Oliver’s story
Music therapy provided Oliver with an empowering space to take the lead.
Oliver is four years old and attends the Kilpatrick School in the west of Scotland. He has grade five cerebral palsy which affects his movement and coordination. Oliver is a wheelchair user and requires support to move his arms and legs which are often tense. For eight months between 2023 to 2024, Oliver attended weekly music therapy sessions as part of the partnership between Kilpatrick School and Nordoff and Robbins.
A delightful and smiley individual, Oliver enjoys interacting with everyone around him. He has an infectious sense of humour which he often uses to interact with others. And he loves slapstick comedy – particularly the sounds of people falling over! Due to his visual impairment, Oliver seems to rely on his listening skills to experience his environment and others around him. He responds through vocalising and laughing, displaying his joyful and mischievous character.
Before Oliver started music therapy, the nursery staff noticed that he responded positively to music. They felt that it could be a way to connect with him and support him to flourish. So, he began to attend sessions each week with music therapist Polly.
Oliver’s excitement for music was clear from the moment he began music therapy. He was playful and enthusiastic throughout the sessions, smiling throughout. He seemed to enjoy the immediate sense of connection found in making music spontaneously. In music therapy, Oliver would appear delighted to explore his voice and sing and would do this for as long as he could in each session. He showed a great sense of musicality, pitching his vocalisations to match with Polly’s or the musical accompaniment. For the rest of the session, he would engage with the music in other ways, like conducting the music with his arms and hands.
In music therapy, Oliver would move his arms independently to the music, with determination and sense of purpose. As he raised his hands up and down, Polly would follow the direction of Oliver’s arms with her voice, sliding the pitch to match the movement. This gave him a sense of agency and control over the music. And it appeared to motivate him to move his arms past his face, which he’d never done at nursery before as he usually needed support to move his arms.
Music therapy was an opportunity for Oliver to express himself and explore his musicality, as well as to realise his own potential. In sessions he was the leader, providing vocalisations for Polly to respond to (and smiling when she did this!). He sang and moved with purpose and musical intent, directing and communicating with Polly through playful gestures, however small or subtle. In music therapy sessions, there was a sense of companionship and connection created in the shared improvisations, which felt important within the context of Oliver’s life and the challenges he faces.
During music therapy Oliver becomes totally immersed in the experience. It’s lovely to see Oliver so engaged and even at times appears to conduct the session using his arms. Oliver’s arms flow with the music, raising and falling in sync.
Laura, staff member at Kilpatrick Early Years Nursery
I’ve never seen him work harder than when he’s in here [music therapy]. It’s the most movement he does by himself.
