Liquid Listening

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Liquid Listening Liquid Listening is a registered charity providing Musical Hydrotherapy for disabled children/adults.

Liquid Listening uses an innovative approach to listening and art outreach by providing Musical Hydrotherapy, underwater listening sessions to special needs children in hydrotherapy pools. We provide training to school staff and parents in order to facilitate Musical Hydrotherapy. Liquid Listening aims to increase the well being of people with special needs and explore ways to promote their education and health, increased awareness and meaningful involvement with their environment. DONATE HERE: https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/21158 #!/DonationDetails

13/10/2026

We’re back to Wales this week! And actually we’re back in the hydrotherapy pool belonging to one of our existing partner schools, Ysgol Hen Felin, but we’re training a new cohort of staff who will be moving into the brand new Ysgol Cambrian nearby in Tonypandy when its new school building, situated by the beautiful Lake Cambrian, opens after half term. Exciting times, and a real honour for us to be a part of their foundation journey.

We’ve had a wonderful first day with them today, learning the core holds and principles: grounding, slowing down, listening (really listening), and then starting to practice Musical Hydrotherapy with each other. As you can see, they’re already working brilliantly as a group and we can’t wait to see how the week unfolds.

12/10/2026

“This little girl loved [her first ever Musical Hydrotherapy] session and really enjoyed listening to the music. She found resting on the shoulders more relaxing due to it being more supportive. Her legs responded well to the movement in the water, which seems to relax her dystonia.” Sophie, teacher at Columbus School and College in Chelmsford (The Bridge Trust).

This is another lovely film clip from last week, when we were completing Musical Hydrotherapy practitioner training for staff at Columbus School and College in Chelmsford. The benefits of warm-water hydrotherapy for dystonia have been well documented for a long time. But our Liquid Listening practice takes the impact a few stages further. As underwater sound and vibration travel into the participant’s body, a profound muscle release occurs, which is supported further by gentle aquatic manipulation based on WATSU and cranio sacral therapy techniques. Neural pathways calm, cortisol reduces and the tension and anxiety that is build into bodies that are constantly having to be held in uncomfortable positions, manipulated, tensed against the next spasm… it all releases. You can see how happy this little girl is: the liberation is written all over her face and it’s a beautiful sight.

09/10/2026

“When he first got into the water, he was tense. But as the session progressed, he relaxed into me, laughing and floating. He enjoyed listening to the music as we slowly moved around the pool. After the session he was calm and tired. After returning to class, he seemed sleepy for the next few hours, which is unusual even after swimming.” Toni, teacher at Columbus School

We’ve had a magical two days back at Columbus School and College (The Bridge Trust) in Chelmsford this week, completing their Musical Hydrotherapy practitioner training. There have been so many transformational moments as pupils experienced their first ever Liquid Listening sessions, and there are some wonderful stories to share of children, like this little boy, who were visibly more regulated and happier even after just one short initial experience of Musical Hydrotherapy.

Now that Columbus have accredited practitioners within their staff, these children will be able to enjoy regular sessions. And the amazing thing is that the outcomes data that our partner schools collect show that the benefit is progressive: so the more sessions a child experiences, the more quickly they respond and with increasing length of impact. For children with PMLD, dystonia and high tone, muscle release occurs more quickly and more deeply and lasts longer as sessions progress. For children with complex neurodivergence, dysregulation, anxiety and behavioural challenges, their calming happens more quickly and lasts longer, well beyond the pool session itself.

This really does work. A huge welcome to the amazing Columbus team as they embark on their Liquid Listening journey. We can’t wait to hear about how it works for you all.

Exciting news! We've been shortlisted to restore and revive Ladywell Playtower. Earlier this year, hundreds of local peo...
08/10/2026

Exciting news! We've been shortlisted to restore and revive Ladywell Playtower.

Earlier this year, hundreds of local people shared their ideas for the Playtower, calling for a community-focused space with affordable activities that respects this much-loved building's heritage.

We're excited to be one of four organisations shortlisted by Lewisham Council to progress to the next stage. Now it’s over to the community. The Council is asking residents to review the four proposals and share their views by 9am on Monday 16 November.

Have your say by completing the online survey at https://ladywell-playtower.commonplace.is/

Want to find out more? Meet our team and learn about our proposal at the consultation drop-in on Thursday 15 October, 3pm-8pm at St Mary’s Centre, Ladywell Road, SE13 7UW

05/10/2026

If there’s one thing we know a LOT about, it’s how incredible the teachers, TAs and all the specialists and support staff are who work in special schools. Nothing is ever too much trouble. They always go the extra mile. They care deeply, and work with love and determination to find new, better ways to help each and every child and family to thrive and be happy.

It’s World Teachers’ Day today and we’re taking a moment to celebrate every teacher in our community of special schools. You are extraordinary.

02/10/2026

Ivy's story... "phenomenal"

Ivy is what her teacher, Charli (Deputy Head at Official - Lakeside School ), calls a "wobbly walker". She really loves to move and she's mobile, but she's unsteady on her feet. That brings tension with it, apprehension, constant vigilance.

So bringing her into her first ever Liquid Listening session, seeing her lying back and really properly relaxing....

“Phenomenal.”

“The trust she has.”

This whole clip is really powerful.

**Sound on to hear Charli tell the full story!**

29/09/2026

Another wonderful day training the fabulous staff from Columbus School and College (The Bridge Trust) in Chelmsford. Brilliant to see how confident they’re all becoming and how calm and purposeful they all are. They’re going to be amazing Liquid Listening practitioners!

28/09/2026

What a pleasure to be in Chelmsford today to meet the amazing team from Columbus School and College, part of The Bridge Trust, who are our FIFTH new Musical Hydrotherapy training group since the beginning of September. They’ve a wonderful pool there and today our trainee Liquid Listening practitioners have been in the water all day, learning the core Musical Hydrotherapy holds and principles, and experiencing the calm, deep muscle and tension release that is the heart of this remarkable therapy. We can’t wait to see how our partnership with them develops over the next days and weeks.

Meanwhile our Music Specialist Lawrence Bradshaw and our Executive Director Judith Robinson have spent the day in Nuneaton with the Oak Wood Primary School and Oak Wood Secondary School teams, who have also joined our Musical Hydrotherapy partner schools this month. The final day of our core Liquid Listening training for special schools is all about “music on dry land”, and Lawrence leads classroom teachers, teaching assistants and swim teachers in sessions exploring ideas for engaging and accessible music activities that take place in the classroom but also connect to the deep listening skills that are central to the therapeutic work in the pool.

A day of hope, inspiration and reflection, and a reminder yet again of how extraordinary the staff are in all our partner special schools: empathetic, dedicated and so kind.

The amazing Swim Odyssey team are offering free taster Musical Hydrotherapy sessions in Burnley on Friday 2 October!
22/09/2026

The amazing Swim Odyssey team are offering free taster Musical Hydrotherapy sessions in Burnley on Friday 2 October!

22/09/2026

This month EVERY new week means the joy of starting a new Musical Hydrotherapy training course in a new partner school, and this week it’s a huge pleasure to be meeting the wonderful teams from Oak Wood Primary School and Oak Wood Secondary School in Nuneaton. By the end of this week, both schools will have fully trained Liquid Listening practitioners within their staff bodies, meaning that pupils will be able to continue their Musical Hydrotherapy experiences as they transition through from primary into secondary school. What a great achievement!

Musical Hydrotherapy is all about slowing down; learning to listen to what a child needs through the tiniest facial or body movements; feeling where they are holding tension or anxiety; and using gentle movements, supportive holds - and of course the unique alchemy of underwater sound and vibration - to release all their fear, stress and emotion. Allowing their muscles and their neural pathways to calm. So Day 1 of a Musical Hydrotherapy training course is about the adults learning to do the same. Grounding in the water. Supporting each other. And, perhaps most importantly, experiencing the sensation of this remarkable therapy as a participant, so that they can be better immersed into the experience that their pupils will have and how a Liquid Listening session will actually *feel* for the children they work with.

As you can see from this lovely clip from today, they’re naturals! It’s really lovely to be working with them and we’re looking forward to a great week.

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