Babigloo is a non-verbal approach to music making for babies aged 0 to 12 months and their parents / carers.  The Babigloo musicians create a multi-sensory environment which encourages listening, communication and playfulness between babies and their parents / carers using live and recorded music, sound, movement, gesture, visual and tactile materials, babies’ vocalisations and non-verbal communication.   Babigloo music making sessions last around 45 minutes, balancing structured activities which build on babies’ sensory perceptions, with spontaneous vocal and non-verbal interaction with the babies.

The Babigloo musicians (Jenny Gordon, Michele O’Brien and Colin Phillimore) trained with Professor Paulo Lameiro in non-verbal approaches to music making with babies, drawing on the music learning theories of Professor Edwin E. Gordon.

In 2018 to 2019, the Arts Development Company worked with Babigloo to co-ordinate a year-long project for families in Poole Children’s Centres (led by Borough of Poole) and East Dorset Children’s Centres (led by Action for Children).  The project, funded by Youth Music and Poole Arts Service, was structured in 3 phases across the year, offering 9 x weekly sessions for families in 6 different locations in Poole and Dorset.  A total of 61 families took part over the year (62 babies and 68 adults) and professional development or practice sharing opportunities involved 47 people (including musicians, music educators, local authority elected members, and early years and children’s services professionals).

I designed an evaluation framework which complemented evaluation reporting by the children’s centres and created an evaluation report and case studies of families.

Download the evaluation report

Download a family case study