"Sound Waves in Motion" Project - Between Water and Air
An innovative concept
Musicians for Human Rights, in collaboration with HC5 and Sentieri di Crescita, has developed a project that revolutionises the approach to hydrokinesiotherapy, where the power of music unites with the harmony of water, blending art, movement, and socialisation in a transformative experience. In the pool of the Italian Paralympic Center, boys and girls with disabilities no longer face therapy as a moment of struggle to achieve their physical goals: music guides them, supports them, transports them to a world where they themselves become creators of underwater harmonies. The integration of music therapy transforms the aquatic environment into a space where movement becomes natural, guided by rhythm and sound vibrations that travel through the water.
The aquatic instruments
The project uses musical instruments specifically designed by specialists for the aquatic environment. Floating drums, submerged xylophones, floating tubes, suspended strings that vibrate to the touch: each object becomes a bridge between body and sound. An underwater speaker diffuses the voices of the ocean - the song of dolphins, the call of whales, the surf caressing the shore - while the young people create music with their bodies and their own voices. The instruments are therefore not just therapeutic objects, but true means of expression through which the boys and girls create and experience a profound sensory experience, actively contributing to the creation of a collective soundscape. Every movement toward an instrument becomes a physical goal achieved with pleasure rather than effort.
Purpose and objectives
The project aims to overcome fears and stimulate free bodily expression, enhancing attention and verbal and non-verbal communication through multisensory stimuli in a judgment-free environment. The initiative aims to elevate the quality of life for people with disabilities and their families, creating spaces for participation that value individual skills. The sessions become opportunities for sharing for the entire family unit, in a welcoming context where disability is experienced naturally, without being perceived as an element of discomfort or exclusion.
The project also generates processes of authentic artistic creation. Maestro Andrea Strappa records these sounds on magnetic tape, weaving a score where the voices of the young people dialogue with the symphony orchestra. In January 2026, the Marche Philharmonic Orchestra of Ancona, Italy, will perform this original composition: for the first time, the sounds produced in water by the young participants will resonate in a concert hall, transforming their therapy into art, their journey into music.
Development and prospects
The project starts with a pilot phase from October 2025 to December 2025, then becomes more organically structured from January to June 2026. This pioneering initiative, which combines hydrokinesiotherapy and music therapy for the first time, has the ambition to be replicated in CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) pools throughout Italy. The model developed in Rome can be adapted to different territorial realities, creating a national network of "sound pools" where aquatic therapy is enriched by the musical dimension. Documentation of methodologies and results will enable the training of new specialised operators, multiplying the project's social impact and making it accessible to thousands of families throughout the country.