Mysuru: The two-day National Workshop on ‘Use of Music in the Education of Children with Special Needs’ organised by the Department of Special Education, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru was inaugurated at the Seminar Hall in the Academic Block of AIISH here this morning.

Sri Datta Vijayananda Teertha Swamiji, Junior Pontiff of Avadhoota Datta Peetham, Mysuru, who was the chief guest inaugurated the workshop. AIISH Director Dr. S.R. Savithri, presided.

The Swamiji, in his inaugural address said, “Music can do miracles and it also helps in controlling our mind and anger as music is pure and has no element of religion attached to it.”

Presiding over the inaugural function, Dr. S.R. Savithri, narrated her experience towards music and added that she was happy that the children are expressing their emotions through music.

The workshop is a practical orientation programme where the students and parents will be taught basic music sounds such that will help the special children in learning. The workshop aims to provide hands-on experience on techniques of musical intervention in children with special needs, enhancing abilities, overcoming fear, anxiety, low esteem, recent advancements for musical intervention and improvisations, various musical intervention assessment scales, grading, scoring and research methodology.

The resource persons includes – Tara Kini, teacher of Hindustani Music and Physics, Consultant in Education and Music, Sunaad, Bengaluru, Dr. T.V. Sairam, President, Nada Centre for Music Therapy, New Delhi, Dr. P.V. Phanishree, Chief Medical Officer, SGS Hospital, Datta Nagar, Mysuru, Ruma Chakravarty, Founder, Sur Manjari (A Music Education and Music Therapy Foundation), Delhi, Dr. Narendra Kaur, Associate Professor, Music, RRMK Arya Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Pathankot, Utkala Maringanti, Counsellor, Cloud Nine Hospital, Bengaluru and Dr.G. Malar, Reader, Dept. Of Special Education, AIISH, Mysuru.

A checklist for SUMERU (Special Use of Music for Educational Readiness and Up building) was released on the occasion. The checklist is a guideline on how they need to document the assessment of music’s influence in the learning of the special kids.

Dr. Pushpavathi, HOD, Department of Special Education, AIISH, speaking to Star of Mysore, said, “Special children,  especially those with autism and intellectual deficit have problem in learning, grasping things as their attention and concentration is very less and they are hyper active; To reduce that we need a team work management that includes – speech pathologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists. We have added music therapists to the team, as music is a therapy that will improve their attention and concentration and will help in their motor co-ordination. The students may fail to develop speech, but they will develop music ability and express themselves.”

Several students and parents are participating in the workshop, which will conclude tomorrow evening.