Music for Autism Expands to Houston, Texas
M4A holds its first U.S. concert outside of the northeast with Spotlight Artist Jade Simmons in collaboration with the Westview School and Autism Speaks.
Music for Autism (M4A) made its Texas debut at the Westview School in Houston on August 15, 2009. The event took place during the Houston Autism Speaks Kick-Off and featured M4A’s first Spotlight Artist, pianist Jade Simmons, with an audience of over 200. This concert, a first for M4A in the United States outside of the northeast, marks the beginning of M4A’s national expansion, which will continue in the years ahead.
“Jade’s exceptional performance set the bar extremely high for future concerts in Houston,” said M4A’s Executive Director Robert Accordino. “It was a tremendous pleasure to attend our first concert in Texas and to meet those with autism and their families whom we served and will continue to serve at future Houston concerts at the Westview School.”
Jane Stewart, Founder and Director of the Westview School, was very enthusiastic about future M4A collaborations, “We were so proud to be part of the first Texas M4A concert; how fortunate we were to have Jade at our first concert! I am really excited about our collaborating with M4A to host more concerts in the future,” she said. “I kept thinking how wonderful it must have been for those parents to be at an event where they did not have to worry about their child nor worry about what people were thinking.”
“On behalf of M4A, I’d like to thank all individuals who have collaborated with the organization to bring the concerts to Houston,” said Accordino. “From Jade Simmons, Nikhi Young, Patricia Robbins and other Autism Speaks volunteers who worked with us to Jane Stewart, Susie Norman, Donna Marshall, Jenny Jumonville, and the staff of the Westview School and our photographer Nathan Simmons, everyone wholeheartedly embraced our collaborative effort to bring “autism friendly” musical programming to Houston.”
M4A currently holds concerts in New York, New York; Princeton, New Jersey; and Houston, Texas, and has plans for expansion to several additional U.S. cities. M4A will hold its next concert in Houston with pianist Kris Becker on Saturday, October 14 at 1 p.m. at the Westview School.
