One of our group members loves The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and suggested the song ‘Blunt the Knives’. We took his idea on board and turned it into a fun musical activity that supports social communication and other important life skills.
Working in pairs, the group members faced each other and played rhythm sticks together in a repeating pattern — stomp, stomp, right, left — while taking turns singing the verses. When one pair was singing, they stopped playing to focus on their words, while the other pairs continued with the rhythm. Then it was time to swap!
It looks like a lot of fun (and it is!), but there’s plenty happening underneath the music:
🎤 Vocal skills — singing all the syllables clearly and with good volume.
🥁 Motor coordination — coordinating their movements with another person to maintain the rhythm-stick pattern.
👀 Attention and turn-taking — recognising when it is their turn to sing and when to wait.
🧠 Multitasking — managing singing, movement, rhythm and social interaction within the same activity.
🎯 Inhibition and self-regulation — resisting the urge to sing when it is someone else’s turn, and shifting attention between playing, listening and singing.
And perhaps most importantly, the whole activity started with one group member’s idea and interest. When we build music around what matters to the people in the group, there’s plenty of motivation to join in, work together and have fun along the way.
Get to know Registered Music Therapists Sebastian Green and Iani Sujono.
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