Music in the Education of Children with Severe or Profound Learning Difficulties: Issues in Current U.K. Provision, A New Conceptual Framework, and Proposals for Research

Abstract

Little is currently known about the provision of music in the education of children who have severe learning difficulties (SLD) or profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) in the U.K., and virtually nothing about the broader place of music in their lives. The inadequacy of this position is compounded by the fact that there is a lack of conceptual clarity as to what constitutes music education for this group as opposed to music therapy. To elicit - and hopefully to inform - future debate, this article develops a new model of music education for those with SLD and PMLD which has two strands: activities that are undertaken primarily for their intrinsic musical value, and those which are intended principally to promote wider learning and development. The validity of this framework is explored in the context of the broader experience of music in the lives of children with severe and profound learning difficulites and, in particular, it is analysed in relation to the role of music therapy. It is suggested that some of the work currently undertaken by music therapists with children with learning difficulties could reasonably be defined as "educational", while much of the activity of music teachers with these pupils has a high therapeutic content. Finally, new research is proposed to identify the music provision that currently exists in special schools, and to assist in further clarifying the distinction between education and therapy in this context.