Listening to the Unspoken: A Little Girl Couldn’t Speak
I took part in a webinar hosted by Developmental Disabilities Nursing Association (DDNA). The title, Unspoken Symphony, intrigued me. I am a musician and as a HCQU nurse working for many years with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, I’m all ears.
Meeting Riley
Using a recorded video, the speaker introduced a family. Specifically, the daughter, Riley. Riley is diagnosed with Lennox Gastaut syndrome and Tuberous Sclerosis complex. She is unable to communicate in a traditional manner.
Firstly, for readers not familiar with these two conditions, let me briefly review. Lennox Gastaut syndrome is a severe form of childhood epilepsy with multiple types of seizures. These can be very difficult to control, even with the use of multiple seizure medications. The National Institute on Health defines Tuberous Sclerosis complex as a rare, multi-system genetic disease. Non-cancerous (benign) tumors grow in the brain and on other vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, eyes, lungs, and skin. Usually affecting the central nervous system, it can result in a combination of symptoms including seizures, impaired intellectual development, autism, behavioral problems, skin abnormalities, and kidney disease.
Obviously, you can see the family’s love for Riley and the desire to connect with her in the video. They openly speak of the challenges in communicating with her and the use of art as a medium to allow her to express herself. In the video Riley’s father states “It’s not easy getting to know someone who can’t talk. You slow down. It makes you appreciate the little things.” The company was inspired by his words. As a result, the idea for unspoken symphony was born. Watch the video here: unspokensymphony.com/see-our-story.
“Experience a way to connect with those you love.”
Learning about the Software
Greenwich Biosciences developed this software that set a musical score to Riley’s artwork. Now other artists can have their artwork turned into music.
Image recognition technology analyzes the submitted artwork and then converts it into a unique melody. In short, the software places a music staff over the artwork and then plots points over lines that intersect. The generated video shows the notes placed on the artwork and plays the melody. The artist can chooses if they want to submit their masterpiece to the Unspoken Symphony art gallery website. Alternatively, they can just play the melody. Additionally, the artist receives the sheet music and a copy of the video in mp4 format. There is no cost for this service.
“Unspoken symphony was created for all those who struggle to express themselves verbally. Inspired by a little girl who can’t speak, it transforms artwork into an original melody, giving the world a chance to communicate and connect with loved ones like never before.”
You may recognize the company Greenwich Biosciences. Significantly known for their research and delivery of FDA approved cannabinoid prescription medicines, Greenwich Biosciences delivered Epidiolex. They tout “Our Promise” as “We’ve achieved this distinction because we made a promise to our patients and caregivers to look at things differently.“
Learn more at unspokensymphony.com.
