The Musical Autist

Creating Platforms for Autistic Culture and Advocacy through Community Music Therapy

Sensory Friendly Concerts

Our next SFC is March 29th, 2020 at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore! Click here to learn more and grab your free tickets!

Sensory Friendly Concerts were created by The Musical Autist in 2011!
SFCs are inclusive performances of the fine arts and are an opportunity to celebrate Neurodiversity. These events are always open to the public, with accommodations provided for audience members on the autism spectrum or who have other neurological differences, and may be more sensitive to the environments.
 
Accommodations are provided by keeping volume levels low and lighting soft. Noise-reduction headphones are available to use, as well as an adjacent “quiet room” with sensory manipulatives for audience members who need a break from the concert environment. Additionally, PA (public address) systems are not used in Sensory Friendly Concerts. Those with hypo-sensitivity to sound are encouraged to come up on stage during the performance, where the volume is louder. Additionally, they are welcome to sit around the musicians on stage and even lie underneath the grand piano, for optimal vibro-acoustic sensory input. Credentialed music therapists and other trained volunteers help to facilitate these musical interactions so that family members and caregivers can relax and enjoy the performances. Other provisions for promoting engagement with live music are foam blocks, for those who enjoy extra tactile symmetry to their listening experience, as well as scarves, for those who enjoy dancing or moving their bodies freely around the room.

Local jazz and classical performers are often featured as headlining performing artists. Our performers are trained by a credentialed music therapist and encouraged to interact with audience members who may join them on stage during the performance.  Parents and caregivers are responsible for those whom they bring at all times, but our hope is that parents/caregivers can sit back, relax, and enjoy the performance, as well as to enjoy a social environment where their loved one and/or client can enjoy being in “autistic friendly space.”

Our concerts close with performances from featured autistic musicians, including members of our program, Musical Autist Troupe.

Our mottos are:

  • HAND FLAPPING ALLOWED!
  • EQUAL RIGHTS TO THE FINE ARTS!

Note: You may be photographed at our events, especially if you come to the front in close proximity to our musicians. 

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