This course showed me that I am capable of anything I put my mind to.

What drew you to apply for the IMM training?

My manager encouraged me to go ahead and apply for the training. I had no idea what Interactive Music-Making was, but after reading about it and having a look at the website, I thought it would be a great opportunity as it was unlike anything I had ever done before.

What was your overall experience of the IMM training?

My experience was definitely positive. Going into the training, I was an extremely shy individual. I think it forced me to get out of my comfort zone in a positive way because I found myself naturally wanting to take part and share my opinions or ideas with the group. At the start it was definitely a little nerve wracking, but the group turned out to be a lovely bunch of people. I felt comfortable to share my opinions and I soon realised that we are all in this together.

The training forced me to get out of my comfort zone in a positive way… I found myself naturally wanting to take part and share with the group.

How accessible was the course content and did you find it easy to transfer learning into action?

The course content was accessible, easy to understand as it was broken down. Even if I felt like I didn’t understand something or how to approach something, I knew I could always ask (IMM Course Leader) Lucy or a member of the group.

Trial and error is key.

While our training was going on and we were still being taught content, it did feel like it would be tricky to transfer learning into action. But once our music sessions started and we got thrown into running them, it became easier and easier to apply learning, especially after Lucy visited and gave feedback. You realise as you are running your sessions that trial and error is key and is what will help you to make your sessions great learning opportunities for your children and for yourself.

Do you think the IMM training has made a positive difference to the young children you work with, or to your early years practice?

It has certainly made a positive difference to the young children I worked with. Before getting started, I considered all of the children and made sure to offer my Interactive Music-Making sessions to the children I felt would benefit from them most. I came down to four children I believed needed it most at that moment. They all started the sessions with different needs: some with a little confidence, some with communication issues, some with concentration difficulties, and others with English as their second language. But I did not let this mean I had to make four different sessions to target each in turn. Instead, through the training I got, I was able to find ways to incorporate activities that supported each child’s different needs.

IMM moulded me into a different kind of practitioner. It forced me to really think and meticulously plan, as I always do, but from a deeper point of view. I was made to zoom into these children and try to speak to their needs in order to try and make a difference.

Through the training, I was able to find ways to incorporate activities that supported each child’s different needs.

By the end of the sessions, I had seen a significant positive difference in the children, comparing their start point and end point together. It was amazing to see Louis using English words to communicate more. Now, he is in preschool and he is able to communicate his needs. Stefan is also able to have conversations in English now and goes to the same preschool as Louiswhere they share a wonderful friendship together. It made an extremely positive impact on both children.

Has IMM training changed your approach to early years provision in any way, or is there a key learning you have taken forward?

Definitely. It has helped me to approach children’s needs from a different stand point, especially with the training we had where we were taught to use different approaches and theories from different theorists. I found learning about attunement particularly inspiring as this helped me so much to really try to attune to the child and their needs.

What are your hopes or plans with respect to interactive music making in your setting?

Since graduating as an Interactive Music-Maker in summer, I have continued my use of music as an activity option. Though I am not currently working with a specific group, I have offered the music to all children and they have been responding positively to it. It has helped me to see which children might need further support.

I hope to continue to carry out sessions with more children and spread my knowledge of Interactive Music-Making with my fellow practitioners.

Thank you so much to Lucy and the rest of the amazing IMM team for supporting me with this course. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be the confident individual that I am now.

This course showed me that I am capable of anything that I put my mind to.