Metro Detroit Adults with Developmental Disabilities and Sensory Sensitivities to Attend Free Concert Featuring Members of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
What:
Approximately 150 metro Detroit adults with developmental disabilities and some with sensory sensitivities and their caregivers will gather for a sensory-friendly performance by musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The invitation-only event will be held at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield and will invite adults served by JARC, a metro Detroit based nonprofit agency that serves adults with developmental disabilities, to touch and experience instruments as part of a DSO instrument petting zoo, enjoy dinner and listen to specially selected sensory-friendly popular music by a quartet of DSO musicians.
The setting provides a serene venue for people with sensitivities who typically could not sit still or would feel overwhelmed in a typical auditorium setting, but instead allows guests to come and go as they need. The event dovetails nicely with the DSO’s sensory-friendly programming, whose effort it is to make music accessible to everyone in a space that is supportive to their individual needs. The concert is made available by a generous donation to JARC as part of their Ellen Labes Festival Series. For more information on JARC, click here; for more information on the DSO click here.
Why:
As part of JARC’s ongoing work to provide new opportunities and experiences for persons with developmental disabilities, alongside the DSO’s vision to be an inclusive and culturally relevant community where all people can experience their world through music, this event was developed in 2022 as the answer to how persons with sensory sensitivities can see and experience a concert.
The calmer music-conscious selections along with a setting where others are in the same situation help to make this concert a possibility for all. The music of the DSO’s sensory-friendly concerts is designed for individuals on the autism spectrum and with other sensory sensitivities who may experience hypersensitivity to visual, auditory, and tactile stimuli. Adjustments are made to the concert experience and environment so that audience members can enjoy a musical performance in a space that is more supportive to their individual needs.
Who:
Everyone within JARC’s large community was invited to this event, free-of-charge. Programs include group homes, Independent Living Services, Respite Care, and local families living with people with developmental disabilities.
When:
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 – here is schedule for the Evening with the Symphony sponsored by the Ellen Labes Festival Series:
4:30 p.m. Doors open
5:00 – 5:45 p.m. Musical instrument petting zoo featuring a music educator
5 p.m. Dinner by Quality Kosher Catering
6 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Music performance by DSO quartet
Where:
Herman Hall located at Temple Israel –
5725 Walnut Lake Rd, West Bloomfield Township, MI 48323