This paper focuses on the category of electronic musical instruments described as "gestural controllers"--motion sensor technology and specially adapted switches--which are widely used in special education. The therapeutic benefits of this technology in emancipating children from their cognitive or physical limitations are increasingly well-documented, but the educational implications remain relatively unexplored. The underlying premise of this paper is that the opportunity to learn a musical instrument is a basic human right which should be available equally to children attending special schools. But, can this interactive technology--with its emphasis on immediacy and accessibility--offer the challenges and expressivity and provide a real long-term musical learning trajectory in the same way that "real" instruments do? A case study is described charting significant learning and progress through use of the technology over a six-year period.