Singing for Special Needs

Pat Lloyd, AST and Music Therapist, explains the benefits of using singing in Special Needs (SEN) settings

I work at Heritage House School in Buckinghamshire, which caters for pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties. Many pupils are at a pre-verbal level of communication and cannot 'sing' in a conventional sense, yet there is widespread recognition that responsiveness to music holds particular value for our students.

Research evidence shows that musical responsiveness at the earliest stages of development is linked with the development of communication and skills in interaction. That means that progress in music can have many benefits for pupils. Firstly, engaging through musical activities has real value as a means of promoting self-expression. Secondly, it supports wider learning in crucial areas such as communication and social interaction.

So, how can singing be used most effectively in a SEN setting?

As discussed in many previous articles in this magazine, singing is instinctive and embedded in our needs to communication. For a child with complex needs the importance of song may lie in the motivation it can provide for using vocal sound to communicate. For example, a key-worker singing a familiar song may succeed in eliciting a valuable vocal response from a child. Over time this may be developed, within the structure of songs, leading to turn taking and imitation - representing critical steps in the child's progress in the areas of communication and social engagement.

SINGING PROVIDES FUN AND FOCUS

Throughout the school day, we use bursts of song to mark events and places on a daily basis. Not only does this help in the child's understanding of time, activity and place, but we also find that levels of engagement and focus improve through singing.

With visual support in the form of pictures, symbols or sign language, there are many ways of encouraging active involvment in songs, without dependency on a child's ability to 'sing words'. Visual support also serves to promote expressive language, as exemplified by Speech and Language Therapists' extensive use of singing in their sessions. It's common to hear words sung by a child who would be unable to speak the same words!

All of these ways of using song depend on adapting songs to meet pupils' needs, and using them with a flexible approach. Rather than just taking a passive role as listeners, with some key points in mind, we can support pupils in being active in initiating and taking control. The key points are to:

• Use short bursts of song throughout the day to mark events.
• Use songs with simple structures and repetition (musically and lyrically).
• Use props, visual supports and songs with physical actions to promote more 'active' participation. A shared sheet of lycra or a parachute can be very useful in promoting shared attention. In particular, these devices can support social understanding and learning in children with additional autism.
• Provide opportunities for children to make choices. Use symbols, pictures or props to stand for particular songs - choices can be made by touching or pointing.
• Allow opportunities for children to initiate musical play. Expectant pauses within songs can be very powerful as a means of encouraging pupils to initiate a sound or action. By being flexible, you can then pace sessions by adapting to pupils' responses.
• Encourage familiarity as a key feature, because it supports expressions of  recognition, understanding and anticipation. (However songs need not become 'fossilised' in one set form - they should be adapted as pupils progress.)

ALICE THE CAMEL

This Song Bank song has become a favourite at our school and you can find it online. I've recently used it with some of our most able pupils, for whom working on number concepts from 0 to 5 is appropriate. Only one word changes between verses, which is ideal. It's also great for using visual aides. With the help of two inventive colleagues, we've tried it in these ways:

• Using a velcro board, we had six A4 pictures, showing Alice the camel with between zero and five humps. Depending on the understanding of the pupil, he/she would be asked to 'find five' or to point to the number corresponding to the next verse, and for others there may be a sung answer.
• Using an interactive screen, one colleague has devised a musical game using PowerPoint, embedding the corresponding verses, which are heard when the appropriate picture is touched.

Alice the camel has been the source of great fun and shared social involvement, including pupils who rarely use speech or vocalisation to communicate in school. Across the range of abilities the level of active engagement is generally increased with the use of visual support.

SINGING FOR SELF-EXPRESSION

Singing is important in many ways for all pupils. By definition, pupils with severe and profound learning difficulties often have very significant challenges in self-expression. Therefore, even though they may not be able to sing in a conventional sense, it could be argued that their need for music and song, with its unique qualities, is even greater than ever. The significance of their response make singing a thoroughly rewarding, valuable and fun activity for everyone.

Biography:  Pat Lloyd is an Advanced Skills Teacher and music therapist. She's also a Regional tutor for the University of Birmingham's Webautism course and author of Let's All Listen.

Take note:

Check out the Song Bank for our specially commissioned  signed song, Song of the fish by Richard Sissons.