UP FRONT GIVING BACK BY SUSIE STANTON STAIKOS
Ring My Bell A LOCAL ORGANIZATION IS BRINGING THE GIFT OF MUSIC THERAPY TO ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, ONE HANDBELL AT A TIME
tinue to today, enabling individuals to participate from as far away as Broward County and the Bahamas. There are now approximately 25 “ringers” between the ages of 18 and 45. Parents of choir members have reported improvements in their adult children’s attention, focus, and overall happiness, as well as in their speech, social skills, and independence. “Many students with special needs have never been offered the chance to join a band or choir,” adds Silver. “These classes offer adult students a way to socialize and connect with each other while learning to play an instrument. It’s really amazing to see how music enhances all facets of our students’ lives.” But why handbells? “Handbells are easy for people with low skills and limited musical training to master and to feel a sense of joy and self-expression,” Silver explains. “And for people who have communication challenges like the population that we are targeting, music is an alternative mode of communication. It’s so universal.” exceptionalensembell.org, 561.627.9872 ‡
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JERRY RABINOWITZ
“Music can heal the wounds which medicine cannot touch.” This quote by American author, physician, and philosopher Debasish Mridha has proven true for those impacted by Exceptional Ensembell. Operating under the goal to “build self-esteem, independence, and social skills and to share unique musical abilities with the community,” this nonprofit organization invites young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become a part of a handbell choir, bringing music therapy and its vast benefits to those with special needs. Vicki Silver, a professional grant writer, and Donna Maheady, a nurse practitioner and educator, were both mothers of adult children with autism when they founded the organization in 2018. Looking for a way to enrich her son’s life with arts and cultural programs, Silver came across a cluster of bell choirs for adults around the country. She connected with Maheady, whose child had attended the same school as Silver’s, and they used their mutual connections to start Exceptional Ensembell. “We just took the plunge,” says Silver, whose son passed away in 2021. “I had a lead on a professional music therapist, Meghan Hanley of Creative Arts Therapies of the Palm Beaches, which became the company we contract with to this very day.” Exceptional Ensembell now hosts in-person classes at the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach. The group also added virtual practices during the pandemic that con-
FOUNDED BY DONNA MAHEADY (LEFT) AND VICKI SILVER, EXCEPTIONAL ENSEMBELL HOSTS HANDBELL CLASSES FOR ADULTS WITH DISABILITIES.
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