At Treloar's, we are committed to ensuring that every student will have access to appropriate technology to enhance and support their education and independence.
With our in-house Assistive Technology Team, we are able to provide our students with solutions not available to them elsewhere. The team, together with our occupational therapists, work towards finding different ways to aid students with their mobility, communication and education.
One of the latest requests for the Assistive Technology Team was a request for a violin mount and adaptations.
Adaptations to make playing the violin accessible
Treloar's Music Therapist, Cressida Lindsay, approached the Assistive Team asking to explore adapting the violin used in the Music Department. The idea of introducing the violin to Treloar's students originally came from the Director of Music, Jocelyn Watkins. She noticed that one student particularly enjoyed the experience and wished to play independently, despite some movement limitations.
During the initial assessment, Dean Hall, Assistive Technologist at Treloar's met Cressida and the student to discuss requirements, with two main aims being: to secure the violin onto the student’s arm and to help them keep the bow on the strings long enough to create a sound. All adaptations had to be easy to use and quick to fit to ensure maximum inclusivity.
Dean said: "To best support the student, we took a dual approach: researching existing technologies and designing bespoke elements. To assist with holding the bow correctly, we purchased a training guide widely recognised as useful for beginners. I adapted this by designing and 3D printing an additional clip, which sits on top of the training guide bridge and prevents the bow from slipping out. After some modifications, the final version was glued to the guide, fully meeting one of the requirements.
"Our initial idea—a 3D-printed wedge-shaped violin mount strapped to the student’s arm with Velcro—proved unsuitable, as it was neither sturdy enough nor positioned correctly. I then proposed using a commercial cold pack shoulder strap and modifying the mount to allow the strap to pass through it. I also added foam padding where the violin touches the mount, to secure the instrument and prevent damage."
The complete set—the guide, clip, strap and custom violin mount—now fully enables the student to play the violin independently. The solution is quick and easy to fit, protects the instrument and allows a user with involuntary movements to control the violin and play music.
For Music Therapist Cressida, she can now play alongside the student in an improvised duet,
The violin is a challenging instrument to play for anyone, but it is the experience of playing it as a form of communication and interaction, rather than an aesthetic act, that is the most important element in music therapy work. He always asks me to play my violin when he has his, and he has now started to watch how I use my fingers on the strings and copy this to change the notes. There is a sense of interest and discovery as well as a feeling of camaraderie in our playing together.
For the student, with Treloar’s specialist support he is using music to communicate, to express himself and building a sense of pride in being able to achieve something that would never have been thought possible previously.
The Assistive Technology department is continuing to explore further adaptations. The possible next step would be creating a finger guide to support the student in holding the violin’s fingerboard.
Assistive Technology at Treloar's
Learn more about the impact of Assistive Technology on the children and young people at Treloar School and College.
