A Sound Connection: Linked Up

We were so excited to learn that we had gained three years funding from Youth Music to develop our Sound Connection project to work in partnership with a local Special School and up to 30 of their children with profound and multiple learning needs. We are now a couple of months into the project and we are already starting to see some lovely connections and musical interactions with the children.  

The project is not without its challenges though, as there are many differing levels of interactive ability within the group that now we are getting to know the children and their abilities, likes (and dislikes!) so we are able to offer a tailored approach for each individual towards music making, as well as trying to encourage inclusion within the group sections.

Many of the children who attend are pre-verbal or have limited verbal skills, so we employ several different methods using music, sensory materials, or assistive technology to encourage choice-making, listening skills and turn-taking. We try and encourage interaction between the child and instrument or others within the group, and use Connective Therapy, our musical-movement approach to strengthen this connection. We use specifically composed music/songs to encourage interaction verbalisation, rhythm, patterning and sequencing.

Based on our previous success with the Sound Connection approach we hope that by the end of the project we will see a change in the children’s access to music-making, developed interaction and communication skills, increased listening skills and a generalisation of this into the school and home life settings. We are working with the school to develop shared approaches and practices which can be included within the school/ other work settings and hopefully this will increase musical inclusion for children within educational settings with PMLD.

To find out more about our Sound Connection Projects please click here

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