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Improvisation ideas and alternative notation for pupils who do not read and more. Read about the benefits experienced by learning disabled people when they have been given the opportunity to play a musical instrument. See what has been done by others.

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Approaches to Instrumental and vocal tuition for children with a learning disability

 Dissertation by Graeme Robert Hopson:

I first became involved with people who have learning disabilities in August 2003 when I joined the training programme at a company called Music Unlimited, who deliver music workshops for children and adults with disabilities in north-west England.  Despite previously being involved in (and in some cases planning and leading) several workshops for children and adults, I had little experience in working with people who have special needs and wanted to develop skills in this area.  The training consisted largely of observing other staff delivering workshops which, although it proved useful, left me feeling frustrated by the lack of available literature to support what I had seen and which I could use to expand my expertise.  While much has been written about music therapy, it has tended to be from a scientific, rather than musical, point of view and thus of limited practical use to a musician.  Consequently, I set out to reflect on my experience and gather practical information on how other musicians have approached teaching an instrument or singing to children with learning disabilities (including any technology used to facilitate this), and to evaluate the effectiveness of the methods used.

 To read more click on the document below......

Download the Dissertation (DOC)