Music Therapy for Deaf Clients

As a deaf musician, I've always been passionate that your hearing levels don't decide your relationship with music. While most people access music through hearing it, Deaf people make the most of sound, sight and touch when we enjoy music.

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Music therapy can be adapted to meet this unique musical experience. I use visual scores, tactile instruments and emphasis on musical beats and melodic shapes to help you express yourself and explore your emotions via music. 

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I have adapted my practice through research and work. I completed a training placement in The Royal School for the Deaf Derby, where I worked with the school's music teacher and BSL interpreters to help young people develop their identity and emotional intelligence through musical exploration. Through this work, and my own heuristic research, I focused my final masters project on how I can take my experiences as a deaf musician, and use this to strengthen music therapy for deaf clients. I presented this presentation at the British Association of Music Therapy's (BAMT) 2024 conference, and was interviewed in the BAMT Music Therapy Conversations podcast about this work.