Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson Helps Special Needs Children Through Music Therapy

Legendary Iron Maiden vocalist Bruce Dickinson recently worked with London's Nordoff Robbins organization to celebrate Music Therapy Week. The charity offers a broad range of music therapy to those in need, and Dickinson dropped by the Richard Cloudesley special-needs school to offer some first-hand help.

There are many Nordoff Robbins organizations across the globe, but the group's London institution is the world's largest music therapy center. For over 20 years, Nordoff Robbins has strived to help "a range of people with a range of challenges such as autism, dementia, mental health problems, stroke, brain injury, depression and life-threatening or terminal illnesses, such as cancer." Bruce Dickinson can relate, as the man only recently emerged from a cancer battle with a clean bill of health.

"I've always thought that music therapy is something utterly brilliant," Dickinson begins. "It started my day off in an uplifting sort of way. Just seeing kids reacting and responding to music was brilliant. I've always thought that it makes perfect sense, because it's a universal language, and it crosses every border, it crosses every disability. People just like making a racket and it's very fulfilling, especially if you can make a good racket with somebody. It's sharing, it's communicating, but it doesn't have to be in words."

Bruce Dickinson will receive the O2 Silver Clef Award by Nordoff Robbins on July 2 for the Iron Maiden singer's "outstanding contribution to U.K. music." Iron Maiden recently announced the release of a massive new double album, The Book of Souls, which will see a Sept. 4 street date.

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