Noise Solution

Noise Solution are wellbeing and engagement specialists with 12 years of experience in engaging those young people other organisation’s often struggle to reach or motivate.

In 2021 we’ve won national awards for the impact of this work on wellbeing from the Royal Society For Public Health and PwC as well as being nominated for awards by Social Enterprise UK and the Arts Council for being digital trailblazers.

“In terms of interventions it is probably one of the best I’ve ever encountered”

SENCO PRU

 

We’re using music technology mentoring as a method to engage young people and create the conditions most likely to improve wellbeing (drawing on two years research at Cambridge University investigating our work). We fuse that work with cloud-based tools that enable families and teachers to be involved in, see, and contribute to the process.

Noise Solution’s impact on wellbeing has been independently assessed as providing a savings return for families and services of 334%.

Parents and professionals tell us we often act as the catalyst for young people, helping them get out of a rut and positively re-engage with activities.

 

 

Website:

www.noisesolution.org

 

Address:

Noise Solution, The Mix, 127 Ipswich Street, Stowmarket IP14 1BB

Contact name:

Simon Glenister/Damien Ribbans

 

Office number:

01284 771156

 

Mobile number:

07949 977 750

 

Email:

info@noisesolution.org

 

What does a typical programme look like:

 

Noise Solution can work face to face or it can deliver entirely online and remotely, utilising our nationally sector leading and award winning online platform.

 

A young person, often with a history of challenges around engagement, is paired with a professional music mentor over the course of 20 hours of sessions. Throughout the programme, the young person and music mentor use a combination of music technology, online music creation software or instruments to work on a creative project as chosen and directed by the young person. It isn’t the music that is important – it is how we foster feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness both within those sessions and thrugh the use of our platform to capture share and involve family and professionals in the process.

 

The whole process is digitally captured using photos and videos and shared via our own private online platform, creating a digital story of success that develops with each session. The participant can share their creations and crucially their thoughts and feelings about their experience with family and professional keyworkers, inviting them to comment on the digital story and creating a cycle of positive affirmation from people whose opinions matter to the young person. This work is integral to the approach, drawing on Self Determination Theory – arguably the most well evidenced framework for understanding how to improve engagement, motivation and well-being.

 

 

Capacity:

Experience tells us that our programmes are most effective when delivered one-to-one. We aim to start work within two weeks of receiving referral.

 

Age range of learners:

We work with participants aged 11 to 24 years old. We will also work outside these parameters if appropriate.

 

Which students are currently offered provision:

Our participant-led approach can accommodate any young person who is facing challenging circumstance, whether due to mental health, ASD, emotional behavioural challenges, exclusion etc. The only requirement is that they are interested in making music (and the choice of musical genre is entirely up to them). They do not need any previous experience or knowledge of music creation.

 

Expected outcomes for students:

Analysis of data of successive years of referrals reveals the approach as achieving a high level of statistical significance (removing the element of chance in the assessment of impact)  in raising well-being as defined by Warwick and Edinburgh Universities and the NHS. Improved well-being is unequivocally proven to increase engagement, education and health outcomes.

 

 

Curriculum:

If appropriate for the young person, the online digital story serves as evidence for a young person to achieve a Bronze Arts Award qualification, which sits on the government’s qualification framework. However, the focus of our provision is on increasing engagement, building confidence and improving well-being among young people who are furthest away from engaging with more mainstream activities. We act as a catalyst for change, supporting and helping young people who feel stuck in a cycle of disengagement.

 

Cost:

You can find costs in our information pack here 

Where studio work is undertaken during face to face sessions we do not cover travel

 

Referral process:

Once funding has been agreed, referrals take place via an online form on our website, which usually requires a conversation between Noise Solution and the referring organisation to establish the appropriateness of the referral. There is no specific intake period. We can begin during the school term, continue over the holidays and through to the next school term, or limit sessions to only within the school term. Our experience suggests that running sessions consistently over 10 weeks provides the maximum benefit to young people.

Referral form is online here: Please only refer once funding has been agreed

 

Transport:

Provision initially takes place at the participant’s home, Online, or in school, with the possibility of moving the provision to a local studio for the final five weeks. Transport to the studio will need to be independently arranged.

 

Pastoral support on offer:

• One-to-one support provided by personal music mentors
• Home visits to keep parents and carers informed where appropriate
• Monitoring attendance
• Support with transition
• Identifying barriers and solutions to learning and engagement
• Liaising with other professionals working with the participant
• Regularly reviewing our interventions, progress, etc.
• Signposting and referrals to additional support
• Support after leaving the programme

 

All of the above are part and parcel of the one-to-one music mentoring service that we offer.

 

What quality assurance processes do you have?

Weekly monitoring through reports and the digital stories, alongside quarterly supervisions with music mentors. All this is supported by in-depth analysis of well-being data for each intervention and across the population to ensure that our work continues to impact positively on well-being.

 

Have you been quality assured by another organisation or local authority?

Noise Solution has been independently assessed by Cambridge County Council, Norfolk County Council, Essex County Council, the NHS and clinical commissioning groups. All requirements were fully met, so much so that these organisations regularly fund Noise Solution programmes for young people facing challenging circumstances.