Rock and Roll for Kids with disabilities. Skoog Guest Blog.

Fiona Sharp

This weeks blog comes from Skoog associate musician Fiona Sharp. Fiona graduated in 2004 from City University, London with a Bachelor of Music with Honours degree, specialising in music therapy for children with visual and hearing impairments. She has also gained a specialist Diploma in Deafblind Studies and Level 1 of British Sign Language.

 Over the past six years, Fiona has worked as a music practitioner for the charities Sense Scotland, RNIB and Fife Society for the Blind. She is an Associate Musician for Drake Music Scotland, working in a number of SEN schools and care homes in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, Dundee and Angus.

 

You can find out more about Fiona’s work here: http://www.osnaburgh-music-practice.co.uk

Fiona Sharp: “Since I was first introduced to the Skoog back in 2010, it has become one of my preferred instruments to use in my music sessions, both in one-to-one work and in group settings. My community music work takes me into various environments – care homes, schools, studios, and individual homes.

 

Using SkoogI am currently doing a lot of work in mainstream high schools through the Support For Learning departments with ASD or ADHD teenagers who display varying levels of behaviour. The group music sessions I lead are designed to suit the likes and needs of the teenagers who are participating, and for the majority of them this includes forming a band, learning to play a specific instrument or doing sound recording and studio work.

 

Using Skoog in a band
Using Skoog in a band

The latter is the area that the Skoog has been particularly useful in, due to the versatile nature of manipulating the sounds that the Skoog produces. I’ve recently been using it with a group of teenagers who have formed a rock band and are wanting to record some of their songs. The Skoog, which we have used along side GarageBand, has encouraged the pupils to look at the Skoog as a technical and ‘cool’ musical instrument to use in addition to the standard rock band instruments.

 

 

Skoog solo
Skoog solo

With GarageBand or Logic, they can alter the notes, tone and pitch to fit in with what they are playing. The Skoog has proved to be a popular instrument within the group.”

Thanks Fi, looking forward to catching your next performance!

To find out how you can use skoog you can sign up for a free Webinar with one of Skoog’s inventors Ben Schogler – This week the focus is on Autism:

https://skoogmusic.com/offers/how-use-skoog-support-kids-autism-music

 

We also have more general webinars here:

https://skoogmusic.com/content/free-skoog-webinar-getting-to-grips