Nursery World - Feel the beat

What can young deaf children get out of music? Plenty, as one innovative pre-school programme is showing. Karen Faux reports Inclusive music-making is on a roll in the Leeds and Halifax area, where Music and the Deaf has launched a series of innovative workshops.

Inclusive music-making is on a roll in the Leeds and Halifax area, where Music and the Deaf has launched a series of innovative workshops.

The charity's Keys to Music programme for pre-school deaf children was put together by its education projects manager, Danny Lane. Profoundly deaf himself, he admits the project initially appeared exciting but daunting, as he had no previous experience of this age group.

'Nursery rhymes proved not to be very effective when signed, and the lack of resources meant I had to go back to the drawing board to create activities,' he says.

In the end a collaborative approach with practitioners, parents and children resulted in a flexible programme that allows all children to experience the pure joy of music-making.

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