Sounds of Intent is a charity that promotes inclusive musical engagement and provides a framework with resources to help music teachers, therapists, cares, relatives and friends assist those with special musical abilities and needs.
For neurodivergent children and adults as well as those with other cognitive and / or sensory challenges, music can be a critical pathway to development and self-expression, facilitating social interaction, communication and personal growth.
The SOI Framework is a model of musical development that sets out how we all engage with music, from children in the early years to older people with dementia, from those with profound learning difficulties who are still learning to process sound, to others who are regarded as advanced musicians in their culture. It underpins many different projects related to music education and neurodiversity as well as music and disability in multiple countries.
Sounds of Intent
Want an intro to the awards scheme we run for schools?
Add this webinar to your diary:
Wednesday 7th October
4:30pm
Attendance free
Register online at the link here: forms.office.com/e/mvv2TU8Fgs - we look forward to seeing you!
Previous webinars in our series cover a range of music-education related topics and can be found at www.youtube.com/playlist?list...
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#SpecialEducation #MusicAwards #Neurodiversity
2 days ago | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
We're excited to share that a new project is getting off the ground here at Sounds of Intent and Live Music Now!
With our new Project Manager, Joanna, we are working to bring you new, accessible musical resources for young children. The resources are for all, but designed with autistic children in mind. Watch this space for a launch in the next few months!
#Autism #AutismAwareness #Music
6 days ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
We’re so excited to be launching our donations page (at long last)! Can you help us celebrate by donating 5 pounds? soundsofintent.org/en/donate/index
Sounds of Intent is a small charity that has grown from being a research project at the @RoehamptonAcUk to the only national charity dedicated to ensuring disability is not a barrier to accessing music. We have no Arts Council or government funding. We have got this far by relying on successful grant applications, private fundraising, plus a lot of hard work from an extremely dedicated team.
We use our funds to produce resources that are freely available to families, teachers and care staff of those with additional needs.
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#MusicCharity #SpecialEducationalNeeds #MakingMusic
1 week ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
What are the Awards and Certificates in Musical Development?
Visit soundsofintent.org/en/trinity-music-awards/introdu… to learn more about this amazing inclusive initiative, co-developed with Sounds of Intent and Trinity College London.
Image description:
Slide 1; text, "What are ACMDs? "It has been an amazing journey working with these pupils at Beechlawn School and preparing them for the Trinity ACMD, which is such a valuable and inclusive recognition of each pupil's musical achievements.""
Slide 2; text, ""It's been incredible rewarding to see not only their musical development, but also the growth in their confidence and self-belief as a result of working towards these awards.""
Slide 3; text, "The ACMDs are inclusive music qualifications we developed with Trinity College London. They allow all learners to work towards a nationally accredited qualification in music."
Slide 4; text, "They are designed with accessibility at their heart. Almost a thousand students have now achieved one."
Slide 5; text, "To bring the ACMDs to your students, visit the Trinity Music Awards section on our website or follow the link in our description.
#MusicEducation #SpecialNeeds #SpecialEducation #InclusiveEducation
1 week ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
What does Sounds of Intent actually do?
Lots of things, but one of the most important lines of our work is this: we equip teachers, practitioners and families of children and young people with additional needs to enhance their children's lives using music.
Every parent, teaching assistant, music teacher, support worker, or music therapist who has engaged with Sounds of Intent has a manifold impact on the children they work with.
We do this work because over 39 years of research has shown that access to musical engagement has life-changing potential for young people: allowing for social cohesion, self expression, emotional regulation, belonging, autonomy, not to mention cognitive and skill development.
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Slide 1; A closeup photo of a smiling boy, text "How our work is transforming lives through music",
Slide 2; A photo of our 2026 conference attendees watching a talk, text "12,005 professionals have attended a talk, webinar or conference presenting Sounds of Intent",
Slide 3; A photo of a female volunteer facing a child with a handheld percussion instrument, text "561 teachers and professionals have received CPD on sounds of intent",
Slide 4; A photo of a male volunteer playing guitar seated on the floor next to a young boy, text "254 schools and settings are actively using Sounds of Intent",
Slide 5; A photo of a female volunteer playing the violin facing a happy young girl in a wheelchair, text "97 teachers and practitioners have earned a postgraduate qualification in the Sounds of Intent framework",
Slide 6; A photo of a female volunteer grinning and watching a young boy play a drum while laughing, text "61 schools have held a workshop on Sounds of Intent - That's 3729 children",
Slide 7; No photo, text "Each person or setting who has engaged with Sounds of Intent is a safer space for children and young people with additional needs. This influence can be life-changing. And we're not done. Visit our website to find out what we're working on and how you can be involved!
Slide 8; No photo, text "Support sounds of Intent, Sounds of Intent receives no Arts Council funding. We apply to grants for every project we run. Every pound you donate today is used to train teachers, create resources and develop accessible instruments.
#InclusiveMusic #SpecialEducation #ChangingLives
1 week ago | [YT] | 3
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Sounds of Intent
It’s not too late to apply for this year’s postgraduate qualification in music and children with special needs. If these quotes sound applicable to your situation, send in your application now at this link: www.roehampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught-cou…
Catherine, one of our graduates says,
“Our students rely on us to provide the tools so they can show us where they are in their musical development. SoI gives me the language to describe what I observe, to show where the students are, and the pathways to support them further in their next steps.
The biggest impact that the PG Cert has had on my development as a teacher is making me aware of how much our students rely on us to listen with our eyes and ears so that we notice where they are in their musical development.
I now know that there is an evidence-based framework of musical development which can be used to develop curriculum, and that teachers don’t have to teach intuitively, because information is there, freely available online.
I am using Sounds of Intent language and concepts when I write my success criteria for my learning intentions, and to describe what I observe my students doing.”
#PGCert #SpecialEducationalNeeds #MusicEducation
1 week ago | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
We’re excited to share that we are launching a new research project with Kingsland school in Birmingham. Kingsland is an amazing school which was part of our Awards scheme last year - earning a Bronze. This new project will investigate how best to train and onboard Teaching Assistants so that more children can benefit from Sounds of Intent. For many students with additional needs, it is their Teaching Assistant who knows them best and works most closely with them, so the potential impact of this project is amazing!
Always researching, always using research to transform lives.
This is a research project with @RoehamptonAcUk
#MusicEducation #InclusiveEducation #SpecialEducationalNeeds
3 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
Are you looking to enhance your professional skills in inclusive music education? To expand your career opportunities? Are you seeking to gain confidence leading innovative, research-informed practice?
Then our PGCert may be for you!
What is it? The PGCert is a course you can take with the University of Roehampton and it’s worth 30 masters-level credits.
By applying, you would:
Join a vibrant and inclusive community of educators, musicians, therapists, clinicians, parents, carers, and others who are committed to supporting the musical development of children and young people with diverse abilities and needs
explore how music can be used as a tool for learning, communication, and expression in a wide range of educational, therapeutic and community settings
develop both theoretical understanding and practical expertise in inclusive music-making
Grow confidence in observing, assessing, and promoting musical progress
Apply learning to a placement in the second term, leading inclusive sessions and reflecting on the outcomes
You will also design a comprehensive inclusive music policy and curriculum tailored to your chosen context
Visit tinyurl.com/SoIPGCert2026 to find out more.
To hear from the course convenors, and previous graduates of the course, do sign up to attend a dedicated webinar on the 16th September, which will cover everything you need to know before applying.
#postgrad #musiceducation #specialeducation
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
As we approach a new school year, we’d encourage teachers to think about applying for a Sounds of Intent School Award. The awards start at bronze level and are designed to help progression towards a truly inclusive music curricula and access. There are criteria, testimonials from those who have already experienced the scheme, and resources at soundsofintent.org/en/awards-for-schools/introduct…
Huge congratulations to those who successfully received awards and attended our Conference in June, featuring in these pics.
#soundsofIntent #MusicEducation
1 month ago | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
Did you know that Sounds of Intent’s founder, Prof Adam Ockelford, has visited over seventy different schools since the beginning of 2021? That’s at least one per month, every month, for five and a half years.
We’ve crunched the numbers and we think that about 3,729 children and young people have been present for a workshop run by Adam.
Collaboration with schools is what contributed to the founding of Sounds of Intent, almost ten years ago, and remains the bedrock of our work. We’re very proud to have sustained this commitment.
This close engagement with schools is essential for our work to be relevant, well-judged, and genuinely useful for real-world contexts - which is our goal.
Stay tuned for more insights about Sounds of Intent’s impact!
Image description: Adam and a teenage pupil smile at one another during a classroom music session.
#SpecialEducation #Impact #MusicEducation
1 month ago | [YT] | 2
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