Since 2023, professional musicians from Music in Hospitals & Care have been sharing live music with Carmarthen Breakthro’, a charity supporting children aged 4-18 with physical and learning disabilities in Carmarthenshire.
Music in Hospitals & Care musician Chris Knibbs explains how he adapts each live music experience to suit the group’s energy:
“For a young group like this, we increase the speed of the music. They’ve got loads of energy and they want to use it. I usually take the instrument up, not playing it, so that they can touch it and then move it a little bit. They can feel the vibrations and they’re in control.”
The live music is tailored to support communication, confidence and wellbeing for the children and young people. Musician Holly Robinson, a fiddle player with Music in Hospitals & Care who plays with Chris, highlights how even the choice of instrument and style is considered with care.
“We think carefully about the music we’re going to bring, and make sure we’ve got a mix of lively stuff, but also some gentler stuff.” says Holly. “We may do some things that are familiar, possibly do some Welsh tunes that they’ve learned in school. We also think about the instruments that we’re bringing. If we’re bringing percussion instruments, we can offer soft beaters just to bring the volume down a bit.”
Emyr Baynon, Carmarthen Breakthro’ Coordinator, adds: “I think the work that Music in Hospitals & Care does is phenomenal. Some of the children we support are non verbal or have sensory issues. Chris and Holly really do appreciate the needs of the children, so if somebody isn’t particularly interested or keen in participating but is enjoying the music and just sitting back to enjoy, they will respect that.”
“You can see how the children light up with the music, engaging in their own way, whether it’s through dancing, clapping, or simply soaking in the atmosphere,” says Chloe Baker, Music in Hospitals & Care’s Live Music Coordinator for Wales. “Live music helps create a shared space where everyone is included and valued, which is exactly what Breakthro’ is all about.
Our musicians have been amazing at adapting their approach; sharing their instruments, inviting the children into the music at their own pace, and using sensory elements to make it fully accessible and engaging.”
For many of the children at Carmarthen Breakthro’, this is their first experience of live music in a care setting. Whether it’s through singing, dancing, tapping along, or simply listening, music opens up new ways to connect and communicate.