About the Project

Introduction.

The Colourscape Special Needs Music Project is intended to provide access to music making for children who might not normally have access to, or the physical ability to play, normal musical instruments. Through doing this they develop their listening and co-operation skills, and learn a degree of control over their world that they might not normally have.
The children learn basic musical concepts, and improve their sense of timing; they have the opportunity to perform in front of their school, and, on special occasions, in the ColourDome performance space. And finally, perhaps most important of all, they have fun whilst exploring a new world of sound.
We achieve this using specially designed computer software in conjunction with electronic sensors, which measure distance, pressure, and movement.

What happens in the Special Needs Project?

A typical workshop lasts 5 days, usually Monday to Friday. The week has a basic structure, which is modified according to the disabilities and skill levels of the children taking part.
Groups of three to six children come every day for around thirty minutes at a time, progressing through learning to use the sensors, to performing simple compositions.
Ideally there is a performance on the last day, perhaps as part of a school assembly, where the children perform short pieces and demonstrate what they have been working on.
During the workshops, teachers and assistants are encouraged to photograph and video the children working, in order to create a permanent record of the children’s achievements.

Who is it for?

We have run workshops with children having a wide range of needs, from mild learning difficulties, physical disablilities, and autism, through to severe physical and mental dificulties.
The workshop is mainly intended for children who have a reasonable awareness of the world around them, irrespective of level of physical disability (if any). As long as a child has some degree of voluntary movement, they will be able to play sound from the computer using one or other of the sensors.
For children who do not fall into this group (eg severe PMLD), we have found some benefit in providing a daily experience of using semi- or involuntary movement to trigger playback of simple sounds from the computer (eg bell-like sounds). After a time, some children begin to make the connection between their movement and the sounds, increasing (however slightly) their sense of control over the world. We are also currently developing a sensory room version of the equipment, to provide a rich sound and light environment for children with PMLD.

Example pieces created during a two week workshop in January 2009:

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Example piece 1: The Butterfly and the Wolf, by Class 3, St Giles School, Croyden.

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Example piece 2: KidsMixx, by Class 4, St Giles School, Croyden.

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Example piece 3: Flutes – a more abstract piece using samples captured from a flute player, who also performs with the sensor players. Performed by children from the Secondary Class at St Giles School, Croyden.

Learning Goals for the Workshop.

• to learn basic musical structures  – starting with simple musical conversations (I play, you play, I play …), and then using this as the basis of the performance pieces we develop during the week. (A-B-A)

• to increase listening ability – through the use of musical conversations (as above) and developing finer control over physical movements when using the sensors

• to increase a sense of control over the external environment, and develop an awareness of cause and effect (if I move in this way, this sound happens)

• to have fun playing with sound, and experience performing as a group

• to learn that there is more to music than notes and rhythms – there is an emphasis on creating soundscapes and (depending on the rate of progress) listening for the musicality of the sounds in their environment.

Workshop Structure.

Each session is optimally around 30 minutes long, and is for 2-6 children. Longer times and larger groups tend to mean that there is too much sitting around and waiting to play, so attention tends to drift. For older children, it may be more appropriate to have slightly larger groups for longer periods.

Each group of children comes every day, preferably at the same time, though this will depend very much on class schedules. Because different groups may progress at different rates, it is preferable for the children in each group to remain the same for the duration of the workshop.
In the beginning, there is little direction beyond explaining how the sensors work, and encouragement to try different ways of playing them. This way the children discover for themselves how different gestures produce different results, which increases their feelings of delight in what they are doing (and which enhances the learning experience).

The basic structure (subject to on the spot modification!) is:
Day 1 – introduction to sensors, and playing back sounds from the computer. Infrared (distance) and Tilt (movement) sensors are used.
Day 2 – Listening. A simple listening exercise using sustained bell sounds, leading into simple musical conversation using Floor pads (pressure). If children are not mobile, then Infrared sensors are used instead.
Day 3 – Recording. Sampling and playing back sounds, using voice (sung, spoken, vocal noises etc). Granular playback introduced. Mostly using Infrared sensors. Working on finer control of the sensors.
Day 4 – Composing. Starting off with more listening exercises (sending a sound around the group, changing direction etc) to practice paying attention to what is going on, and revisiting the “conversations” exercise. Start to develop a performance piece.
Day 5 – Rehearse and Perform. Shorter sessions to rehearse the pieces for the final performance. If no performance is arranged, then we continue on from Day 4.

To find out more about the software and sensors click on the “About the Sensors” tab at the top of the page, or click on this link.