Digital instruments help pupils reach Royal Albert Hall
BBCPupils from a special needs school are preparing to perform at the Royal Albert Hall - with a digital instrument on an iPad that some children will play with their eyes.
Children from Chadsgrove School in Bromsgrove will follow in the footsteps of The Beatles and Adele in performing at the prestigious London concert hall as part of the annual show Music for Youth.
Several of them will play Clarion, an electronic instrument that is designed specifically for disabled musicians and can be played using any part of the body, which is downloaded onto tablets and laptops.
Music teacher Steph Wellings said: "It's a total gamechanger for music making in a special school. It's just been amazing."
The school has been working with Open Orchestras, a UK-wide music education programme that makes instrumental music-making accessible to young disabled students.
Music for Youth is an annual gathering of 3,000 young people from across the UK who will perform a range of music including gospel choirs, jazz orchestras and steel pan bands. It takes place on Monday and Tuesday evening.
"For our pupils, music is just absolutely the most powerful thing," Wellings explained.
"They get so much from it."
Chadsgrove School is a specialist school for pupils with physical disabilities and complex medical needs.
"We have lots of adapted equipment to help the children to access music," Wellings said.
"[Clarion] can be played touch screen or it can be played by using your eyes.
"Its use means that we can really tailor and adapt, very specifically, the best way possible for a child to access a piece of music, or in terms of how they're able to be expressive, or creative," she added.
"It means that the pupils are able to play [music] using their best strengths."
Wellings also explained that music as a subject is often overlooked in schools.
"The pupils here, they make me proud every day," she continued.
"They work incredibly hard. They have a lot of barriers that they need to overcome in order to access, in order to communicate with other people.
"Music is such a powerful way of doing all of those things.
"I'm incredibly proud of their progress, which can be very often quite sideways progress."
'Music is a passion'
Oscar, a 17-year-old who has cerebral palsy, said he was really excited to go to London and play the keyboard at the Royal Albert Hall.
Playing piano and performing music makes him "happy" and it has helped him to express himself, he said.
Arjen, who also has cerebral palsy, plays the djembe and wah-wah tubes and is excited to be performing at the reputable venue.
The 15-year-old said his mum, dad, brother and cousins are making the trip down to London to see the show.
However, he said he's not nervous to be on the big stage and has worked "really hard".
He also thanked Wellings for her support as a music teacher.
"Music is a passion, and when I get older I want to work as a music producer," said Arjen.
"I do imagine that I'll become great in music."
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