The AMICUS Interactive Music Project groups enjoy creating music together in environments of friendship. They meet on every afternoon during the week and also during some holidays and weekends preparing for performances throughout the region. The children meet in shared environments i.e. mainstream/special school and in the local community.

Margaret works with George to investigate the circus sounds on the floorpads. The portable music technology kit can be seen in the background.

The AMICUS Project was set-up by Teacher and Music Therapist Margaret Severi. She was working at Beaumont Hill Primary School in Darlington, where she found little provision for music with the special needs children with whom she worked. Margaret managed to raise money to convert a storage room in the school into a music room, suitable for music therapy and general fun with music. The AMICUS group was formed by linking the children in Beaumont Hill School with mainstream school children at Skerne Park School.

In March 2001, the AMICUS Group successfully bid and received a grant from the Department for Education (now the DfES) to incorporate technology to allow more children to access music. With the help of Immersive Media Spaces and the University of York, AMICUS now uses cutting edge music equipment along with specialist technology to allow all the children to make music. A Portable Music Kit has proved very successful for the group and has lead to AMICUS performing at a number of venues across the North East of England.