A symphony of joy: Music in Motion brings families together
On February 15, members of the Fox Cities community set out on a snowy Saturday afternoon to gather at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center for a sensory-inclusive day of music and movement.
Music in Motion, a collaboration event between the Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra, Expressive Therapies music therapy, and your Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, offered families a day filled with merriment and the freedom to interact with music in whatever way was most comfortable to them.
Many of the families in attendance were excited to be joining for a live arts experience that was designed with them in mind.
All physical and mental comfort levels and abilities were considered and embraced by organizers of the event, meaning each participant felt encouraged to engage with the experience in the ways that brought them the most joy.
“Many members of our community have sensory processing, cognitive, medical, physical, and/or emotional/behavioral needs. These limitations make attending live events challenging, and some… are unable to attend live performances altogether. We [were] thrilled to offer this music therapy-informed, sensory-friendly and inclusive concert that [offered] opportunities for its attendees to connect with the music and the musicians,” said JoAnna Ayala-Rutter, Board Certified Music Therapist with Expressive Therapies.
Six songs, from various cultural backgrounds and eras, were performed by Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra members whose ensemble included two violins, a viola, and a cello. Before each song was performed, information about the song was shared, as small additional instruments were distributed to the participants in the audience. Jingle bells for “Lion Sleeps Tonight,” tambourines for “Rewrite the Stars,” even colorful scarves were passed out to incorporate into dance and play as Pure Imagination reverberated through the Kimberly-Clark Theater.
The event included information about each instrument the quartet members played – ways they were similar and different from one another – and concluded with a question-and-answer section with the audience, before a finale performance of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” that encouraged everyone to pick any combination of their favorite distributed accompaniments and join in however they wanted.
Squeals of laughter and joyous movement were the final notes of the evening.
One patron, Maresa, attended the event with her 16-year-old daughter Ali. Together, the two shared why the afternoon meant so much.
“All her favorite things: dancing, music, orchestra, playing instruments…” said Maresa.
“Orchestra!” Ali chimed in.
“She’s gone to music therapy and she’s taken some group classes at Expressive Therapies, so she loves the group music classes and the dancing and movement classes, and so this was all of her favorite stuff. And she knows ‘Don’t Stop Believin’’ from music therapy, so that’s a bonus!” Maresa said.
Music in Motion was a collaborative sensory-inclusive initiative that was made possible thanks to support from the Mielke Family Foundation
