SUPPORTING VOCAL INTENSIVE INTERACTION
Intensive Interaction is the practice of using enhanced vocal, body language-based and physical cues to engage people with disability in powerful learning relationships and relational contact. Intensive Interaction helps them know that their feelings and needs matter and helps us learn more about who they are and what they need in a person-centered environment. As part of our support to the process of intensive interaction that can help generate vocal creativity, we developed bespoke training in this area. Contact the Trust for information about current resources.
our approach to improvisation and intensive interaction
We developed expertise in how to improvise and be playful and creative using unusual vocal sound. We don’t need words or songs in order to respond to the people we work with. For us, any vocal sound is material that can be echoed, and copied, and made beautiful. We don’t need a ‘beat’ - we work with non-punctate, or beat-less musical time. We don’t need words or melodies - we work with sounds ranging from breath and gentle snorting right through to loud vocalisations. While we are not experts in PMLD or other complex disability per se, what we are good at is getting inside the vocal worlds of people who might not have full command of speech or song. We then entice them to play with the sounds they do have, and to use their creative power to enjoy them. And, we can teach you how to do this too!
