Second year music students Lucy Barwick, Rohin Dale, Maddie Jewell and Hayley Shlackman have spent the last year participating in a series of music workshops at Sunbeams Respite Care Unit in Aldershot. Working with a professional Music Therapist, the students helped to run and devise a number of musical experiences for children at the unit.

Sunbeams, which provides support services to children and young people with learning disabilities and their families, proved the ideal context for the students as they participated in music-based aural and physical activities with the children. Students helped the children at the unit engage with percussion, tuned, and electronic instruments through a number of tasks, including portraying a storm and a musical adaptation of ‘The Lion King’.

Speaking after the workshops, student Hayley Shlackman said, “Working over an extended period of time with these amazing children was such a rewarding experience. This was a unique and moving opportunity to watch them grow, develop and connect with each other through music.”

Sunbeams Manager Tim White, said, “This is now the fifth year that students from the College have committed to weekly sessions in which they have supported a music therapist in providing musical experiences for children and young people with whom we work. The sessions this year have again shown that as well as being a ‘fun time’, music is a wonderful medium for supporting communication, interaction and the expression of emotions. I am particularly aware of the busy and demanding schedule that the students work to and, having attended a number of the concerts put on by the music department this year, their high level of musicianship, which to my mind makes their willingness to be involved in the project even more impressive. I can’t express my appreciation to the team in the Music Department enough. Without their commitment and time devoted to the undertaking it would not happen.”