Local students and some from across the country are converging on the campus of Michigan State University for this year's week-long piano festival called "Celebrating the Spectrum." This group of students are on the autism spectrum and are getting intensive music lessons, performance opportunities, and a chance to be in a professional music setting, giving them a glimpse of what life as a musician can be like. FOX 47's Lora Painter takes an inside look.
Deborah Moriority, professor and chair of piano at MSU, said, "Music is a very lonely field. If you're a pianist and you're in high school or middle school, you may be the only pianist in your class."
The festival hopes to break that loneliness by giving students a voice that they might not be able to express verbally.
Moriority said, "My philosophy of teaching is opening doors. How imaginative can you be?" For families, this festival experience can really change their lives. Parents said theY are grateful to share the experience with each other and be around other parents who also have children on the autism spectrum.
PUBLIC CONCERT:
Saturday, July 21 at 11am at MSU's Cook Recital Hall.
Free.
Participants will present a final performance after a week of mentoring and rehearsing with faculty and program assistants.
MORE INFORMATION:
https://www.music.msu.edu/spectrum
