M4A’s Capital Debut
Alice Shih and Lisa Splitlog, posted October 17, 2010.
Music for Autism’s long awaited Washington , D.C. Ivymount School
Jan Wintrol, director of Ivymount School, commented that many families thanked them for providing a wonderful opportunity to hear the Kennedy Center String Quartet in a relaxed and welcoming environment, including an emotional mother who said that the concert hall might never be a venue where she could take her son – but through Ivymount and Music for Autism, she finally could share a music concert with him.
Sheila Egan, music teacher at Ivymount, said, “Children with autism have a special aptitude for music – it is a language they understand. Since music is non-verbal it reaches them on many different levels. The quartet was wonderful. The children lit up, especially when they played along.”
M4A’s warm environment touched Holly Hamilton, a veteran violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Kennedy String Quartet. “Music is for everyone,” she said. “We were thrilled to bring classical music to a population that has difficulty being in a formal concert environment. Here, the kids were free to enjoy music any way they wanted whether it was swaying, dancing, jumping or lying on the floor. It was a fun afternoon for everyone!”
Board Secretary Lisa Olson, who was instrumental in bringing about this concert, is hrilled that Music for Autism has expanded to the Washington
This concert was generously underwritten by Louise Pitt.
