Community Interest Company
Boogie Mites Community Projects CIC has been set up to work with settings and families who would not otherwise be able to access our music making workshops, training and resources. We do this via grant funded projects, local authority funded contracts and we support educators to set up and run Boogie Mites for the benefit of their local community in other areas of the UK.
Boogie Mites music and movement programmes have been developed over 20 years of projects delivered in the state and private sector, our songs, music activities and workshops have been informed by neuroscience evidence and input from teachers, parents and children’s who we have worked with over that time. We always collect feedback from customers to ensure continuing development of practice, and regularly have independent evaluation of impact of our projects carried out.
Making a Difference
Evaluation of Impact: Lanyado Fund Teacher Training Project 2021-2024
Lanyado Fund supported an evaluation of Boogie Mites School Ready Music Programme delivered by a Boogie Mites trainer for the EYFS teams at four London schools in areas of high deprivation.
The aim was to meet the ‘attainment gap’ challenge by delivering music workshops for all children in the pre-school year, and for targeted children in Year R, to boost the development of key language, literacy, learning and social (school ready) skills.
Outcomes were very positive, read the full report here:
School Ready Music Programme Project, Portsmouth 2024
Boogie Mites worked with the Early Years Foundations Stage team, at St. George’s Beneficial Primary School in Portsmouth, to deliver this Boogie Mites School Ready Music Programme Project.
The project aimed to increase teacher and parent knowledge, confidence and resources to enable them to use active music making to support children’s development.
The project focused on the development of children’s pre-literacy skills in line with Phase One Letters and Sounds, boosting their speech, language, social and emotional skills, physical development, foundations for maths and for music.
Outcomes were very positive, read the full report here:
Boogie Mites Thrive Through Music (Under 3’s) Project 2024
This project was designed to engage parents attending Stay and Play sessions at Family Hubs in Portsmouth in group music making sessions. Explaining to parents the benefits of developing rhythmic and melodic awareness to strengthen children’s foundations for language and literacy, wellbeing and social skills.
We also encouraged parents to practice music activities with their children at home, and to use the Boogie Mites Under 3’s App to strengthen the benefits of repeating the same music activities at home as they were experiencing in the group.
The feedback showed that the parents enjoyed the sessions and that the parents, as well as the children, gained skills from taking part in the workshops.
Boogie Mites at Mary Rose Academy - PCC Inclusion Grant 2024
Mary Rose Academy is a special education school where all pupils have moderate to severe physical and/or learning disabilities. There are also a considerable number of students with autism spectrum disorder. Boogie Mites music sessions were adapted to give maximum inclusion and ensure all children could take part in their own way.
For many children with additional needs it is very difficult for them to express themselves, especially if they are non-verbal. Music is often the key to sharing their feelings, there were some really joyful moments during the sessions.
Parents were given ideas to use at home with the Boogie Mites app so they can continue to enjoy music time together with confidence.
Chichester University Research
The Research Project
Impact: Parents
Impact: Children
Impact: Practitioners
An evaluation of Boogie Mites early years music education programmes
Research conducted by Chichester University concluded that Boogie Mites music programmes make a real difference to parents and practitioners of children in early years. The research objectives were:
- To explore the influence of the Boogie Mites programmes on parental knowledge, confidence and home practise
- To investigate the impact on children’s language, communication, physical, emotional and social development, as perceived by parents
- To evaluate practitioner’s perceptions following training sessions by Boogie Mites
Parental knowledge, confidence and home practice
Boogie Mites sessions encouraged parents to make the links between the EYFS prime areas of learning and the use of music both at the session and in the home. Parents reported that they felt more confident to use music with their children at home and as part of everyday life. The parents’ increased confidence had a knock-on effect on their child’s confidence.
Children’s development as perceived by parents
Quantitative data supported the inference that attending the Boogie Mites courses and practising at home promotes children’s social, communication and physical development. A very large majority of parents reported observing some or a lot of improvements in all 3 Prime areas.
Practitioner confidence and sharing best practice
A significant number of practitioners said that Boogie Mites training gave them the confidence to implement music-making in their setting. After completing their training, there was an explosion of enthusiasm, eagerness and willingness to implement what they had learnt. They were inspired to share what they learnt with the rest of the colleagues in their setting.
Delivering Impact
Nursery Group Training
Nursery Case Studies
EYPP funding
Transition Courses
Intergenerational
Training and implementation of Boogie Mites School Ready programme at Happy Days Nurseries (2024)
Boogie Mites training was held on three Saturdays in November 2023 to introduce the School Ready Music Programme to all 21 nurseries.
An implementation plan supported practitioners to gain confidence over time in leading and extending the songs during both adult led music sessions and everyday routines.
This systematic approach ensured that the Boogie Mites School Ready Programme is embedded within Happy Days Nurseries, building strong foundations for children’s learning particularly within the areas of communication, language and literacy.
Boogie Mites School Ready programme at Little Bears Forest School, Portsmouth
Following onsite training in autumn 2022, the team at Little Bears Forest School implemented the Boogie Mites School Ready programme into their setting.
Following the onsite training, the staff used the digital resources to ensure everyone understood how to teach the each of the songs. Staff continue to use the digital training resources to get new ideas or reflect on how they have done something.
Download the case study report to find out how the programme is being used at Little Bears Forest School in Portsmouth, and the wonderful positive impact it is having on the children and staff.
How training made a difference
In June 2016, ten Paint Pots Nurseries in Southampton invested their EYPP to fund Boogie Mites practitioner training.Cat Baker, Quality and Curriculum Manager Paint Pots Nursery Group led a case study to assess the impact of the implementation of regular Boogie Mites music activities on children’s development.The study concluded that “Girls and boys across the settings have shown an average development rate increase of almost five months in comparison to the same period the previous year.” The case studies of individual EYPP funded children also identified a positive impact on development.Find out more about how Boogie Mites training can make a difference
Boogie Mites transition courses help parents and children get school ready
In response to the pandemic, we developed an online course format for Hampshire County Council which included RARPA (Recognising and Recording of Progress and Achievement). Data collected was independently evaluated by Achievement For All (AFA).
AFA concludes: “The impact on parental knowledge around how their children learn and develop is an area of significant success with 100% of parents knowing at least a little about Letters and Sounds Phase 1 and are now able to recognise their child’s learning and development in relation to this.”
Wellbeing and community cohesion through music
In 2019 three settings caring for older people enjoyed weekly visits from children aged 10 months – 4 years, for shared music-making.
PhD student Liv Mclennan gathered feedback from parents, practitioners and the elderly taking part to evaluate the impact on wellness for all involved and community cohesion.
The conclusion was positive with a marked ‘feel good’ impact on all participants as well as benefits for confidence and social skills being observed.