SWAMPSCOTT — Miracles in Music, a music class at ReachArts for people of all ages with developmental disabilities, is back after the pandemic caused it to shut down three years ago.
“Throughout the class, students will develop a better understanding of singing, music, performance, self-confidence, social skills, and an overall sense of well-being,” ReachArts wrote in a Facebook post.
The program is amazing for the students, music instructor and creator of the program Lois Lane said.
“They understand music, they can feel the beat, they understand if a note goes up or down. Music is the universal language. You don’t really need to know it well but you can feel it and that’s what these guys can feel, they can feel vibrations, they can feel happiness, sadness. It is a miracle in music,” Lane said.
The first round of the program is running through the beginning of May, when it will culminate in a concert. After not having done the program in so long, Lane said she was nervous to start it up again.
“That first night … I felt like riding a bike. I was right back in the saddle,” Lane said.
Lane has a degree in developmental disabilities and has been leading Miracles in Music for 15 years. She began the class at North Shore Community College, where she earned her degree, for a program called “Project Access.”
“They had a cooking class. They had a photography class, a theater class,” Lane said. “One of my professors had approached me and told me about the program and they wanted to add a music program.”
So, she created what is known today as Miracles in Music. Eventually “Project Access” ended due to lack of funding. At that point, Lane began working with Swampscott’s ReachArts to continue the program.
This program is not music therapy, she emphasized.
“When you say the word therapy, it assumes that you’re ill and you’re going to get better through therapy. These guys aren’t sick,” Lane said. “So, I don’t call it music therapy, I call it music education.”
The class has a capacity of 15 students and runs every Monday for eight weeks. There are two instructors, Lane and her assistant Donna O’Brien. Each class, they teach the group something new through music.
“We learn all the elements of health, sleeping, eating right, hydration, hygiene, and I select songs that have to do with the topic,” Lane said. She also teaches a lesson on safety.
Lane strives to keep the classes interesting and exciting. The group even travels back to different decades by performing music from the 60s and 70s.
She emphasized the importance of student participation.
“They’re very, very much involved and that’s the key thing too, I make sure everybody is involved, nobody is left out, everybody’s included,” Lane said.
Each student “gets a moment to shine,” she added.
“They love to perform. You wouldn’t believe it, people that are so shy and once they get up there and they hear that applause and they feel all the love in the room they instantly perform,” Lane said. “It’s magical.”
