Conceptualising inclusion in community music through investigating experiences of both practitioners and children: a qualitative study

Inclusion is often stated as a key dimension of community music (CM). This is of interest in CM research and practice as well as in broader contexts of music education; finding ways of increasing access through and in music participation are imperative. Inclusion, however, is understood in contrasting ways and is often constructed from an adult’s perspective. While practitioner values and actions for achieving and maintaining inclusive spaces have been investigated, less is known about (a) approaches of CM teams with practitioners who have additional support needs (ASN) and (b) how participation may be constructed by children with and without ASN. To investigate this, an exploratory qualitative study investigated a six-week CM programme. Workshops were delivered for seven children aged 10-12, (three with ASN) by two CM practitioners (one of whom wears hearing aids). Interviews were undertaken with practitioners and a child-led focus group was held after the programme. Data were analysed with thematic analysis, resulting in identification of three practitioner themes: multiple ways in which outlines the potential for children to contribute through different artistic disciplines; special communication, which describes the crucial aspect of maintaining a close working relationship in the delivery team and the importance they placed on recognising and building on golden nuggets which were moments of creative flow in the group. Themes from the children: expressing yourself and building a band explored emotional release that group music making provided and social gains and strong group identification the children perceived in creating a “band” together. Capturing these influential views offers insight into (a) how practitioners’ multimodal communications provided distinct options for participation and (b) the potential of investigating children’s musical identities as providing an effective lens for understanding inclusion.