“TIES Program Expands, Adds Drumming Circles”

 Brighton Central School District News, December 2002

               Six years ago, Leslie Hulbert, a Brighton resident, and Kathy Costello of Webster, parents of children with developmental disabilities, received their first grant for a program called TIES (Together Including Every Student), which was initiated by the Brighton and Webster school districts. The purpose of the program is to foster social integration of children with developmental disabilities into extracurricular school and community activities.

                        "When they are young, children with developmental disabilities don’t have a problem with parents providing the extra support needed for them to participate in after-school activities or recreation programs," said Leslie Hulbert. "But when they get older, in middle and high school, they need the support of their peers. A parent’s presence may not be appropriate."  The keystone of TIES is finding and training student volunteers in grades 8-12 to be mentors and friends to students with disabilities.

             Hulbert and Costello, co-directors of TIES, have brought the program a long way in six years. Now seven school districts in Monroe County have TIES programs: Brighton, Webster, Pittsford, West Irondequoit, Brockport, East Rochester and Penfield. The first year program in each district is supported by a grant from Family Support Services, part of the NYS Office for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. Participating districts agree to pick-up the subsequent costs of a part-time coordinator who collaborates with families/activity leaders and trains volunteers. It’s worked out that each program is coordinated by a parent of a child with a disability.

             This year a new dimension called “drumming circles” has been added to TIES program. A drumming circle is a group activity in which members seek to enhance physical and mental well being from the communal production of rhythms. Hulbert and Costello learned about drumming circles about a year ago. Their inquiries led to them to observe a local drumming circle. “We thought this concept could work for us in TIES,” said Hulbert. “We knew we had many children interested in music but we could not find as many opportunities in music as we wished.”

            Hulbert and Costello received an okay to use part of their 2002-03 state grant for a pilot drumming circle program for children in the seven participating school districts. They contracted with the Upstate Music Therapy Center for a music therapist to conduct drumming circles for two groups of children, ages 8-12 and 13-18. “Upstate Music validated many of the ideas we had for the drumming circles and helped us choose the drums and other percussion instruments to purchase. We developed goals for the program and support plans for the volunteers to guide their efforts,” Hulbert said.

             The two drumming circles have about 30 participants and 20 volunteers. Each circle meets for 45 minutes every other week in the Brighton administration building. To start each session, the therapist, Rebecca DeGennaro, hands out the instruments and starts a warm-up activity. She leads the participants in rhythms and builds on their ability to stay in rhythm with various instruments. The volunteers explain directions, model what to do, promote social interaction and provide encouragement.

            “We’ve had a great response from parents, participants and volunteers,” Hulbert said. What has been especially satisfying to Hulbert and Costello is that new families have become involved with TIES. “Music is such a universal experience that we have more children joining, and their families are now looking into other activities their children can participate in with TIES volunteers.”

             The younger children especially enjoy having their parents observe the drumming circles. Tabby Anvari sees how enthusiastically her daughter Teeva participates. “I think this is a fantastic opportunity for children to use their creativity. It’s a tremendous gift to them.”