Tuning In: Autism

New music resources for autistic children aged 2 – 11

Meet the new characters

Bobbi the bells, Cassie the castanet, Suki the shaker, Ted the tambourine, Otto the ocarina, and Kai the keyboard offer an accessible route into learning about music for young children with autism.

Led by Sounds of Intent charity and the University of Roehampton, Tuning In Autism is a project that aims to transform the lives of the 150,000 or so autistic children aged 2-11 and their families in the UK using multimedia resources.

Research has shown that access to a music curriculum can impart extraordinary benefits on autistic youth – to their learning, communication skills, emotional regulation, and social interaction. However, it has also shown that access for this group is poor, with long wait-times for diagnosis, and the complexities of the ARB (Autism Resource Base) system contributing to this missed opportunity.

An illustrated blue ocarina character with arms, legs, and a smiling face waves. Above, playful blue text reads Otto the Ocarina on a pale pink background.
Illustration of a smiling tambourine character with arms, legs, and orange shoes. Above it, playful blue text reads “Ted the Tambourine” on a light blue background.
Illustration of a blue and pink maraca with a single large eye, smiling face, and labelled Suki the Shaker in playful blue letters on a light blue background.
Illustration of a smiling cartoon keyboard character with curly hair, large green glasses, and red boots, waving. Text above reads, Kai the Keyboard in playful blue letters on a light blue background.
A cute, animated blue castanet with big eyes, pink shoes, and a pink bow stands under the words “Cassie the Castanet” on a pale pink background.
A cartoon character with a blue face and large bells for hair stands smiling in a red dress. Above, bold text reads Bobbi the Bells on a light blue background.

“It feels important not only to identify, as our research has done, the vast potential of music to benefit the wellbeing and learning of neurodistinct children, but also to create truly engaging and fit-for-practice resources that are needed to unlock this relationship.”

– Prof. Adam Ockelford, Sounds of Intent

Supporting autistic children to thrive

The Tuning In: Autism resources are made up of six animated musical instruments which come alive and coax children to engage in songs and actions. Children can combine music with their love of screens to enjoy the songs and animations, or they can learn using the set of 30 physical cards. These cards feature illustrations of the characters on the front, and simple instructions for musical activities on the back, for practitioners and parents to follow. They discreetly follow a music-developmental trajectory set out in the Sounds of Intent framework.

Find out more

Merton Music Foundation is proud to be a funding partner of the Tuning In Autism project resources, which will be made freely available to schools, early years providers, music services, and other organisations.

To find out more about this project and Sounds of Intent charity, visit their website via the link below.