Our Music Therapy project affords children and young people with Down syndrome, aged 0 to 18, to fully participate and engage in both one to one and group weekly music therapy sessions which are led by a qualified and HCPC registered Music Therapist.  Each session offers the participants an emotionally supportive, child friendly and therapeutic environment in which to explore, learn and play a plethora of musical instruments, including gathering drums, glockenspiels, hand bells, maracas, guitars, tambourines and cabassas.   

Our Music Therapist follows a structured approach to the children’s strong sense of pattern, setting clear boundaries to provide a sense of security which helps stimulate their creativity and willingness to learn and explore and enable the development of movement dexterity, rhythm, timing, expressiveness and self esteem.  Small group sessions provide musical activities and improvisations to encourage self expression, communication and spontaneous interactions.  

One to one sessions use sound and music as therapeutic mediums to bring about change, eg, increase self awareness and awareness of others, improve the ability to manage emotions, reduce tension, anxiety and challenging behaviour.  All musical instruments are accessible, physical, sensory, portable, cultural and offer a unique and aesthetic experience for our children and young people. Throughout the sessions they enjoy drumming, shaking, singing, dancing and learning new musical skills, which help to build powerful tools to help them address their social, communication, emotional and cognitive needs, leading to enhanced confidence and self beli