Once per week, Debbie Surace works with a group of adults with developmental disabilities from Camp Venture at the Rockland Music Conservatory in Pearl River.
The group ranges from relatively high functioning to completely non-verbal, but music can help all of them learn to interact better with the world around them.
"Music Therapy awakens students’ innate creativity, using improvisational music to overcome emotional, physical, sensory-motor, behavioral and cognitive difficulties," said Marigene Kettler, Executive Director of the Rockand Conservatory of Music in Pearl River. "The primary benefit is the empowerment of individuals with special needs to reach their developmental potential using the natural therapeutic properties of music."
Surace helped her group show off what they have learned Friday afternoon at Venture's Sparkill Location with a Holiday Concert Program. Those that are able sang and the group used a variety of instruments to perform music including "Felice Navidad," "Jingle Bells," "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
The Rockland Music Conservatory has been running similar programs for over 13 years, first with ARC of Rockland and now with Venture, with funding primarily coming from donors.
For video from Friday's holiday concert, including an introduction by Kettler with more about the program, click here.
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