Hudson helps disabled children to experience the joy of making music

Children with profound and multiple learning disabilities in the East Riding will be able to experience the joy of making music in a new arts project entirely backed by Hudson Contract.

The family-owned business is providing the funding for the Remarkable Arts organisation to deliver music-making sessions at three schools in the East Riding of Yorkshire over the next 18 months.

Remarkable Arts will use the symbols and signs of the Makaton language programme as a tool to teach music-making skills to young people with disabilities and their siblings. The charity is working with special needs pupils at two mainstream primary schools in Bridlington and a special school in Driffield, which caters for children aged 2-19 with severe or complex learning disabilities. The charity hopes to extend the initiative to other schools in the area.

Remarkable Arts aims to deliver 34 music-making sessions for up to 700 children in total and will also provide 20 training sessions for parents and carers from disadvantaged backgrounds to help deliver their own sessions in the future. The charity is developing a database of music-making resources, links and contacts for other schools to adopt in the future.

Children in the project will learn, perform and share a Christmas classic in the lead-up to the festive period and then take part in the ‘Let’s Rock’ show at Bridlington Spa on January 22.

Mark Howley, director of Remarkable Arts, said: “The benefits of making music are huge and scientifically proven yet for many children with disabilities their daily challenges are so great they rarely, if ever, get the chance to take part. In spite of the best efforts of parents and teachers, life can sometimes become just about meeting the daily challenges without ever having the chance to do anything creative, artistic or any of the fun things that make life worth living.

“With Hudson Contract’s support, we are able to deliver a significant project for the East Riding using Makaton as a tool to help children experience the joy of making music and support their families and communities with skills development.

“We believe that music brings people together, creates a level playing field and everyone should have the opportunity to take part. It is amazing to see young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities interact with music – it brings a smile to everyone’s face.”

Hudson Contract has provided significant financial and practical support to Remarkable Arts since 2014, enabling the charity to help more than 2,000 young people to engage with the arts in Bridlington.

David Jackson, our founder and chairman, said:

This initiative matters to me because it’s putting something back into the community that I was brought up and live in. In addition to helping young people in the coming months, the beneficial outcomes of this project will multiply over the years as it includes training and skills development for families and teachers.

Founded in 1996, Hudson Contract is headquartered in Bridlington and operates an award-winning sponsorship scheme for trade apprenticeships in the seaside town and the surrounding area.

Children in the project will take part in the ‘Let’s Rock’ show at Bridlington Spa on January 22.