On Saturday, 4 November 2017, Gehrels Music Education, the Arts Education Research Group, and the Conservatorium van Amsterdam hosted the national professional development day, "Music Rocks!" for music teachers and primary school general teachers.

Throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to join a variety of workshops, including: "Music in Infant Mental Health," "ZingZo!," "Facilitating Creative Processes," "Music Didactics 3.0," "Percussion in the Classroom: Johann Sebastian, Nice to Meet You!," "The Benefits of Music Learning Theory," "Singing in the Classroom: Working on Quality," and the Music Talent Express.

Music Experience Lessons in Special Education
One of the workshops was led by Vincent Lamers (a member of the research group for the Arts Education Research Group) and Patrick Meuldijk, focusing on Music Experience Lessons in special education. In special education, the number of low-functioning students is increasing—students who often have the developmental level of a toddler or preschooler, struggle to communicate, and may also be confined to a wheelchair. These students present unique care and educational challenges. How can we provide meaningful music education for them?

For several years now, Music Experience Lessons, also known as BIM (Experience in Music), have been offered in various locations across the country. These activities involve experiencing music through different senses. For example, a ball rolls over the participant’s legs in time with the music, an umbrella opens and closes to the rhythm of the music, creating a gust of wind, and a feather duster sweeps imaginary dust off your trousers in the cadence of the basso continuo. During the workshop, participants experienced several BIM activities and explored the underlying theory of BIM, as described in the research "Multimodality as a Tool for Embodied Teaching and Learning in Special Education" conducted by Vincent Lamers and Carolien Hermans for the Arts Education Research Group.