For 14-year-old James, who lives with cerebral palsy and learning difficulties, music is everything. And in a world full of obstacles, music therapy with Sam creates space for him to be heard, understood and appreciated.
Music ignites a spark in James that his mum rarely sees outside of music therapy sessions. She says: “When there’s no music involved, you can barely get two words out of James. He doesn’t really like meeting new people or making eye contact. Where there’s no music, there’s no James.”
The film shows how James transforms during music therapy through the use of both filmed footage of his sessions with Sam and animation.
This film was created to support Nordoff and Robbins being featured in the BBC Radio 4 appeal in April 2025. The charity's music ambassador Carrie Grant, who voiced the appeal, also provided the voiceover for the film. She sat in a music therapy session with James and saw the powerful impact that it has on him first-hand.
Learn more about James' story here: https://www.nordoff-robbins.or...
Nordoff and Robbins is the UK’s largest music therapy charity, with a unique approach shaped by more than 60 years of practice.
Through the power of music, it breaks through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, disability and social isolation.
The charity does this through providing music therapy to people across the UK, whilst also training the music therapists of the future and funding research to measure and improve the impact of its work.
Music therapy is the act of supporting people to connect and communicate through music who otherwise are unable to; such as those living with autism to dementia, learning difficulties to brain injuries, life-limiting illnesses to mental health issues, grief and trauma. Nordoff and Robbins music therapists use the power of music to create space for people to express themselves and find connection in society.
Nordoff and Robbins has specialist centres in Croydon, Dunfermline, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Newcastle that provide one-to-one and group sessions for children and adults, alongside providing sessions in various settings including schools, hospitals, care homes and more. Its music therapy training is validated by Goldsmiths, University of London, and is approved by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
From adults with dementia reconnecting with their family, to children with autism finding their voice, Nordoff and Robbins believes that everyone who needs it should have access to music therapy, because it can, quite simply, transform people’s lives.
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