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Hanging Out with the Cool Guys! Making music as motivation for teenage AAC users

Making
music
as
motivation
for
teenage
AAC
users

Session 2.1b

Location: Main Hall (Gilbert Murray)   Date: 27th Monday 2010    Time: 11:45 - 12:45

Summary

This session describes how different professionals working at Ash Field School, Leicester, came together to work on a music project with a group of teenage AAC users.

Dan and Kev are two musicians who regularly visit the school and work with class groups and students who play instruments. The music project enabled Dan and Kev to work with the AAC users group. The students decided on a theme for their composition, collaborated fully with writing the lyrics, staged rehearsals and performed their song. They gave a live performance and have recorded their own CD.

The following aspects were highlighted:

  • Multi-agency working
  • Raising awareness and the profile of AAC within the school
  • Promoting students' voice
  • Building students' self esteem
  • Addressing access issues for the users
  • Supporting individual expressions of creativity.

The presentation will be supported by PowerPoint, CD and video clips of the band's performance. 

Handout Available

Author(s)

  • Caroline Knight
  • Jane Lynch

Level

  • General session — assumes participants have some experience of AAC

Type of Paper

  • Educational

Age Group

  • Adolescent

Interest

  • Topic of interest to people who use AAC
  • Mainstream
  • Special