Music for the young generation
ST. PATRICK'S SPECIAL SCHOOL ( Adelaide, May 2000)
St. Patrick's Special School is a Catholic co-educational school which provides educational and prevocational training for students with intellectual and multiple disabilities
From the Principal
The visit of Dr. Chandrakant Sardeshmukh to St. Patrick's Special School community on Wednesday, 3rd May was a delight for students and staff alike. All the children have intellectual and multiple disabilities and each and every one of them enjoy music. I dare say this was their first exposure to a sitar and probably a man dressed as he was.
Dr. Chandrakant had a beautiful affinity, almost intimacy with the students and engaged some of them by eye contact as he played. We noticed that some of the more energetic and “troubled” students were entranced by the playing and the music. Several of them talked later about the feelings of happiness and calm that they felt during the music. Some of them likened these feelings to ‘when Dad reads to me', ‘when I'm with my family', when I'm on holidays.
It was privilege and great joy for us and hope we may have more visits in the future.
Childrens' Drawings
After a music session with Dr. Chandrakant the children went to their classrooms. They began drawing and writing about their feelings from this music session. We joined the children and watched their thoughtful and happy faces as they very carefully put ideas onto paper. They were very happy full of smiles and warm glances. Their pictures and words revealed feelings of security, love and joyful memories of their family.
The teachers were very pleased and surprised to see their students express so freely their feelings in drawings and words, considering the numerous difficulties they have with both mental and physical disabilities.
