Spotlight on the NJSO’s Autism Community Program

Through the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Autism Community Program, chamber ensembles of specially trained NJSO musicians travel to schools and other sites in Essex and Mercer Counties to perform for youth and adults who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Last season, more than 700 program participants and an additional 470 teachers and onsite staff had this opportunity to interact with their world through the experience of live music. Participants were as young as 3 years old, and numerous touching stories have transpired from each of these community-based performances.

An improvised moment occurred at the Irvington Public Schools, where a string quartet of NJSO musicians performed for a group of students ages 3–10 on May 2. One of the teachers shared that the students were studying “Habanera” from Bizet’s opera Carmen. NJSO Assistant Principal Cellist Stephen Fang and violist Mike Stewart gathered the students in a circle around them and performed the piece as the students sang and danced along. More than an opportunity to move around, it was a bonding moment for these students with one another and the musicians, made possible by the presence of live music.

Another performance took place on April 11 at Sawtelle Learning Center in Montclair for a very small group of high school boys. Initially, the string trio of NJSO musicians performed a series of short pieces and demonstrated the range of the sounds of their instruments. They quickly realized that the students were especially engaged, and with permission from the principal, they spontaneously gave the students a conducting lesson.

On a whim, one student volunteered to lead the string trio, doing so with a nice conducting technique. He delighted his peers, teachers and the NJSO musicians by expressively communicating through the baton to make the musicians change tempos and volume, before exclaiming a grand ending. For that particular student, it was the experience of a lifetime; for everyone else in the room, it was inspirational!

The NJSO gratefully acknowledges the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, League of American Orchestras, Johnson & Johnson and The Healthcare Foundation for New Jersey for their generous support of this program.

This season, the NJSO plans to expand the Autism Community Program to serve more than 1,000 youth and adults on the autism spectrum in as many as 15 locations.

Photo by Jessica Johnson.