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
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 day 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
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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
2 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
2 weeks 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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Sounds of Intent
From special school sessions to the Royal Opera House stage!
Rosie was already a music practitioner when she discovered the Sounds of Intent framework - but it was our Postgraduate Certification with the @RoehamptonAcUk that really transformed how she works.
Since graduating, Rosie has:
- Helped submit the first whole class groups for @TrinityVideoChannel Inclusive Music certificates, and now works as an assessor for the awards
- Been commissioned to train music leads across South Yorkshire, staff at Live Music Now, and music leaders at Sheffield Music Hub
- Begun her PhD, exploring musical creativity and its place in the Sounds of Intent framework, with learners with profound and multiple learning disabilities
- Worked with the @RoyalBalletAndOpera on their project to deconstruct the magic flute for learners across the spectrum of needs and abilities
Rosie said: "It was due to being on the PgCert that I was offered the work."
If you are ready to make music accessible to every learner, consider applying for the PGCert. It’s part time, delivered flexibly online, over the course of one year. Applications for September 2026 are open now. Link here: www.roehampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught-cou…
#PGCert #Postgraduate #SpecialEducation #TeachingMusic
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Sounds of Intent
Since 2013, Sounds of Intent has produced more than fifteen different resources and books.
Our mission is to transform lives through music, by turning our research into actionable activities that make music accessible to all learners. One of the most powerful ways we do this is by creating resources, strategies, cards, videos, ebooks, schemes of learning, ebooks, songs, and animations. Many of these are freely available, and some have been published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Routledge and Trinity College London Press.
We’re very proud of this collection of work. You can find many free resources, as well as links to others, on our website soundsofintent.org/en/home/index
#MusicEducation #SpecialEducationalNeeds #ElderlyCare #MusicTherapy #InclusiveEducation
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Sounds of Intent
Did you know that sounds of intent offers a postgraduate certification with the @RoehamptonAcUk? It’s a masters-level course that is delivered part-time and 100% online. It’s worth 60 credits, which is about halfway to a masters.
Sarah is a student who has just finished. She said she’d been “awakened” by the course. She studied for it alongside teaching full-time, and noticed “how much the Sounds of Intent framework has permeated” her work for the better.
Every student on the course will complete a placement. Sarah described how she felt on her placement:
“I had the moment when I was on my placement of ‘this is exactly the thing I want to be doing’”
If you’re passionate about inclusive music education, and want to learn more, follow the link in our bio to apply for the course. Feel free to email social@soundsofintent.org to enquire about your eligibility.
www.roehampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught-cou…
#PGCert #SpecialEducationalNeeds #InclusiveEducation
2 months ago | [YT] | 1
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Sounds of Intent
Did you know that Sounds of Intent has reached Nigeria?
The Darkos Music Foundation, led by Daniel Darkos, is based in Lagos, Nigeria. The foundation supports and promotes music education for all learners. In this photo, from September 2025, students in a junior school in Lagos are enjoying a musical training programme, using clapping and singing to explore music.
Daniel has used Sounds of Intent to understand how all his learners, including those with diverse needs, engage with music. He told us it has “significantly developed” the engagement of his students. In recognition of their inclusive music curriculum, the Darkos Music Foundation has also been the successful recipient of one of our Awards for Schools - congratulations!
Sounds of Intent’s mission is to use an understanding of music to change people’s lives. We couldn’t be happier that Daniel discovered the framework and is using it to change lives in Lagos - congratulations!
Image description: About 20 children wearing green and white uniforms sit in a circle on the floor with two adults, clapping hands and smiling.
#Nigeria #MusicEducation #ChangingLives
2 months ago | [YT] | 2
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Sounds of Intent
Did you know that Sounds of Intent offers a postgraduate qualification? tinyurl.com/SoIPGCert2026
This is a part-time course taught online and worth 60 credits. It’s designed for educators, musicians, therapists, clinicians, parents, carers and anyone committed to inclusive practice.
You will build both theoretical understanding and practical expertise of inclusive musical development. It’s taught flexibly over the course of one year.
We’ll be sharing insights from graduates soon - in the meantime, follow the link above to find out more about the course!
Image description: A photo of our founder, Adam, in a classroom standing behind a young boy who sits at a piano. His hands are placed on the boys which are on the keys and the boy is grinning widely.
#MusicEducaiton #SpecialEducation #SoundsofIntent #InclusiveEducation
2 months ago | [YT] | 1
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