David could not tie his shoe-laces

Music is important for all children, but especially for children with special needs.

Anthony Storr writes in his book Music and the Mind:

“David, a six-year-old autistic boy, suffered from chronic anxiety and poor visual-motor co-ordination. For nine months, efforts had been made to teach him to tie his shoe laces to no avail. However, it was discovered that his audio motor co-ordination was excellent. He could beat quite complex rhythms on a drum, and was clearly musically gifted. When a student therapist put the process of tying his shoe-laces into a song, David succeeded at the second attempt.”

QUOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDUM

By the way, Emma Kirk is the music teacher in Death of a Nightingale.  My own music teacher was called Mr. Kirk. I gladly dedicate the Music lessons in the play to his memory.