Success Story: Using ICT in SEN settings

Lancashire Music Service decided to work with West Lancashire Community High School, which is an 11-19 community school specialising in helping children who have moderate, severe or profound learning difficulties, including children who are on the autistic spectrum.

LMS are keen to explore ways of working with new technologies in a variety of settings. The service has recently purchased Skoogs and iPads and hosted a demonstration of the Apollo Creative’s interactive sound and light equipment. This project gives us an ideal opportunity to see these technologies in action, to assist and inform future planning.

The entire light show was designed and controlled by four students working with the Apollo staff – sequencing/editing the visual content to complement the musical input. Students were able to use a range of accessible controllers and games controllers to manipulate, sequence and overlay this collage of images. This provides opportunities for those students who want to get involved in the performing arts but aren’t necessarily that interested in music. Not only does their input give the show a more polished professional look. It helps provide an ambience and a setting in which the music can really be sympathetically showcased. The result was that the quality of performance from the musicians was significantly raised by providing them with this inspiring setting in which to improvise their music