape recordings and fieldnotes. These have been analysed for responses or actions that seemed to be representative, exceptional or indicative of attainment or any progress that they believe to be worthy of note. The findings have subsequently been presented to and discussed by the research group, which has met on a termly basis. Emerging ideas have been synthesised by the lead researchers, and used to inform and critique the developmental model which has evolved iteratively in response to new findings and suggestions from the group. As further data have been gathered, these have bee analysed in relation to the model, completing a cyclical process of empirical and theoretical work.

b) The analysis and emerging model have been informed by psychological research pertaining to ‘typical’ early musical development, including listening, producing and responding to music and musical sounds from the period of foetal development through to the first three years of life.

c) The model has been informed too by the theory of music cognition that is being developed by one of the researchers, which suggests that mature engagement with music entails the (typically subconscious) attribution of derivation to its constituent sounds, whereby one is felt to generate another or others through imitation. This applies both to structural understanding (through which music ‘makes sense’) as well as aesthetic response (which includes music’s apparent capacity to express or represent emotion). The theory has been used to predict the order in which the musical abilities it implies are likely to evolve in children (irrespective of their learning difficulties).