Teacher Resources
Improvisation ideas and alternative notation for pupils who do not read and more. Read about the benefits experienced by learning disabled people when they have been given the opportunity to play a musical instrument. See what has been done by others.
Forum
Join in discussions and share ideas about teaching and learning musical instruments for and by the learning disabled. Encourage others with your success stories.
About Us
Melody was set up by Rosie Cross, a music teacher living in Birmingham. Since 1994 she has been teaching pupils with learning disabilities to play the piano, working with their parents and inventing methods to help them. The pupils have learning disabilities such as autism and Down syndrome, and some are unable to read conventionally printed music.
Gradually Rosie gathered together a list of other teachers and parents who were interested. She discovered that very little had been done to explore ways of teaching people with learning disabilities to play the piano and other instruments. In February 2003 she organised a one-day conference in Birmingham to demonstrate that people with learning disabilities can gain great benefits from learning to play a musical instrument.
Out of this day came a determination to promote instrumental teaching for pupils with learning disabilities, together with the benefits of doing so, and to provide help for teachers who wish to explore this area of teaching.
Donate
We will be delighted if you would like to support the work of Melody. We invite you to make your donation here