Placement Overview & Aims
Our placement at DREAM will start on the 26th January, consisting of five, two-hour sessions taking place every other week. Sam and I aim to create relaxing and experience-orientated sessions, aligning with the values of DREAM, which push participants musically, where we see fit. By the end of our placement, we hope to provide the members with something they can take away from the sessions, whether that be a homemade shaker or a set of basic musical skills.
DREAM
DREAM (Dream, 2020) are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation that promote social inclusion and empowerment among disabled people, through activity-based sessions. They run weekly sessions on Mondays from 13:30pm to 15:30pm in Yeadon. These sessions feature various activities such as, meals, arts and crafts, day trips and guest speakers.
Preliminary Visits
Sam and I arranged our first visit to DREAM for the 3rd November by contacting Anita via email (appendix 1 and 2). We later obtained her phone number, at which point we created a WhatsApp group between the three of us (appendix 3). During these visits Sam and I were able to gauge the type of activities expected at these meetings, which has played a crucial role in the planning of our placement. We also got the chance to meet the group and learn about their individual learning disabilities (appendix 5), allowing us to tailor our session plans to the exact needs of the participants.
Placement Outline
| Sessions | Content |
| Session 1 – Introductory activities (26/01/26) | – Warm up – Variations on group chant activity – Cool down |
| Session 2 – Sensory Shaker making (09/02/26) | – Warm up – Sensory shaker making and decorating for use in later sessions – Cool down |
| Session 3 – Musical storytelling with soundscape creation (23/02/26) | – Warm up – Soundscape creation using shakers, bells, drums, tambourines and whistles – Record these soundscapes for playback – Guitar accompaniment – Cool down |
| Session 4 – Continued musical storytelling with soundscape creation (09/03/26) | – Warm up – Further musical storytelling with soundscapes – Split into smaller groups – Lyric/story creation work with my group – Recording work with Sam – Cool down |
| Session 5 – Round up (23/03/26) | – Warm up – Listening to favourite songs – Music quizzes – Soundscape recognition – Cool down |
When planning our placement, we were conscious not to create too firm of a structure. Our tutor, Pete, demonstrated that a tangible goal would not necessarily be achievable given the diverse needs and abilities of our group at DREAM. (John, 2013) discusses how music therapy is ‘experience-orientated rather than insight-orientated’. This highlights the importance of creating sessions to support the experience of being with others, sharing one’s feelings and telling stories through music; particularly when words are not an option.
The project outline above illustrates our rough session plans for the complete placement. Through bi-weekly visits we will be able to identify which activities are successful and tweak future session plans, where necessary, based on this knowledge. Design Thinking (Gibbons, 2016) will be a valuable resource to help us do this. The ‘test’ and ‘implement’ pillars (appendix 1) in particular, will help us to refine our activities between sessions.
In response to tutor feedback from our group presentation, embedded below, where we were advised not to make our sessions too relaxed, session four ‘Continued musical storytelling with soundscape creation’ will now include smaller group activities looking deeper into the different sides of storytelling and soundscapes. One session, led by me, will focus on lyric writing and story creation. The other, led by Sam, will delve into recording music. Music as Therapy International (2020) states that interactive music making is not formal music education, however some basic musical skills can still be acquired. Our group at DREAM has a wide range of different abilities, with some members being musically able. This means we can push the musical content of our sessions further than initially thought. As it will be the fourth week of the placement, Sam and I will have the understanding to tailor these smaller group activities to the specific needs of our members. This exercise will allow us to provide the group with a greatened musical ability and skills they can take away from our sessions without aiming towards a tangible end goal.
Detailed Session Plans
During our preliminary visits to DREAM, we found that participants were often involved in a craft activity. For example, during our first visit, they were individually making small pumpkin lanterns. These activities created a calm and engaging environment for the group.
Sam and I decided ‘Sensory Shaker Making’ would be a perfect way to incorporate this, whilst sustaining a link to music and further sessions within the placement. (Adams-Price, 2018) discusses the benefits of craft activities in later life. The study found that elderly participants who performed weekly craft activities had improved cognitive skills and neural efficiency. These participants also displayed reduced decline in everyday function and independence compared to those who did not carry out weekly craft activities. Brenda, Carolin, Graham and Annabelle are all elderly members of our group, with a range of learning disabilities (appendix 5) who can directly benefit from craft-based activities like ‘Sensory Shaker Making’.
Here is an example of how I used the first four pillars of Gibbons, (2016) design thinking (appendix 4) in my session plan for ‘Session 2 – Sensory Shaker Making’.
- Empathise – Dream members attend sessions to feel included and improve wellbeing.
- Define – Provide the members with a positive and relaxing music related craft task.
- Ideate – Create sensory shakers to use in later group activities.
- Prototype – Example sensory shakers created by Sam and me for use in demonstration.
(Hutchinson, 2021) outlines keys areas to produce a strong plan for object-based activities. For example, choosing a theme, choosing an activity, activity checklist, activity plan and recording sheets. I have incorporated these ideas when creating my own plan for ‘Session 2 – Sensory Shaker Making’ as shown above.
For the third week of our placement, we will perform a ‘Nature Walk’ story and enhance it through the creation of soundscapes. Soundscapes can be used to create sound signatures for certain moods, locations and narratives to promote focus, relaxation and storytelling. Utilising instruments, bells, drums, shakers, whistles and voices we will imitate natrual soundscapes. (Van den Bosch, 2017) found that soundscapes had a relaxing effect on participants with severe or profound intellectual disabilities. In particular, natural soundscapes such as forest and beach sounds had the greatest effect. I applied this understanding to create the ‘Session 3 – Nature Walk’ session plan. I have based the story in a natural environment to enable us to focus primarily on natural soundscape creations to provide our group with a relaxing environment. Using the shakers made in ‘Session 2 – Sensory Shaker Making’ along with bells, drums, whistles, voices and tambourines, provided by DREAM, we will produce natural soundscapes as a group. Recording these sounds onto Sam’s laptop enables us to playback the sounds and imitate the environment used in this study, thus producing a relaxing environment for our participants.
Neither of my two detailed session plans feature strict timings for activities. (AlRawi, 2021) contradicts the use of rigid schedules, instead, promoting flexible sessions that create a learning environment to accommodate for individual differences within groups. Due to the range of different learning disabilities in our group at DREAM, (appendix 5), strict timings in our sessions would not be successful. Removing rigid timekeeping from our sessions will allow us to cater to our participants individual needs, taking more time on certain activities and vice versa. Furthermore, if an activity is proving successful, we have the freedom to spend more time on said activity.
Warm Up Activity ‘Hello Dream’ Chant – Session 1
| Participants | Group Chant | Development |
| Isaac and Sam (Continuous stomping throughout whole activity) | “Hello dream” repeat “Good to be” repeat “Here today” repeat “And what’s your name?” repeat Isaac: “My name’s Isaac” Sam: “Hello Isaac” Sam: “My name’s Sam” Isaac “Hello Sam” | |
| Whole group starting with Isaac and Sam Each participant introduces themselves and the whole group responds (Continuous stomping/ taping) | “” e.g. “My name’s Graham” “Hello Graham” | |
| Whole Group (Continuous stomping/ taping) | “” | Quietly/ whisper Happily Angrily High pitch/ low pitch |
| Whole group starting with Isaac and Sam (Continuous stomping/ taping) | “” Sam: “And I like animals” repeat Sam: “I like dogs” Isaac: “Sam likes dogs” | Animals as a substitute for names |
| Whole group starting with Isaac and Sam Group claps Sam and Isaac’s rhythms back (Continuous stomping/ taping) | No vocal chant. | Call and response clapping between Sam and I and the group. Simple rhythms. |
| Whole group starting with Sam and Isaac Each group members claps a rhythm (Continuous stomping/ taping) | No vocal chant. | Call and response clapping Group members each come up with rhythm |
For each of our sessions we will start with the same warm up activity and finish with the same cool down activity. Music As Therapy International (2020) states the benefits of beginning and ending sessions with the same activity each time and how applying routine creates a comfortable environment for participants.
The ‘Hello Dream’ chant, created by Sam and me, primarily serves as an introductory exercise for us and the group. The variations shown allow the exercise to become a refined and expected activity following on from our first session, utilising the ideologies featured in Music as Therapy International (2020). The chant itself features a continuous slow rhythm to produce relaxation, as discussed by de Witte et al (2020). (de Witte et al, 2020) also supports musical improvisation has been proven to lower stress in adults with learning difficulties. To incorporate this, we have included an improvised, call and response clapping exercise within our extended warm up in session 1.
We have also considered that not all members of our group will be able to stomp or vocalise the chant. To accommodate this, on hand support workers, recorded in (appendix 5), can provide vocal aid to non-verbal participants and members unable to stomp can perform any form of tapping motion.
Warm Up Activity ‘Hello Dream’ Chant – Session 2 Onward
| Participants | Chant | Development |
| Whole Group starting with Isaac and Sam Each participants says an item they like within the category | “Hello dream” repeat “Good to be” repeat “Here today” repeat “And I like colours” | Various categories e.g. colours, sports, vegetables, musicians |
From session 2 onwards, taking place on the 9th February, we will employ our refined warm up activity showcased above. This warmup exercise is a shorter variation on our ‘Hello Dream’ chant form session 1. We have chosen to keep the bulk of the chant the same, only changing the category at the end of the chant. The refined exercise will feature at the beginning of all our sessions, following session 2, for continuity and to align with what we have learnt from Music As Therapy International (2020).
Cool Down Activity ‘Smiley Face Form’
We will conclude each of our sessions with the same cool down activity, in keeping with the beliefs of Music As Therapy International (2020). Our preliminary visits to DREAM, taught us that at the end of sessions, participants are given time to relax without an organised activity. Continuing this in our own sessions was important to us and will allow us to chat to the members more personally.
Within this allocated time, the group will be able to complete our ‘Smiley Face Form’ (appendix 6) created by Sam. The form is designed to be an accessible way for Sam and I to gauge how effective our sessions are and what areas need improving before the next session.
Conclusion
Overall, Sam and I aim to provide a placement that aligns with the core values at DREAM. To achieve this, we will deliver flexible, musical and experience-orientated sessions in order to create a comfortable and stimulating environment for our participants. By the end of our placement, we hope to have given the members of DREAM a memorable and enduring experience.
Group Presentation
Bibliography
Adams-Price, C.E. and Morse, L.W. (2018) ‘Crafts as serious hobbies: Impact and benefits in later life’, Craft Research. Availableble online: https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/crre.9.1.93_1?utm_source=chatgpt.com [Accessed 5 January 2026].
AlRawi, J.M. and AlKahtani, M.A. (2022) ‘Universal design for learning for educating students with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review’, International Journal of Developmental Disabilities. Available online: https://europepmc.org/article/med/36568615 [Accessed 14 January 2026].
de Witte, M., Lindelauf, E., Moonen, X., Stams, G.-J. and van Hooren, S. (2020) ‘Music therapy interventions for stress reduction in adults with mild intellectual disabilities: Perspectives from clinical practice’, Frontiers in Psychology. Available online: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33362637/ [Accessed 5 January 2026].
DREAM (2020) Disability Group Leeds LS19. Available online: https://dreamleeds.org.uk/ [Accessed 14 January 2026].
Gibbons, S. (2016) Design thinking 101. Nielsen Norman Group. Available online: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-thinking/ [Accessed: 13 January 2026].
Hutchinson, M. (2021) Themed activities for people with learning difficulties. London: Routledge, pp. 1–10. Available online: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=FX86EAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP10&dq=Hutchinson,+M.+(2021)+Themed+activities+for+people+with+learning+difficulties.+London:+Routledge,+pp.+1%E2%80%9310.&ots=i1Ie9sjFTp&sig=f7Q7xvgxNrDc3XCvIRHD4TlEA7U&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false [Accessed 5 January 2026].
John, D. (2013) ‘The therapeutic relationship in music therapy as a tool in the treatment of psychosis’, in Art & Science of Music Therapy: A Handbook. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers, p. 160. Available online: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=UbBEAQAAQBAJ [Accessed 14 January 2026].
Music as Therapy International (2020) Interactive music-making for adults with learning disabilities. Available online: https://www.musicastherapy.org [Accessed: 13 January 2026].
van den Bosch, K.A., Andringa, T.C., Peterson, W., Ruijssenaars, W.A. and Vlaskamp, C. (2017) ‘A comparison of natural and non-natural soundscapes on people with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities’, Journal of Intellectual & Developmental Disability, 42(3), pp. 301–307. Available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/13668250.2016.1250251#abstract [Accessed 5 January 2026].
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
| DREAM member | | |
| Brenda B | Wheelchair User Non-Verbal | Support Worker |
| Annabelle | Wheelchair User Mostly Non-Verbal | Support Worker |
| Jake | ADHD Autism | 2 Support Workers |
| Rhodri | High Functioning Autism | 2 Support Workers |
| Tom | Non-Verbal | Support Worker |
| Gareth | Mostly Non-Verbal | Support Worker |
| Neil | Cerebral Palsy | Support Worker |
| Lisa | Mitochondria Disease | |
| Sarah | Learning Disabilities | |
| Ian | Wheelchair User Visual Impairment | |
| Graham | N/A | |
| Carolin | N/A | |
Appendix 6
