My Breath My Music
My breath My Music aims to give people with severe physical disabilities the opportunity to play music, using either self-adapted electronic instruments or electronic instruments the organisation have developed themselves. Read more about the organisation My Breath My Music.
Florine Joosse 'Even my dad does sometimes cry (cover) at a benefit concert in Cultuurpodium Boerderij Zoetermeer for and by young people with several disabilities.
Workshop: My Breath My Music
In this workshop Ruud van der Wel and Karin van Dijk demonstrated a variety of (electronic) music instruments that the foundation My Breath My Music has developed for people with a disability over the past years. Ruud and Karin stressed that (electronic) music instruments have been adapted differently so the needs of different disabilities could be met. My Breath My Music also developed teaching methods specifically aimed at people with a disability and developed music notation system that is usable for low functioning children.
Presentation
About the presenters
Ruus van der Wel
Ruud van der Wel is a respiratory therapist. He works with severely disabled children, most of whom suffer from a progressive muscular disease. In the year 2000 he started to use electronic wind instruments in his therapy sessions and in 2005 he launched the website www.mybreathmymusic.com. Not long after that he co-developed a new musical instrument: the Magic Flute. In November 2008 he founded the 'My Breath My Music' foundation. This foundation aims to give people with severe physical disabilities the opportunity to play music, using either adapted electronic instruments or electronic instruments we have developed ourselves. Child support is an important element of this now well-known organisation. Through the years Ruud kept on developing new technology for children. In 2012 he started to think about developing breathing exercise hardware in conjunction with breath-controlled apps. End 2015 the first GroovTubes found their way to its users. Other innovations: Magic Switch stompbox: note remapper for digital musical instruments; EyePlayMusic: free musical instrument for children who use eye-gaze access.
Karin van Dijk
Photography: Paul Oomen
Musician at My Breath My Music, read more