Music Writing and Performance, Summer term June 9 – July 21 (No class July 7)
Wednesdays 3:15-4:45pm at Hilyard Center, 2580 Hilyard Street, Eugene.
Designed for individuals interested in learning to play music instruments, writing and/or performing music as part of a group.
Cost $162.54 per session based on 6 trainings totaling 9 hours, or the agency hourly contract rate.
Go HERE to register for all Summer Term classes.
More on David Helfand from a Register Guard article about Mr. Helfand’s work in “Introduction to the Joy of Music,” a class he teaches through the city of Eugene Parks Department’s adaptive recreation program.
Unlocking hidden talents is exactly what he wants to accomplish by bringing these students together, Helfand says.
“The gamut of working with people with developmental disabilities is quite huge, but my whole idea is, we’re going to work with abilities here,” he says. “If someone has one finger that they can use to play one note, we’ll find a place for them in our band. If that’s too hard, and they can hold a ‘shaker,’ they can do percussion. Our concept is inclusiveness — whatever they’re able to do, we’re willing to try.”
The value of music therapy for all kinds of conditions — physical and developmental disability, dementia, mental health, substance abuse, brain injury, chronic pain — has been firmly established by scientific study. But Helfand doesn’t need statistics to see the effect of music on his students.
“I think the first thing they get from our classes is an incredible sense of joy, the feeling that they have just played and made music with other people,” he says. “I think that’s what they go home with, the knowledge that, ‘Wow, I made music!’ ”
Go HERE to register for all Summer Term classes.
For assistance contact KindTree – Autism Rocks at STiLE@kindtree.org