Liquid Vibrations

Liquid Vibrations provides training in sonic hydrotherapy. It is a unique training programme which gives special educators, music therapists, occupational therapists and carers of children with special needs the skills to facilitate underwater listening sessions at hydrotherapy pools.

Participants of the workshop will be trained in special combination of Watsu and elements of Cranio-Sacral Therapy which has been carefully prepared. There is emphasis on the spine and on following the natural movement of the body in water. This enables carers to support children with special needs in the water in a way that facilitates underwater listening, promotes relaxation, promotes a sense of play and freedom of movement.

Workshop schedule

The three-day workshop will include exercises in balance in water and one to one sessions exercises in movement flow and sensitivity to the other person’s natural response to the water. This subtle communication between the carer and the child in the water is the key to creating a beneficial and holistic experience for both.

The first two days are only for the carers.
The first day in the water will be in silence.
The second day will introduce sound inside the water and the training will focus on the relaxation and movement sequences to music.
The third part of the workshop will be guided work with the children themselves.

By the end of the workshop it is expected that:

Schools will positively consider using high quality underwater speakers at their hydrotherapy pools if they have any.

Carers will know how to use the special technique in all hydrotherapy sessions at their schools, understand the benefit of underwater sound in the hydrotherapy session and have the tools to develop future listening programmes with the school's music therapist and guest musicians.

Schools would enhance the artistic musical programme by inviting guest musicians.

These sessions are designed to cultivate a greater awareness of the sound environment in a relaxed and familiar setting, to help increase learning, musical expression and vocalisation, and satisfaction of aesthetic and emotional needs, and provide opportunities for cross curricular work.

Our work has attracted the interest of researchers from the University of Roehampton and Kent University into the benefits of underwater listening and hydrotherapy on the musicality and wellbeing of children with special needs, and, as you can see from our testimonials, has been met with excitement at the schools.