Hitting the right note for child and adolescent mental and emotional wellbeing: a formative qualitative evaluation of Sistema Scotland’s “Big Noise” orchestral programme

Abstract

Purpose-Previous research emphasises the need for preventative interventions to reduce mental health problems among disadvantaged children and adolescents. There is however little consensus concerning the delivery and impacts of such interventions particularly non-clinical, arts-based models delivered within community settings. The purpose of this paper is to begin to address this deficit through a qualitative assessment of the short-to medium-term impacts to participants' mental and emotional wellbeing within Sistema Scotland's Big Noise orchestral programme. Design/methodology/approach-Semi-structured interviews, observation, participant drawing exercise, participatory filmmaking, focus group and analysis of programme engagement were undertaken to examine the mental and emotional wellbeing impacts of the programme which are observable at this early stage of programme delivery and participants' lives. Findings-The qualitative findings indicate that participation in the Big Noise programme enhances participant mental and emotional wellbeing in three ways; first, the happiness and enjoyment of taking part in the programme and orchestra, particularly from music making; second, the security, belonging and relationships fostered through participation; the quality of musician/participant relationship is important here as is programme design which enables support, routine and structure; and third, increased pride, confidence and self-esteem, as a result of acquiring difficult musical skills, receiving regular praise and having frequent opportunities to demonstrate these acquired skills through regular orchestral performances. Originality/value-There is little evidence or understanding of community-based, preventative, arts interventions like Big Noise: their delivery, their life-course impacts and their potential contribution to mental health and to addressing social and health inequalities. The causal pathways in the field are under-theorised. These early findings are important as they serve as an important basis from which to consider the programme's wider and longer term impacts, which will be assessed through an ongoing longitudinal, mixed method summative evaluation.

The impact of a community‐based music intervention on the health and well‐being of young people: A realist evaluation

“…While some of these contextual characteristics, such as music, have been identified by the literature as possible sources of happiness and enjoyment (see, e.g. Harkins et al, ), our paper reveals more complex pathways (as also suggested in the literature by McFerran et al, ), which identify the space of protection as the main mechanism to well‐being and engagement of young people.…”

“…A community-based organisation, which focuses on a small number of people, can give specific consideration and flexibility to its beneficiaries (Baker, Bull, & Taylor, 2018). The polyhedral approach of the music practitioners encouraged a path of self-identification, which confirms the importance of music practitioners in establishing a trustworthy relationship with the consequent reinforcement of the engagement in the intervention (Harkins et al, 2016;Parker et al, 2018 , 2016), which identify the space of protection as the main mechanism to well-being and engagement of young people.…”

“…Some studies have explored the effectiveness of music interventions in supporting adolescents with psychopathologies (Albornoz, 2011;Gold, Saarikallio, Crooke, & McFerran, 2017;Gold, Voracek, & Wigram, 2004;Gold, Wigram, & Voracek, 2007), whereas others have analysed how these interventions can improve social connectedness and self-esteem among adolescents with mental health problems and behavioural problems (Hense & McFerran, 2017;McFerran et al, 2016;Porter et al, 2017). Researchers | 989 CALÓ et AL. have also considered the role of community-based initiatives promoting arts and music in addressing problems of disadvantaged young people (Harkins, Garnham, Campbell, & Tannahill, 2016;Parker, Marturano, O'Connor, & Meek, 2018), in youth custodial (Daykin, Viggiani, Moriarty, & Pilkington, 2017) and in community settings (Davies et al, 2013).…”

Longitudinal Research on Music Education and Child Development: Contributions and Challenges

“…A first glance at the methodologies employed in the reviewed studies highlights the predominance of quantitative data, with little to no mentioning of qualitative data or mixed-methods approaches. While qualitative studies examining music and child development and learning were found to exist, these studies typically did not use a longitudinal design (Harkins et al, 2016), nor did they focus on formal music instruction (Persellin, 2016), and thus were not included in the current analysis. Only one study was found to use a mixed-methods approach (Ilari et al, 2018).…”

Seen and Heard: The Long-Term Impact of Arts Projects on Young People Living in Poverty

“…There is a growing body of wider literature on the positive impact of the arts on young people’s mental and physical wellbeing (Ennis & Tonkin, 2017; Oberle et al, 2019; Patterson & Perlstein, 2011; Wheatley & Bickerton, 2017). Engagement in the arts helps young people to increase their confidence, develop positive relationships, improves team-working, communication, leadership skills, resilience, levels of happiness, and promotes positive physical and mental health (Harkins & Moore, 2019, p. 4). It can be a way of giving those who are marginalized a medium for expression and therefore can be a form of social justice (de Quadros, 2017).…”