The Power of Music – A Q&A with Emma Hutchinson from Music House Education

Summary

How can music support children and young people with SEND? Read our Q&A with Emma Hutchinson to find out!

Music is a universal language. One that transcends words, taps into emotion, and connects us through rhythm, sound, and movement. For children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), music can be the key to unlock learning, communication, and emotional expression. 

At SEND Tutoring, we recognise music not just as a creative outlet, but as a powerful neurodevelopmental tool. Research shows that musical engagement activates multiple areas of the brain simultaneously, stimulating auditory, motor, emotional, and linguistic pathways. For SEND learners, this multisensory stimulation can support emotional regulation, enhance cognitive processing, and foster meaningful social interaction.

To explore this further, we’re thrilled to share insights from Emma Hutchinson, a pioneer in early years music education. Having founded Music House Education in 1994, Emma has over 30 years experience in music intervention for development, communication, and wellbeing. As a researcher and author, Emma has developed award-winning teaching resources, crafted musical instruments, and led workshops worldwide, from universities in Malta to orphanages in Lebanon.

Let’s now hear directly from Emma, where in the following Q&A, she shares practical strategies, heartfelt reflections, and inspiring advice for anyone looking to use music as a bridge to connection, communication, and joy.

1. How do you tailor musical experiences for children with different sensory or physical needs?

“One of the key approaches to working with neurodiverse children is time. Time to get to know the space, be comfortable, and happy to be there. Time to become familiar with the facilitator. Time to settle, to absorb each activity, their resources, sounds, actions, and finally, time to ‘own’ the activity. This essentially means the child becomes familiar enough with an activity to be able to remember it and put a personal touch on what it looks like. With time the child can be creative, is unpressured and develops inner confidence.”

2. What role does playfulness have in making music therapy inclusive?

“Within time, being playful is a major cog in facilitating inclusive, unpressured musical learning experiences and acts as a pathway to connect and tease out interaction or responses. Like music, playfulness is an intrinsic ingredient in children’s early navigation through life and supporting emotional responses. Children’s characteristics often emerge through spontaneous musical play, such as their preferences for sounds, things, colour, movement. Play brings both facilitator and children together through seamless, multi sensory (sound, looking, emotional responses e.g. humour, tactile resources) activities, and lightens learning overall.“

3. How does music help children who struggle with verbal communication find their voice?

“There are many, often complex reasons why a child does not vocalise. Music provides possibilities for unpressured language to emerge. It is relatable and creative, and is freely imbued in our bodies, our voices and the space and things that we have around us. By tapping into our own spontaneous musical play, non-verbal and non-speaking children are compelled to do the same. Music is a common language that nurtures individual analysis and response without pressure. It is the connecting thread to language since the components of music – silence, pause, dynamics, tempo – are all imbued within speech structures. A skilful facilitator will use these components to compel responses, initially to alert the child, focus their gaze and glean responses whether a look, a movement or sound. It is notable that singing and speech have distinct (different) neural pathways. With thoughtful, sensitively devised regular, playful songs, poems and actions and relevant tactile resources, music can be a useful friend in facilitating speech over time.“

4. What advice would you give to parents or teachers who want to use music at home or in the classroom?

“Less is more! Use what is around you! We often think that music requires elaborate instruments, expensive digital equipment or the most eye-catching, shiny rattle to make music. These are great, when available. However, we all have music within us, and the ability to make, and engage in music making at home and at school with, or without resources. For home and school my top tips are:

a) Call and Response

Begin with visual and physical movement, clap three times, give children time to clap three times. Repeat. Repeat. Change the rhythm to ‘clappity clappity clap’. Allow them to repeat. And so on. Build up a delightful, spontaneous collection of body percussion call and response activities. This helps with focus, listening, counting, structure, phrasing and is fun!

b) Action to a Line

Think of three good, solid, repetitive songs. Choose one expressive physical activity for each line. E.g. ‘A sailor went to sea sea sea’ one hand taps head on ‘sea sea sea’, changing sea to ‘knee knee knee’, and so on.

c) In-betweeners 

Break up a routine day by introducing a familiar song. Encourage participating actions, creating playful sounds in-between the words of the song relating to the topic (e.g. an animal, transport, eating etc). This is brilliant for recharging batteries, dispelling emotional conflict and is fun.“

5. Do you have a favourite instrument, sound, or specific activity that tends to spark connection in SEND learners?

“As a pianist and trumpet player I am biased! The tools of my trade have often been crucial in unlocking responses and positively impacting on a child’s communicative and social ability. Over many years I have discovered that the extraordinary range of sounds elicited by instruments strengthens a SEND child or young person’s communicative ability. Instruments give them scope to find their voice and be empowered to learn, whether through digital music making or live instrumental play. I hasten to add that not everyone wants to take music further than as a helpful springboard to early social connection and learning. From my experience however, the initial connection from a musical experience often sparks a later commitment to music technology, recording, sound engineering, DJing or simply being involved in the music industry in some way, shape or form. Why? Because the fundamentals of an early musical experience made them happy.“

Why Music Matters

Emma’s reflections highlight that music education is not just about understanding rhythm and melody. It’s about building trust, sparking joy, and creating space for self-expression. Music has the power to soothe anxiety, improve attention, and encourage spontaneous communication, especially for those who struggle with verbal expression. Whether through body percussion, playful song routines, or instrumental exploration, music creates a safe space for children and young adults with SEND to express themselves, connect with others, and build confidence. At SEND Tutoring, we encourage families and educators to embrace music as a daily tool, not just for therapy, but for celebration, exploration, and growth. A single note can open the door to a world of self-expression and possibility!

Explore More 

Learn more about Music House Education and their inclusive SEND music groups

Support for Every Learner

Discover how SEND Tutoring supports students with a wide range of needs, including dyslexia, PDA, cerebral palsy, autism, and more. 

Resources and Insights 

Looking for more practical tools and expert guidance? Visit our resources page for additional blogs, strategies, and helpful links.

Stay Connected 

Follow us on social media for updates, tips, and stories from our SEND community.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Ella Jones

If you’re looking for support for a child or young person with special educational needs or a disability, book a free call with us today and find out how we can help.