FEELING THE MUSIC & SOCIAL-HAPTIC COMMUNICATION
Russ Palmer, SRAT(M)
International Music Therapist
Riitta Lahtinen, PhD
Communication Researcher Consultant
Russ Palmer's philosophy is called Feeling the Music. Russ has expressed his Feeling the Music philosophy by releasing his new CD Warm Summer Days. Through musical
expression and therapy he applies a concept and understanding of how people who are losing
their hearing and sight can develop other senses in their bodies and how to interpret
rhythm and vibrations. These interpretations can be relayed further using the methods of Environmental Description.
Riitta Lahtinen has defended Haptices and Haptemes, her PhD thesis, in 2008. The thesis has been awarded an innovative prize in Finland. She is involved in running International Workshops on Communication Methods for deafblind people, couples, interpreters and professionals in Europe and Scandinavia, focusing on the needs of deafblind people, and training interpreters, planning University academic courses and publications.
"Feeling the Music for People with a Dual-Sensory Impairment", is to share his enthusiasm for music with people with Sensory Impairment and with those with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD), to help improve their own quality of life.