Music lessons for students with autism
by Beth
Most of us have heard that music therapy could be beneficial for people with autism, But this is the first time I’ve heard of a formal program that actually gives music lessons to people on the spectrum. A story in Your Town reports that the Boston Conservatory, a private performing arts college, has teamed up with the Autism Higher Education Foundation to form the Boston Conservatory Program for Students on the Autism Spectrum.
This little-known program pairs each child with a single teacher, who also works with a consulting team that includes a music therapist, a speech pathologist, a special educator and professionals in the music industry who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis.
The program, which provides music lessons, rather than the more traditional music-based therapy, is the first of its kind, said Rhoda Bernard, director of the program. While most participants live within 45 miles of Boston, some families travel from the far corners of the state to attend.
The story said that professionals hope the program will change the lives of students who have trouble interacting with others and expressing themselves.
“Finding pathways of communication that will help you and the student be on the same wavelength of understanding can sometimes be really difficult,” said Jill Hogan, program assistant and a Conservatory graduate. She said music “provides another area of communication that may be more accessible to those children.”
The program offers training sessions for local teachers every September. It is also piloting an “on-the-road” teacher-training arm, but so far the “on the road” program is planning to travel only to schools within the state of Massachusetts. Who knows, though? Maybe this program will take off.