The workshop “See the music, Touch the light” to support children with developmental disorders was organized by the Research on disabilities and expressions group and the Research on synesthetic media group from the Tokyo University of the Arts’ (TUA) COI Site, jointly with the Benesse Foundation for Children and the NPO ADDS. As this was the third time, we decided to host it outside the TUA campus, in the Minato Mirai Hall in Yokohama, in cooperation with the Yokohama Arts Festival Executive Committee and the “otomachi” project team of Yamaha Music Japan Co., Ltd.

There were activities such as paper crafts, an animal quiz, a concert of music and film, digital art and a drum circle. These contents and the “parents café” which was organized simultaneously maximized the know-how developed in the past by artists, developmental disorder experts and family associations.

In the questionnaire taken after the workshop, over 80% of children and parents answered that they “enjoyed participating” and 100% said that they “would participate again”. It was a rare opportunity where art contributed to supporting those with developmental disorders and social inclusion. Watch this space for more mobile workshop contents!