This afternoon’s showcase that looked the most interesting to me was one by Yamaha Corporation of America titled, “Teaching Special Students In Special Circumstances.”
Kristin Shoemaker was the first to present. She shared information about the long-distance teaching she does with a family in Zambia. (View her presentation from last year’s conference here.)
She said that although she began the long-distance lessons thinking that it would be a benefit to the girls in Zambia, it has been far more than that. The benefit to her students here in the States has been enormous, too!
After Kristin, Lori Frazer shared several touching stories of adaptive technology and the impact it has made on the lives of those who are severely disabled. She is passionate about making sure that everyone, even the least fortunate, have the opportunity to participate in music-making experiences. They are currently investigating whether they can use some of the technology of the Clavinova to provide music classes for troops of soldiers serving overseas. They did some initial testing last December to see if they could remotely manipulate Clavinovas. This will make it possible to offer group RMM classes to soldiers on the field. They hope to use the Yamaha Connection technology to provide rehabilitation services in the hospitals.
The showcase concluded with a young lady named Charity Tillemann-Dick who shared the testimony of her amazing recovery from a double lung transplant to realize her dream of becoming an opera singer. Here’s a clip I found with more of her story:
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