Students with a wide range of learning disabilities and Special Educational Needs can often find music inherently accessible and means with which to express themselves and communicate. Music Therapy is delivered on a sessional basis as part of a prescribed approach to working with specific students and is characterised by student-led approach. The student may be involved in music-based expression using percussion instruments, piano and voice, supported musically by the Therapist. Sometimes, elements of story and drama are incorporated. Music Therapy contributes to the development of the whole person-mind, body and spirit and there is a particular emphasis on the students in a life of feelings, or ‘soul life’. Outcomes for Music Therapy include:

• Development of communication, interaction and turn taking skills as well as social awareness
• Motor skills and motor control, rhythm and rhythmic movement
• Developing organisational skills, concentration, creativity and imagination
• Recognising and managing own emotions, addressing behaviours of concern
• Working through emotional/psychological issues related to being a young person with special needs