Talk to sales Try for Free
Beth Pickard

Beth Pickard

Citizen's Advocate

Followers of Beth Pickard364 followers
location of Beth PickardGreater Cardiff Area

Connect with Beth Pickard to Send Message

Connect

Connect with Beth Pickard to Send Message

Connect

  • Timeline

  • About me

    Beth’s research and practice, shaped by experience in mainstream, special and higher education and by Critical Disability Studies, seeks to challenge deficit-based discourse around disability in policy and practice.

  • Education

    • University of South Wales

      2018 - 2020
      PhD by Portfolio Disability Studies Pass, No Revisions

      PhD Title: "Challenging Deficit Based Discourse in Higher Education Through a Social Connection Model of Responsibility: A Critical Disability Studies Perspective".Exploring pedagogy of disability and how disability is constructed, interpreted and perpetuated in Higher Education and the arts.

    • University of Portsmouth

      2009 - 2011
      MSc Applied Psychology of Intellectual Disabilities Merit

      Research interest in music and disabilities, with an ethnographic study of the music experiences of a young man who had an intellectual disability.

    • University of South Wales

      2014 - 2015
      Master's Degree PGCertDPPHE Distinction

    • University of the West of England

      2012 - 2015
      MA Music Therapy Distinction

      Studying under Professor Leslie Bunt and Dr Cathy Warner.First year placement working in a special school for children with profound and multiple learning disabilities, physical disabilities and complex health needs.Second year placement working in a Neurorehabilitation Unit of an NHS hospital, working with adults who have an acquired brain injury.

    • Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama

      2005 - 2009
      BMus(Hons) Music

      Performance degree, with research focus on "Music and Down's Syndrome", achieving the Principal's Award

  • Experience

    • Advocacy Matters (Wales)

      Jun 2008 - Jul 2015
      Citizen's Advocate

    • Melody

      Jul 2009 - now
      Trustee

      Trustee for Birmingham based charity 'Melody' which promotes instrumental tuition for people who have a learning disability.http://www.melodymusic.org.uk/

    • Cardiff County Council

      Oct 2009 - Nov 2014

      Supporting a little girl who has Down's syndrome to access the mainstream curriculum alongside her peers, preparing differentiated resources and approaches and signing where necessary. Supporting an inclusive whole school ethos and good levels of disability awareness and understanding.

      • Support Worker

        Jan 2009 - Nov 2014

      • Learning Support Assistant

        Oct 2009 - Jul 2012

    • Dewis Independent Living

      Jun 2011 - Jul 2016
      Support Worker

    • Shaw Trust

      Jun 2011 - Nov 2014
      Respite Support Worker

    • Diverse Cymru

      Jul 2012 - Jan 2014
      Respite Support Worker

    • Rhondda Cynon Taf CBC

      Sept 2012 - Jan 2014
      Special Needs Support Assistant

      Supporting a little girl who has Down's syndrome to access the mainstream curriculum alongside her peers, preparing differentiated resources and approaches and signing where necessary. Supporting an inclusive whole school ethos and good levels of disability awareness and understanding.

    • University of South Wales

      Jan 2014 - now
      Senior Lecturer

      I enjoy teaching on a number of programmes across the Therapeutic Studies and related departments including the MA Music Therapy, MA Art Psychotherapy, MA Autism, Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychotherapy BA(Hons) Creative and Therapeutic Arts and BA(Hons) Early Years. I also deliver accredited SignAlong training to students in various faculties and departments, including Psychology and Nursing.

    • Signalong The Communication Charity

      Sept 2014 - now
      SignAlong Practitioner

      Signalong provides training and resources to assist those with communication difficulties and English as an additional language.Signalong is a key word sign-supported communication system based on British sign language and is used in spoken word order. It uses speech, sign, body language, facial expression and voice tone to reference the link between sign and word.

    • Freelance Music Therapist

      Sept 2015 - now
      Freelance Music Therapist

    • The Amber Trust

      Sept 2017 - now
      Little Amber Practitioner

      Little Amber is an innovative service offered by The Amber Trust. It aims to enable blind or partially sighted babies and young children to engage with music by providing families and professionals with resources and ideas for music-making.Little Amber has two elements. The first is access to freely available resources that can be viewed online or downloaded. These are open to all families and professionals worldwide. The second is the Little Amber Music Awards scheme, available to families in the UK. Families involved in the scheme will be given a set of activity cards and will receive four home visits a year by a specially trained practitioner, who will show parents, carers and siblings musical activities to do at home or when out and about. Little Amber Music Awards run until a child’s fifth birthday, after which families are eligible to apply for a main Amber Trust Music Award.(Visit www.ambertrust.org for further information)Music is particularly important for babies and young children who are visually impaired. Research spearheaded by The Amber Trust has shown that music-making has a positive impact on children’s lives in a way that nothing else does. Show less

    • Higher Education Academy

      Mar 2018 - now
      Senior Fellow

    • Advance HE

      Aug 2018 - now
      National Teaching Fellow

    • Live Music Now

      Jan 2022 - now

      Researcher on the Music in Education, Social and Health Care (MESH) project, under the supervision of Professor Adam Ockelford and Professor Graham Welch. Working on the development of the Count Me In! inclusive music making project with Professor Adam Ockelford from the University of Roehampton, Live Music Now, and Three Ways School in Bath.

      • Researcher

        May 2023 - now

      • Researcher

        Jan 2022 - now

    • Nordoff and Robbins

      Sept 2022 - now
      External Examiner

    • National Music Service for Wales

      Jan 2023 - now
      Consultant and Researcher

      Consulting and researching policy, practice and training regarding music education provision for learners with additional learning needs (ALN) and/or disability in Wales, in relation to the National Plan for Music Education (Wales).

  • Licenses & Certifications

    • SignAlong Accredited Tutor Trainer

      Signalong The Communication Charity
      Jan 2015

    • HCPC Registered Music Therapist

      HCPC
      Sept 2015

  • Honors & Awards

    • Awarded to Beth Pickard
      McMullen Disability Prize Faculty of Health and Applied Sciences, UWE Jul 2014 "For the best piece of work on Disabilities which recognises barriers that are disabling to those with impairments, and demonstrates a comprehensive awareness of disability issues"
    • Awarded to Beth Pickard
      The Principal's Award RWCMD Jul 2009 An award for the undergraduate dissertation "Music and Down's Syndrome"