Rainbow Acres is a Place for Music and Musicians!
After a two-year hiatus the Ambassador Choir is back to rehearsing and touring! The choir performed for their beloved friends at Carriage Manor on Sunday, March 27. It was a fun day filled with giggles, cookies, and music.
A scheduling conflict didn’t allow us to bring our accompanist, so we collaborated with Carriage Manor’s accompanist. Our choir ran through all three pieces a half hour before the church service. They presented themselves very professionally throughout rehearsal and the performance. The Ambassador Choir has graduated from unison singing and now sings in two-part harmony. In two-part harmony, the first person sings the melody and the second sings above or below that melody within the chord structure. It has been a proud accomplishment for the Ranchers, and we are excited for this new ability and addition to our choir performances.
The folks from Carriage Manor could hear the difference and were very excited and generous with their praise. The Carriage Manor Choir even joined us for the last verse of May A Rainbow Run Beside You.
We love music at Rainbow Acres, and as therapists have long known the benefits of music for people with developmental disabilities, we celebrate that within and with our community! Thanks to Carriage Manor for helping our Ranchers share their hard work, and share in the joy that music brings to the neurodivergent community.
In the photos here (below) you can see members of our choir, our choir director, President and CEO Gary Wagner speaking at the church service, and also the Carriage Manor Choir sitting on the side.
Welcome back Rainbow Acres Ambassador Choir!
Clavinova Connections Helps Neurodiverse Adults to Get Musical
We’re excited about the new semester and our new Clavinova Connections students are having a blast tickling the ivories. The Yamaha Clavinova Connection class allows Ranchers to play music on programmable digital pianos.
In starting the new semester, some Ranchers had some pre-class jitters. Last week John (pictured in the photo below) was a bit nervous about being enrolled in the class. “I don’t know about this, I don’t know how to play the piano. I’m no Liberace,” John said. This week we all lovingly refer to him as “Liberace” as he proudly chases the notes of the more advanced tunes. On our Clavinova, keys light up to show the users which notes to play and when to play them.
Using Music to Make Connections – Brain and Personal
Music has a way of connecting people, and that is no different at Rainbow Acres. Although this is not an ensemble class, new friendships and lunch buddies have already formed from their short time making music together. This class also helps to strengthen cognitive ability, enable social interaction and improve concentration. Music Therapy can be helpful for Ranchers with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, in working on flexibility in structured environments, reducing anxiety, and promoting body awareness, among many other things.
Students pictured at the Clavinova: John, Greg, Chandler, and Lori.
