Adam’s First Music Therapy Session
7th December 2016
Adam is eleven years old, he attends the Royal School for the Blind in Liverpool (www.rsblind.org), where specialised staff encourage him to respond and develop his skills to enable participation and learning.
Adam is registered blind, has additional needs and can be stubborn and challenging to engage, particularly in group work. He is taken on a 1:1 basis in music therapy with Roz, music therapist and Director of MusAbility, to give him more freedom to be expressive. He is seen once a week as part of his curriculum at school.
This footage is taken from Adam’s first ever music therapy session – Adam begins with excited and uncertain vocalisations, with little awareness of being with someone else in the music; however as the clip progresses his awareness increases rapidly and he begins to respond to the music quite profoundly, saying his name, singing with Roz and playing the piano.
Adam now runs to sessions and never wants to leave when they have finished – and most importantly he is expanding his development of social skills through listening, waiting and turn-taking, gaining self-awareness and awareness of others, expressing his emotions within the music, which can often be incredibly touching, and actively choosing to participate with great intent.
The pure joy that Adam appears to be feeling is evident in the video – it’s pretty powerful to watch – we love this clip!
To find out more about MusAbility and the work that we do, head to www.musability.co.uk, or email us with your query: info@musability.co.uk.
