Youth Music - BongoClub.org.uk

The Bookstart Ryhmetime Deveopment Project is instilling music at the heart of the parent and child relationship at home, whilst raising the awareness of the links between singing and rhyming with babies and literacy development. The project is being run by Youth Music and Bookstart in Scotland.

What is a Bookstart Rhymetime Session?
Rhymetime sessions are fun and free sessions for parents and babies that combine books, rhymes, singing and movement to engage babies and parents. Rhymetime sessions began as an extension to the Bookstart scheme which gifts over 46,000 book packs to parents and babies in Scotland each year. The sessions primarily take place in libraries and are delivered by local Bookstart coordinators, library assistants and health workers.

The Bookstart Rhymetime Development Project
The Scottish Arts Council's Youth Music initiative (YMI) and Bookstart Scotland are working in partnership with Youth Music to develop the 'Bookstart Rhymetimes' project with the Bookstart in Scotland programme. The project has been created to ensure the highest quality Bookstart Rhymetime Sessions are provided to parents and babies, and that music and books are placed at the heart of their lives. The Scottish Arts Council and Bookstart Scotland have awarded a total funding package of £177,970 to Youth Music, to deliver the project on behalf of the Scottish Arts Council and Bookstart Scotland. The project helps parents, their babies and practitioners in many ways by:

1. Providing and evaluating newly developed training for Bookstart Rhymetime Deliverers, based on two training models. Both models have been designed in conjunction with the National Youth Choir of Scotland and Experiential Play.

• Model 1: trained four Bookstart Music Champions who will work in two local authorities as advocates for the project and are currently training and supporting Rhymetime Deliverers in those areas.

• Model 2: providing residential and in-service training for Rhymetime Deliverers from a further ten local authorities who will run new Rhymetime sessions in their area and promote the sessions.

2. Providing parents and babies in 12 local authorities with a specially commissioned CD of music and rhymes designed specifically for babies and their parents to enjoy together. This CD is inserted into Bookstart Baby packs along with an accompanying poster and place mat.

3. Encouraging the development of new Rhymetime Sessions within the libraries

4. Launching a new Bookstart Music in Scotland Day in May 2008.

How does the project benefit parents and their children? 

• Every child is born musical and should be given every opportunity to explore and develop his or her musical skills.

• Making music and reading together can help the development of the child/parent relationship and of parenting skills.

• Parents/carers are the most inspiring music teacher for their child. The home is often the perfect place for learning.

• By working together, Youth Music, Bookstart and the Scottish Arts Council are providing a stronger and more coherent understanding of the joint developmental benefits of books and music for babies.

• Music making for early years is currently under resourced in Scotland, with a lack of suitably trained practitioners to deliver programmes. For more information on this subject, you can read the National Youth Music Strategy (Scottish Arts Council, 2006): http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/information/publications/1003923.aspx

• Involving 0 -5 year olds in music making activities improves children's personal and social development and has positive effects on their numeric and communication skills. For more information on how music can benefit children's learning and development, you can read Turning Their Ears On, Youth Music 2006: http://www.youthmusic.org.uk/news/general.jsp?ID=378

• Prior to this project, there was little support or training available for Bookstart Rhymetime deliverers in Scotland.

For more information on the Bookstart Ryhmetime Deveopment Project, visit:
www.bookstart.co.uk/Parents-and-carers/Rhymetimes