Since 2024, we have been developing specialist outreach for young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This includes a tailored version of A History of Sound, our flagship education programme, and workshops and resources for deafblind young people.
A HISTORY OF SOUND
In November 2024, we spent two days working with Ben Sellers and Kathryn Sturman, both experts in the inclusive music education field, learning to work with children with a wide variety of needs, adapting sections of our existing show, devising new workshop activities and learning to use accessible music tech.
We were in residence at Heritage House Special School in Chesham, working with lots of different classes and their teachers to trial our adapted A History of Sound show and workshop activities.The outcomes were very exciting and inspiring. Many teachers commented on how engaged the children were and how special it was for them to experience live singing and instrumental playing. The children we worked with had a wide range of needs and responses to the music. Many joined in with actions, dancing, sounds, singing and questions; others sat and listened. Their teachers said that for many of these students, simply sitting still and focused for so long was an unusual and positive outcome.
Since then, we’ve held further development and training session for our performers with Ben Sellers and Elle Williams and expanded the repertoire of sensory-friendly instruments and materials. We’ve also piloted one-to-one sessions to allow for more personalised engagement with individuals.
We are continuing to build partnerships with specialist schools and settings to support long-term engagement and underpin the future of the project.
“From the start to the finish, both classes were hooked.”
“It was lovely to see learners engaged and supporting each other to participate.”
“The most impactful visiting group we have ever had in school. The playground and staffroom was full of buzz and chat about the sessions.”
DEAFBLIND AWARENESS WEEK 2024
In 2024, we joined forces with Bucks Council Integrated SEND Service and Milton’s Cottage Museum to present an adapted workshop-performance of our Visionaries performance for a group of deafblind young people, together with their parents, carers and interveners. This took place in the Norman Bragg Studio of Aylesbury Waterside Theatre. VB singers and musicians performed excerpts from L’Allegro Part I, whilst facilitators (interveners, parents, carers) led the young people through a sensory story massage. It was an emotional and inspiring morning for all, with markedly better-than-expected engagement and reactions from the young people in the room.
Since holding the workshop, we’ve made a CD recording of L’Allegro Part I to accompany both a physical and digital resource to enable participants from the workshop to repeat the story massage at home.
We look forward to presenting another workshop for Deafblind Awareness Week 2025, this year themed around our summer circus-opera Le Carnaval de Venise!