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
Having experienced first hand the infectuous joy with which the staff infuse music sessions as well as the school's commitment and understanding of the crucial importance of music to the pupils, we couldn't be prouder to announce that the brilliant @TheChildrensTrust School in Tadworth is the recipient of our very first Gold Inclusive Music Education Award!
A massive congratulations from all of us and we're very excited to continue following the great work being done by the school.
Image descriptions: Slide 1: Adam poses between two members of staff, Franz on the left and Scott on the right. Scott holds the framed Sounds of Intent Gold Award certificate. Slide 2: Adam stands in front of a pupil in a wheelchair during a classroom session and touches his hand. Slide 3: Member of staff Scott stands in front of the same pupil smiling with an electric guitar. Slide 4: A closeup of a pupil's hand clasping a member of staff's. Slide 5: Adam and Launa, the school's Headteacher, pose with the award.
#MusicEducation #SpecialEducation
2 days ago | [YT] | 2
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Sounds of Intent
Help us to understand how music is working in schools and shape our future activities! Have you got 10 minutes to complete this questionnaire? tinyurl.com/soimusicimpactsurvey
This is a unique opportunity to not only make Sounds of Intent better-suited to help you, but you could also be in with a chance of winning a Mugo - our revolutionary new musical device.
We are conducting impact research here at Sounds of Intent, in collaboration with researchers at UCL and the @RoehamptonAcUk.
We want to hear from special schools across the UK about access to music, and how SoI is used.
#Survey #MusicEducation #SpecialEducationalNeeds
1 week ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
You might remember that at Sounds of Intent we are working on a device which can turn movements into music. The aim of this device, the MUGO, is to make instrumental music-making more accessible to those with limited mobility.
The MUGO can be set to translate gestural movements into sounds of varying complexity, from individual tones to more complex motifs and phrases. This allows it to be adapted for different users, from pre-intentional PMLD students to those for whom physical limitations are the main barrier to music-making. Everyone can meaningfully engage at their level.
We’ve been working hard on this extremely exciting device in the background as it iterates through various prototypes. It was absolutely brilliant to be able to test it in a classroom setting at The @TheChildrensTrust School this month. We identified some issues with battery power and the sensor which our incredible instrument developer Gawain Hewitt is now adjusting. This will be followed by further testing.
Find out more here: www.musicteachermagazine.co.uk/content/features/mu…
Image descriptions:
Slide 1 - a photo of the mugo, a black box covered in knobs, resting on a table. White text on a blue background reads 'This month, we tested the Mugo, our new gestural instrument, at The Children's Trust School in Tadworth'.
Slide 2: the Mugo is in the foreground of a photo from a music lesson, with a child and two teachers. Text reads 'The Mugo allows those with limited mobility to engage with making music.'
#mugo #inclusivetechnology #musictechnology #specialeducationalneeds
1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
Some very exciting news! Six @CinnamonCareCollection care homes were the first in the country to receive our Take Note Music in Care bronze awards, recognising their work using music to support people living with dementia. For full details see here: www.roehampton.ac.uk/news/2026/march/cinnamon-care…
We launched the www.takenote.org.uk/ initiative in 2024. It focuses on the benefits of music for older adults in care settings, particularly those living with dementia. Professor Adam Ockelford and Senior Researcher Dr Fi Costa from the @RoehamptonAcUk led the study, created the awards, and presented them to the recipients at the ceremony.
To achieve the bronze award, care home providers had to provide evidence of implementing a number of the Take Note ideas over a four month period. This included enabling at least five residents to have playlists of favourite music that they can access, carers singing songs with at least five residents every day for fun and to help communication, and giving at least one resident the opportunity to learn or re learn an instrument.
Instilling sound cues was also considered an important part of the programme to help residents anticipate activities, for example sounding a small gong to indicate that it is time for lunch or shaking a tambourine when a group music session is about to start.
The six Cinnamon Care Collection care homes which achieved the bronze award are Eden Court, Rectory Court, Leah Lodge, Mornington Court, Sutton Park Grange and Watermeadow Grange. These homes will now prepare for the silver award, which takes a further four months to complete.
Image description: Four Cinnamon Care staff members, two women and two men including Geoff Pride, Wellbeing & Lifestyle Manage, pose with a bottle of champagne and a framed Take Note Bronze Award certificate. Joining them are Adam Ockelford and Fi Costa, the organisers of our Take Note program. Everyone is well-dressed and smiling.
#dementiacare #elderly #aging #carehome #musictherapy
2 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
If you are looking for in-person opportunities to support inclusive music, and are based near South London, then don’t miss this concert on the 22nd of March! The proceeds of your ticket will go towards @theambertrust supporting blind and partially sighted children through music.
With performances from incredible young musicians Lily Bartlett and Chapman Shum, as well as the inimitable @derekparavicini, it promises to be a night to remember!
Scan the QR code for tickets to secure yours today, or use the following link: www.ticketsource.co.uk/colliers-wood-community-orc…
#livemusiclondon #derekparavicini #pianoconcert #collierswood
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
Our awards scheme for schools is officially launching next week!
Do you work in a school? Do you believe your school deserves recognition for its music curriculum? You might be eligible for an official Sounds of Intent award! As of next week, the scheme will officially be live, and we are kicking things off with an event on Wednesday 11th March at 6pm.
The launch event is totally free and will be hosted online. You can register at the webinar sign up link here: forms.office.com/e/mvv2TU8Fgs - we hope to see you there for an hour of informative fun and discussion.
#specialeducation #musiceducation #SEN #specialneeds
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
We were so thrilled to be able to visit Kingsland Primary School the week before last. Based in Wakefield, this school is a wonderful example of Sounds of Intent in action - in the early stages. The school also participated in our pilot scheme for our soon-to-be-launched Sounds of Intent School Awards and, we are proud to say, has successfully achieved their bronze award.
To hear more about Headteacher Amy Johnston’s experience implementing inclusive music making, check out our Youtube (youtube.com/soundsofintent) and visit the Webinar we released about the school awards. Amy gives some more insights there.
Well done Kingland School!
Image description: Our founder Adam Ockelford, wearing an orange jumper, stands next to Amy Johnson, headteacher of Kingsland School, wearing a white jumper. They are jointly holding a Sounds of Intent Bronze School Awards certificate, which features the awards logo at the top. This is a gold ring with a bronze star in the middle set against the Sounds of Intent colours of maroon, blue and green.
#inclusion #specialeducationalneeds #sen
4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
We’d like to congratulate the 15 students at Beechlawn School on successfully earning their Trinity Certificates! Based in Northern Ireland, these students have been working towards their Awards and Certificates in Musical Development. These are awards offered by Trinity College and co-developed by Sounds of Intent founder, Adam. They are nationally recognised music awards, but they have been designed to be accessible to every learner. It’s fantastic to see them being earned far and wide.
Their teacher, Cindy Yung, said:
“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. It’s been incredibly 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. I’m very grateful to the school for their continued support of my work, and we look forward to involving even more pupils in the scheme in the near future.”
If you are a teacher or practitioner with a success story you’d like to share, do get in touch any time!
Image description: 13 of the 15 Beechlawn pupils to receive their awards stand in the school in two rows, one behind the other, holding their certificates.
4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
If you missed the webinar on our soon-to-be launched school awards scheme, fear not! @twinklresourcesofficial has published a helpful explainer on the awards - please visit www.twinkl.co.uk/news/new-music-education-awards-s… and check it out! Thanks Twinkl for featuring our exciting scheme.
#send #specialeducation #specialeducationalneeds #musiceducation
4 weeks ago | [YT] | 0
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Sounds of Intent
To find out more about the amazing work that @electricbrolly are doing, we recently visited their studio in Hemel Hempstead and took part in some inclusive music activities.
Electric Umbrella are using Sounds of Intent and the Trinity awards to great effect in local primary schools. Make sure to check out their socials and give them a follow!
#inclusive #musiceducation #specialeducation
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