Comments on: Bwi ba ba ba ba do: or why children are not ‘so cruel’. Supporting children who stammer, with help from Musharaf Asghar, Gareth Gates and John ‘Scatman’ Larkin

By: Michael Jones

Michael Jones — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 19:53:49 +0000

Hi Julie
Some children who stutter certainly find it easier to sing, and even read aloud, as long as it is not their own words they are reading or singing. This seems to be because they can rehearse and singing has a definite structure to it; e.g. Rhythm .
What is problematic is talking spontaneously, because they get caught out by all the sounds that they habitually get stuck on.
The film ‘The King’s Speech’is quite remarkable, because many of the techniques used by the therapist in the film are still used today.
The message of my post was about the things that we can do for children that don’t require a therapist; e.g stopping teasing, becoming a better listener and finding our from the child what they find useful when having a conversation; e.g waiting, or saying the word that the child has got stuck on. These things vary for each child.
Thank you for responding to my post!
Best wishes from Michael

By: Julie Barton

Julie Barton — Fri, 29 Nov 2013 16:53:16 +0000

I once was told that it is easier for stuttering children to sing than to speak. Is this true? Was this the underlying message in your blog?

By: Michael Jones

Michael Jones — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 14:44:54 +0000

That’s very funny! Yes, it’s the music that really gets people going emotionally. Mumford and Sons and a hostage situation… that’s a really funny image. For me it would be either ‘Young Girl’ by Gary Puckett or ‘You’ve lost that loving feeling’ by The Righteous Brothers (Even their name makes me cringe!).
I worked with a girl with profound learning difficulties who really responded to a recording of a soprano singing Bach’s ‘Sheep may safely graze.’ We discovered that she liked falsetto too, so we had to bite the bullet and play The Bee Gees regularly!
Michael

By: Tim Dunkerley

Tim Dunkerley — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 14:09:51 +0000

Michael
Great stuff as usual. “My Generation” by the Who is a beautiful 2 and 1/2 minute treatise on assertiveness self esteem and yes, stuttering.

“People try to put us down……..
Just because we g g g et around”

The “FFFFF fade away” was originally/apochyphically(?) put in to imply F*** off when you couldn’t say F*** off in a song. It still sounds great but isn’t it weird to the think that the boys who “hoped they’d die before they got old” are fast approaching 70 even though two of them have dropped off the twig. Is pop music supposed to last?

Here’s another thing; I watched the lad from Yorkshire’s end of year speech through the medium of Gogglebox( the programme that shows a selection of people watching the last week’s TV). Basically a TV programme about people watching TV programmes. The day they show people watching themselves watching a programme about them watching a programme is when I think we will have all gone collectively culturally bonkers.

Anyway even watching it once removed, I blubbed along with everyone else. It is genuinely moving.

Ever heard of a PDM? Poignant Documentary Moment. It’s usually a slow motion montage of someone getting through to the next round of the X factor, cut with reactions from family members etc etc and clips relating to their “journey” There is a little library of sound clips that accompany these montages on whatever TV programme they appear. Usually Snow Patrol, Elbow or Sigur Ros. If I was a proper musician I would tell you musically exactly why these particular pieces of music PLUS slo mo images help to engender strong emotional responses:What the formula is. They usually involve a thumping rhythm, a wash of strings and the insertion of themes in a minor key (I think).
But it is interesting that even the most cynical amongst us can quite often be manipulated by a combination of sound and image into a slightly uncontrolled emotional response. It is a strong and heady sensory cocktail. Which leads you on to wondering about how context can be manipulated and what that manipulation can engender in people.Music is usually the moment at a funeral where even those who have “held it together” the longest, break down. It’s a powerful tool.

What is it they play to people in siege standoff situations? Metallica? Britney Spears? If I were holed up with some hostages I’d be out quick sharp once they started in on Mumford and Sons…Hands in the air in the back of the van double quick.

So when we use music in schools, especially with groups of children who may include those with hyper sensitive hearing, we should try to be careful not just about volume but about content too.
Sorry I went right off stuttering completely.
TD