New project for disadvantaged children in the U.K.

Wherever the Need is supporting a Music Festival Project involving a group of musicians who perform under the name of Akabella, working with 200 children with a range of disabilities.

The children learn to express themselves through interactive voice work, song writing and instrumental music making. The project culminates in two performances at the Wiltshire Music Centre in early July. This year around eleven special schools from within Wiltshire and Swindon will be involved in the project (up from seven in 2002) and the theme for this year is Colour.

Around 700 children, plus staff and carers are involved in the project. Akabella provide an interactive performance followed by three workshops:

a)voice workshops with children who will perform at the Festival,

b)interactive soundbeam and music workshops for children with profound and multiple disabilities, and

c) song writing workshops with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties and with older learning disabled pupils.

A soundbeam allows children to make music by passing their hand over a beam of light. It enables children with profound disabilities the opportunity to participate. Also involved this year is another group of secondary aged children with challenging behaviour, who have been successfully working with a band from Bristol called CCQ,who do DJing and rapping as well as rock, and the Urban Dance Theatre.

Piloted for the first time in the 2002 Festival, this year up to four young disabled learning apprentices, recent Special School leavers, will be involved in a number of aspects of the Project, gaining valuable work experience for themselves and acting as a role model for school pupils.

There is great excitement already building throughout the schools as they begin the workshops and practises for the Festival. The students start asking about the Festival in September,about 10 months prior to the event itself. This is evidence of the impact the Festival has upon them. Such anticipation in young people with severe learning difficulties is rare. All too frequently Special Schools do not have access to subject specialising teachers, leading to even greater limitations being placed on children who are already severely disadvantaged.