Drumroots Workshops at The National Autistic Society Summer Scheme

Drumroots recently enjoyed as series of workshops for a summer scheme ran by the National Autistic Society (NAS) in Knowsley, Merseyside. The scheme is initiated to include children and young people with Autism, Asperses syndrome and other severe learning difficulties in the Knowsely area take part in interactive and lively activities over the summer months when their regular schools are closed for the end term. Within workshops such as these with such a broad mixture of abilities we are able to leave the teaching of African music and just spend time playing the music with participants and see what avenues of music and rhythm we can explore with the children. This can be very rewarding as some children who at first seem disinterested or unable to correspond much though talking or eye contact may eventually may be able to express themselves or interact with the drums. As is so often the case when drumming with children and young people with learning difficulties, we rely on the feedback from the careers and people who work with them every day to offer us insight into how the sessions went. Again, as we have done in the past, here we learnt that some children who at first seem less responsive to the drumming in fact benefit more than is plain to see and the responses to this all inclusive music goes a long way in allowing many types of people to connect though drumming.