JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Three special agencies supporting people with disabilities are joined together Tuesday night, creating an impressive holiday concert at Jacksonville University.
Angelwood, Brooks Aphasia Center and the North Florida School for Special Education joined arms for one full sound.
“It’s a time of joy for them,” SAID Diane Tuttle with Angelwood. “They really enjoy making music and feeling like they have the capacity to do that.”
Participants focused on their abilities, not their disabilities. From bell ringers to singers, everyone had a role to fulfill in the concert.
“So often, the focus is on what people cannot do,” Tuttle said, “and we feel that this concert focuses on what they can do.”
Angelwood participants were on the bells, Brooks rang the chimes and the school sang — but it was hard to resist not using your voice when you hear those classic holiday songs.
“My group—you can’t stop them from singing,” said Danielle Porter, a music therapist at Brooks Aphasia Center. “I always tell them, if you feel moved by the music go ahead and sing.”
Practicing these skills can serve as another sort of therapy.
“In the aphasia program, they really are able to get more words out when they’re singing rather than when they’re having a conversation,” Porter said.
The importance of this concert wasn't just to work on their skills, but to feel a sense of pride.
“So often in their lives, they are the ones that other people are helping,” Tuttle said. “And this gives them the opportunity to turn those tables and be of service in our community.”