Deaf pupils hit musical note (From Haringey Independent)

Deaf pupils hit musical note

9:28am Wednesday 14th January 2009

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A dozen deaf pupils have been getting creative for the new year with a series of workshops.

Young students from Blanche Nevile School in Muswell Hill took a trip down to the Southbank Centre last week for music and poetry classes.

An Indonesian Gamelon session allowed the pupils to experience the exotic Indonesian orchestra for themselves and play the medley of instruments such as gongs, drums, xylophones and mettallophones.

For the 12 deaf children this was a chance for them to try something completely new. Teacher Wendy Roberts said: “All the students really enjoyed the Gamelan session -a very new experience for them and there was plenty of opportunity to play the instruments.

“The session leader enabled all the students to participate at their own individual level while contributing to the group performance.

"The standard of interpreting was excellent and allowed our students, some of whom have additional learning needs, to access the activity fully.”

The workshops also offered the youngsters the chance to sample poetry books in the Southbank Children’s Library with other deaf children from across London.

The one-day event held on Wednesday, January 7, at the Royal Festival Hall was organised by charity The National Deaf Children’s Society (NDCS).

Head of children and youth participation at the charity, Lucy Read, said: “The workshops gave the deaf young people the opportunity to meet their deaf peers and have fun in a friendly and an informal environment.

“What is more important, events like this one expand young people’s imagination and their knowledge of cultural heritage of different countries.”

Ms Roberts added: “All our students love the opportunity to meet other deaf students and adults. Socially many of them are starved of contact with the wider deaf community so the get together lunch at after workshops was a real highspot for them.”

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