CME:EC Good News Story
Since our last Good News Story in January 2021, there have been many more students who have successfully completed the CME:EC, and it is our very great pleasure to congratulate all those students, who are now qualified as Early Childhood Music Educators:
Alice Maddock-Saint, Sorrel Harty, Debbie Green, Kelly Parrot, Dalma Sinka, Davina Brownrigg, Natasha Jones, Jenny Muirhead, Liz Nightingale, Amy Hardwick, Emily Garrod, Charlotte Gibbs, Helen Richards, Kate Tyson, Ceilidh-Jo Rowe, Helen Moulds, Claire Thompson, Emma Powell, Kim Bell, Kelly Reynolds, Dilini Suvagithan, Zoë Challenor, Colin Phillimore, Alison Turpin, Laura Holden, Satnam Nischal and Rosie Walton.
These twenty-seven dedicated students worked through some very challenging times, having to study and complete the course during the COVID pandemic, with some students having all their core learning days online. Their achievement is therefore all the more commendable. Here are a some of them with their well earned certificates:
It is heartening to hear what impact the course has had on our students:
Zoe writes: ‘Engaging with the CME:EC [Early Childhood] has helped to change the direction of my practice - I am much more confident working collaboratively and reflectively, and have learned how to create more space for the voices of families, children and fellow practitioners.’ Zoe also comments: ‘(The course) has taught me to listen more deeply and carefully, has given me an even greater respect for children's music-making and 'musical doodles', and an awareness that what we see or hear is probably the tip of the iceberg - that there is so much more going on that is invisible. This raises many more questions for me.’
Zoe has written a blog about her experience here .
Another student shares what they enjoyed most of their experience on the course: ‘Working closely with my mentor. Learning more about musical play. Meeting like minded people who were as obsessed with EY music as me! Engaging with the tasks. Working with children during my placement and watching them develop and grow through music.’
We are so proud of them all and look forward to following their journeys in the world of early childhood music education.
This part-time distance learning programme is run by the Centre for Research Early Childhood (CREC) and validated by Trinity College, London. The course, devised by Dr. Susan Young, is delivered, through a mixture of self-study and face to face core learning days, by current mentors Sally-Anne Brown, Barbara Cavanagh and Jane Parker. All mentors are alumni of the CREC Early Years (Music) Education MA. We are very grateful to Zoe Greenhalgh and Dr Susan Young for their knowledge and wisdom, as well as their mentoring over the past years of the course, and wish them well as they head to pastures new.
Over the last few years many of our students have benefitted from bursaries via their involvement with a Youth Music programme, a music education hub or an Early Years setting.
Feedback has continued to be extremely positive from our quality assessors. Professor Chris Pascal writes: ‘The portfolios I interrogated provided good evidence of the student’s work and progress on each of the units and the standard of work submitted in all three cases was admirable, particularly given the current context, revealing their ability to be creative and innovative with their professional practice. Some of the ideas were brilliant! A wide range of different types and sources of material was offered as evidence and revealed the range of professional practices the course covers. In particular I thought these portfolios revealed the course had paid especially attention of improving planning and also inclusive practice – key issues in the current wider context.’
Also: ‘The positive relationship developed between mentors and students is clearly evident and I am sure contributes to the achievements of the students and the high levels of successful course completion. The encouragement of the students to link up with each other (eg in an online Student Common Room) may also be very helpful and act as a further motivator and source of support in addition to the mentors and course tutors, especially at a time when face to face contact is so reduced.’
Comments from Trinity College, London (Valerie Miller, Gary Spruce and Natalie Christopher) include "This is a centre that is enthusiastic and passionate about supporting students to achieve. There is a good balance of support and challenge. The students are supported by a strong team of mentors. Moderation and quality assurance systems are embedded, with robust IQA. This is a well-led centre which offers excellent provision and supports its students to succeed."
Further information on the course and application process is here: http://www.crec.co.uk/cert-music-ed-early-childhood.
Please be aware this is a popular course with limited spaces available. Applications are now open for our next course cohort, due to start in the Autumn 2023.