Rhoda Bernard, Ed.D.

Rachel Jayson, Boston Conservatory MMED ‘09, said it best when she remarked that the Boston Conservatory Program for Students on the Autism Spectrum is “more than just Saturday morning music lessons.” For the 15 young students with ASD diagnosis involved in the program in the 08-09 school year, participation in this groundbreaking music program has provided them with the opportunity to develop their musical skills on their instruments (piano, voice, or violin), to be sure, but it has also given them the chance to develop interpersonal relationships with other young musicians and with their instructors, enabled them to spend time devoted to something that they are good at, and helped them to develop their communication skills (both through music, as well as through other means).

The program is “more than just Saturday morning music lessons” for the Master’s students in Music Education who are instructors in the program (there were 6 in 08-09), as well. Through the intensive training and ongoing support that they receive from a team of expert consultants that includes autism specialists, musicians with autism, and music therapists, the Music Education students have learned a great deal about working with students of all kinds, not just students on the autism spectrum. One of the most powerful lessons that they have learned is the importance of establishing strong relationships with one’s students — and those relationships might be through music, or they might be through something else. Getting to know your students, and know them well, makes for much more effective teaching, where you can individualize your approach so that you can meet your students where they are. In their brown bag lunches (which take place every two weeks), the Music Education students discuss the strategies that they have developed for working with their young students, and they share creative ways to approach various learning situations. Guided by their expert consultants, they collaborate on finding their way with their students.

I am very, very proud of this new program, which recently ended its first year. The program is the result of a partnership that the Music Education Department at Boston Conservatory entered into with the Autism Higher Education Foundation. As the Program Director, I am the day-to-day leader of the program. Everything on the Conservatory end of things is my responsibility — from selecting the Music Education students who work as instructors in the program, to arranging the logistics regarding space and resources, to collaborating with the upper administration to secure their support and assistance.

Yes, adding this program to my already overloaded plate has been a great deal of extra work for me. But it has also been an incredibly rewarding experience — to make something really unique and extraordinary happen at Boston Conservatory and to make a difference in the lives of so many young people and their families.

In 09-10, we hope to expand the program to 24 students, and we plan to include additional instruments/types of lessons (guitar, viola, cello, composition, and music theory) in our offerings.

AHEF handles the student intake portion of the program. If you know someone who may be interested in the program, or if you are interested, please see www.autismhighereducationfoundation.org for an application. You also can find more information about the program at www.bostonconservatory.edu – go to Music Education and scroll down for the link.