Arts and Cultural Education in Iceland : Professor Anne Bamford

Vignette 3.7.4 Every day there are miniature miracles
In what is really only one room, with a small office and waiting area at one end, is the only Icelandic music school the
specialises in providing music for children and young people with special needs. There are only two and a half
teachers’ positions and they work long days (8:30am-5:30pm) teaching music to all the pupils in the school. They
teach around 73 pupils and parents pay in the order of 7,000 to 12,000 ISK per month.
The children suffer from a range of emotional, mental and physical disabilities. Some children’s health is so precarious
that their parents only pay one month at a time. As the only music school of its type in the country, there is a long
waiting list (more than 50 pupils are on the waiting list at the moment).
The school was founded in 1987 by a piano teacher who had studied music therapy in the USA. She feels fortunate as
she has been able to “shape the music school and has had the freedom to develop ideas.” Around 1/3 of the pupils
are over 16 and there are some 3 and 4 year olds. The majority of pupils though are school children between the ages
of 4-16. In addition to private lessons (usually 30-60minutes in duration); the school offers a bell choir. Unlike other
music schools, this music school does not experience a drop off in numbers as pupils reach teenage years, in fact most
pupils like to stay in music school “forever”.
They teach a range of music forms including singing, piano, percussion and organ. One talented student now has a job
playing the organ in the church. The bell choir performs at various public and private occasions. There are Christmas
and spring concerts. The teacher comments, “These are beautiful concerts. The pupils love being real musicians”
The school runs five days a week.
“We are developing a programme called Music Caring”. It is a special way of working through “musicing”. Mothers
bring their very young children with disabilities. The mothers are full of sorrow and needs. It is a lived experience, and
I feel music caring could provide a framework for early intervention.” “We work with the individual not the label. We
take the lead from the child. The music programme is defined by participants. We understand what it is to care. Every
day there are miniature miracles and moving stories. A parent will say, “She was so calm” or “She always knows when
it is Tuesday”. It is amazing, there seems to be no blockages when it comes to music.”
The arts have also been effectively used to provide restorative care for young people who
could be described as being ‘at risk’. Smaller schools accepting these pupils commented that the
arts made them “fit in quickly” and soon adapt to their new environment.
The best thing that can happen is to put special needs children into the arts. I could show you problem children
that really shine in the arts. They need to be given the opportunity to study arts. But it is difficult to get money to
do this.
The best students are the difficult children. The best thing for them to do is art. Give them more opportunity to
do arts.
All the cultural agencies participating in a focus group had some special disability
programmes. The Symphony invites handicapped people to a concert rehearsal twice a year.
Hitthúsið – in cooperation with Art Without Borders – runs an art festival of handicapped people.
The National Museum of Iceland provides educational programmes which are coordinated with
the curricula of the students. All classes come to the Museum every other year. Admission for
children is free. About 13.000 children come to the Museum annually. The situation has
improved over the years and now students are coming much more frequently. The Museum has
organized programmes for students from pre-primary school through high school. The Museum
has to serve all of Iceland as they explain: “We have programmes and projects on the internet,
free of charge for children and teachers. We're beginning to focus on children with special
needs; for example, a touch collection where blind children can come and touch object.” The
Museum also has programmes for youth centres, especially during summer. The National
Theatre outlined their programmes; “We want to do a co-op with the deaf community; we've
have already done some – done introduction a couple of times before the plays which was
sufficient for them to understand the play. We also want to do a project with people who don't
have Icelandic as their native language.”
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