Although some individuals are able to work and are relatively self sufficient, others are not. There is a variety of activities that can help adults with developmental disabilities to socialize, express their feelings and stay healthier. Activities for the developmentally disabled are most successful when based on an individual’s skills, interests, physical abilities, level of socialization and th
erapeutic benefits. Music is such a helpful tool for adults with developmental disabilities, as most individuals respond favorably. According to the American Music Therapy Association, music stimulates the senses, and therefore, can help to improve an individual's mental, social and emotional well being. Music training triggers and requires contacting multiple stimuli resulting in activating specific brain regions that are important for our growth. It is therefore a multi-sensory experience that affects the mental, psycho-emotional, functional and kinetic aspects of a person's activity. Regarding people with learning disabilities, all the aforementioned constitute the aid and development fields to improve quality of life. More specifically, music education enhances specific cognitive and perceptual skills, such as observation, attention, concentration, memory and understanding. Dealing with a musical instrument helps develop kinetic skills, such as fine and coarse mobility on the limb function, audiovisual coordination etc. Moreover, social and communication skills that shape the psycho-emotional part of the individual are being aided through the music experience. Thus, music education encourages the development of interpersonal relations and socialization, interaction and communication, participation and integration into a whole, self-control and self-limitation, taking initiatives and risks, creativity and self-expression, empowerment, self-esteem, etc. The trans-national partnership aims to develop and test an innovative, needs-tailored, inclusive learning music process, based on the creation of activities among project partners and target groups, that would enable the development of a certified training course. The project also aims to create a specific methodology, usable video tutors, teaching tools and demonstration activities in order to increase the skills and abilities of both the learners and teachers/trainers through a common on-line platform. The method intended to be applied has already been successfully piloted by Dr. Ioannis Makris, PhD (music conductor/development leader in the present project) under the title 'M.E.L.O.S'- Musical Education Light and Optical Stimuli. The piloting has been taking place in the past year in the facilities of ERGASTHRI through which an ad hoc orchestra has been created by trainees who are suffering by light and medium cases of learning disabilities. This orchestra was presented for the first time to the public on May 2014 in one of ERGASTHRI's annual solidarity fair and has been received with enthusiasm by the local community and the hundreds of visitors. The name of the method (MELOS) has a double meaning in the Greek language; musically the word is used world-wide to signify the succession of musical tones constituting a melody but also, it means member of a group. Throughout the development and piloting of the method it has been proven that in a very short period of time (average time one month) the trainees were able to participate energetically in an orchestra and play music as a group. The project consortium focuses on training and education needs of the target group aiming to achieve:
The simultaneous enhancement and the development of cognitive, perceptual and kinetic skills through an enjoyable, creative and interactive learning experience
Learning a musical instrument is addressed to everyone regardless of the degree of functionality and disability, so that no one is excluded from the process of learning. This implies the coexistence, rather than the separation, of people with different degrees of functionality.
