Early Years Music Conference

Holistic Approaches to Music Making in the Early Years - A collaboration between AMP, Note Weavers and More Music.

Holistic Approaches to Music Making in the Early Years

This event is for you if you use music in early years settings or if you want to learn how to. You’ll learn new approaches from experienced music practitioners, find out how other people are using music in their early years work and come away with new ideas to try out with your groups.

Keynote from Social Musician and Songmaker, Hugh Nankivell.

Hugh will be sharing some of his experience in working on intergenerational projects over the last decade in England, Wales, Scotland and Japan.

The presentation will share how he has come to love working musically with the very young (pre-school) and the very old (generally 60-100 years old) together and explain and demonstrate some of the myriad benefits.

The practical workshop will creatively look at how we can prepare for, and shape a session with elders and youngsters together, what material might be used as a provocation and stimulus, what connections we might find between the two groups and how we might expect to see the projects progress.

Additional confirmed presentations and workshops include:

• Little Notes - The Little Notes project from AMP brings music sessions to families with young children across North Yorkshire in areas where access to musical opportunities is limited. Each Little Notes session is unique, run in a local library and offers the opportunity to connect and build musical, social and communication skills. AMP's Sarah McWatt, Little Notes' practitioners Sally-Anne Brown and Bryony Harris and Grace Knill from Pioneer Projects will talk about how they work to make these sessions specific, relevant and supportive to the communities they work in.
• Repertoire DIY - Anni Tracy and Ben McCabe from More Music share simple, fun and fluid songwriting methods in this practical session designed to help people fill thematic gaps for music groups and everyday life.
• DARE! - Anni Tracy and Ben McCabe from More Music have been exploring bringing performance, projection, film, puppets and more to a series of shows for under 5s and their adults since 2017. This session will focus on their new show DARE! and how considering a child’s perspective can offer creative starting points.

• Feel the Connection - Exploring Creative Approaches for Supporting Parent-Infant Relationships - Georgina Roberts, Director Note Weavers CIC, Music Therapist, PhD Student and Graduate Teaching Assistant. This workshop will offer an experiential exploration of arts-informed approaches for supporting parent-infant relationships, drawing on a developing toolkit created as part of doctoral research. Participants will engage with selected practices and reflect on how creative, embodied, and relational processes can support connection and attunement in early relationships.
• Songdrawing - Stephanie Warrender: Teacher and Director Laulau Learning UK. Through playful musical art experiences, participants will sing, move, draw, and create in ways that mirror how young children naturally explore the world. Rhythm becomes movement, movement becomes mark making, and marks become stories and songs. It supports deep listening and helps children feel seen and included. Participants will leave inspired and energised with simple, playful ways to create rich musical environments where children can think, feel, move and express themselves freely through music, art and play.

More speakers and workshops to be announced soon!

Food & Drink

Tickets include lunch plus refreshments on arrival and during morning and afternoon breaks. All food will be vegetarian. Please let us know of any further dietary requirements when booking.

Access information

We would like everyone to feel welcome and be fully able to participate in our event.

We are open to providing support for a wide range of access needs, bespoke to attendees’ requirements. Our access fund can be used to cover a wide range of additional costs. Examples include to allow for a companion or carer, or to assist with travel or childcare costs.

Please contact us directly by 9am Monday 23rd February on 07776 420366 or at abby@amp-music.co.uk to discuss any specific needs you have. After this date, we are unable to guarantee capacity to accomodate requests.

In the meantime, it may help to know:

* Free places are available for carers and companions, please contact us directly to book these places (email abby@amp-music.co.uk)

*Please let us know if you have any accessibility requirements - abby@amp-music.co.uk For information about the venue: Accessibility | Skipton Town Hall

*We will be producing an event guide with further access information nearer the time