How Tacpac music and touch work together.

We’re all so lucky – we’re born with 2 languages already laid down and intact. During our formative years those languages get activated and used, so that by the time we’re 2 or 3, we have quite a large understanding and vocabulary of these 2 languages. I’m talking, of course, of the 2 sensory languages we have – touch, and music.

For all our receivers, but in particular those receivers who are non verbal, touch and music form a huge part of their daily communication. Consciously or unconsciously, we give out sensory messages by the way we physically hold ourselves, to our facial expressions, to our letting someone else know that we are approachable, happy, or sad, or stay away from me. All this we can communicate without words. When it comes to music, we react and respond in ways which can be settling or unsettling, depending on how music is presented to us. We have an immediate connection with the beat of the music. Take that away, or make it irregular, and we react in an unsettled way.

We’ve made the Tacpac music to synchronise with the touch of that activity so that we have one message going out – what they see is what they feel is what they hear. E.g. in set 2 no 5, squelching with bath sponge, you can hear the water splashing, and you can feel the beat as the sponge “plops” onto the skin. This is very different to Set 3 no 1, brushing with chamois and silk. The chamois is of a much thicker texture to the silk, so the music has a solid, thicker base to match that tactile feeling. The music then changes when the silk is lightly passed over the skin, to reflect that lighter more airy feel. At all times we’re matching the texture of the music to the texture of the tactile experience.

What makes the Tacpac music so specific to the whole experience? Most of our receivers have sensory overload. Their sensory processing is struggling. Therefore it makes sense to present any interaction or communication in a way that is unambiguous, straightforward and easily processed. The structure of music is very logical, the patterning is very predictable, and this template is a gift when we are looking for a sensory language that needs this clarity.

The music that we listen to everyday is multi layered. (Picture of logic files of lots of instruments? And sound of multi layer?) Although we relate to the whole sound in a general way, those with sensory processing benefit from being more focused on fewer layers, particularly if we are using touch – another sensory input – simulateously.

We have constructed the music so that the layers can give as close as possible, one message: What we see is what we hear is what we feel.

e.g.n seet 1 no 2. Patting with spatulas. The spatula is made of wood, the sound is that of a beater on a wooden gato drum. We hear the first layer, which establishes the beat, which never changes. We then hear a second layer – the guitar. We then hear a third layer, which is a melody line, again with the gato drum. And that’s all.

Our receivers can then “tune in” to any of 3 layers, while processing the touch on the beat. When you see all that they need to process, it is quite enough! With repetition, this pattern becomes absorbed and understood, which is when our receivers can relax into enjoying the touch and the music, as the sensory focus is aligned.