Music and the Deaf - Keys To Music: Making Music
Music and the Deaf, the Huddersfield-based charity which provides music-making opportunities for deaf people by deaf musicians, is proud to announce the completion of the final stage of "Keys to Music: Unlocking the National Curriculum for Deaf Pupils".
User-friendly guides for Early Years practitioners and parents have been published, based on a year long programme of workshops in Early Years settings. A singed song DVD is included in each guide. Our work with deaf young people and their families since 1988 has highlighted how vital it is that deaf children participate in music activities from the earliest opportunity - allowing them to grow up appreciating that music is a totally normal activity for deaf people to participate in.
Danny Lane, Education Projects Manager at MatD, who is himself profoundly deaf, led the programme of workshops and researched the Birth to Three Matters framework and the Foundation Stage curriculum and made adaptations to enable the youngest deaf children to be included in music activities.
The programme includes a wide range of musical concepts such as pulse, rhythm, pitch and dynamics with percussion instruments used as they offer visual and tactile sensation. Movement and lots of visual props are used to make the activities understandable. Many aspects of music for very young children eg nursery rhymes which have been sung to children for many generations, are inaccessible to deaf children. All the inaccessible aspects have been adapted and further opportunities have been made available to increase participation and enjoyment and eliminate the exclusion of deaf young people.
The guides do not require any specialist knowledge of music from parents or teachers. They provide ideas, advice and step and step instructions to help parents and teachers provide music activities in their own homes and at pre-school. The activities are educational and fun. Parents can work with their children on a one to one basis or even involve other family members. Early years leaders can use the guides with deaf children and also with a mix of deaf and hearing children.
The guides are available at a subsidised cost of £30 for that for use in Early Years settings and £15 for the guide for use at home, due to generous support of The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
Copies of either guide and DVD can be ordered by emailing Music and the Deaf or telephoning 01484 483115 (voice), 01484 483117 (minicom) or e mail. Further information is also available through the same channels.
"Keys to Music: Making Music with Deaf Children in Early Years" has been pledged to the Music Manifesto.
Music and the Deaf
The Media Centre
7 Northumberland Street
Huddersfield
HD1 1RL
Tel: 01484 483115 (Voice )
Tel: 01484 483117 (Minicom/Textphone)
Fax: 01484 483116 (Fax)
