Ysgol Y Deri, the UK’s largest special school, achieved this milestone after introducing the CMPSR instrument and Arrownotes notation system, developed by Digit Music using an adapted wheelchair joystick.
Lisa Rees-Renshaw, assistive technology advisory teacher at Ysgol Y Deri, said: “I was completely blown away when I saw what Digit Music could deliver.
“Si from Digit Music was so inspiring in showing us what teachers can do with their Arrownotes system.
“Some children have never really shown an interest in reading.
“The music we’re showing them is left to right, so we know they can read left to right because they’re following a piece of music.”
The instruments have allowed many pupils to make music for the first time.
Support from Whizz Kidz Children’s Wheelchair Charity and private donor Julian Morgan helped the school assemble the orchestra, which combines CMPSR devices with traditional instruments.
The Arrownotes system allows teachers without a musical background to deliver inclusive lessons, and staff have seen improvements in areas such as reading and colour recognition.
The Every Learners’ Orchestra has already delivered several performances and is scheduled to appear at a corporate lunch at Cardiff City Football Stadium on July 10.
Si Tew, co-founder of Digit Music, said: “We are so happy that pupils at Ysgol Y Deri are clearly getting so much out of CMPSR and Arrownotes.
“It’s wonderful to see what effects it has had on other aspects of their education too.
“We’re now launching our systems in mainstream schools too because that’s what inclusivity is about: it’s about everybody having fun making music no matter what challenges they face.”
The CMPSR has received the Tech4Good award from AbilityNet Microsoft and a Global Inclusion Award from IFIP and Google Education.
