Sunday, September 26: FREE Sensory-Friendly Concert
Mainly Mozart’s annual free sensory-friendly concert is designed for people on the autism spectrum of all ages and their families. The hour long performances features Mainly Mozart’s Advanced Youth Orchestra, in a highly participatory program, led by experienced music therapists from MusicWorx. The concert is proceeded by highly engaging, musical-themed activities designed for people on the autism spectrum and those with other cognitive disabilities.
Teachers and students from PASITOS, Tijuana’s largest autism agency, attend the event and are hosted to lunch at no charge.
Schedule:
1:00 Presentation: Perfect Pitch – Susan Rancer with Lamis Jabri
2:00 Sensory-Friendly Engagement Activities
3:00 Sensory-Friendly Concert featuring Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra; moderated by MusicWorx
12:00-3:00 Expo featuring art and booths
Location: Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation
404 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92114
Susan Rancer
Susan Rancer is a registered music therapist in Piedmont, California who has been in practice for more than 35 years. Her specialties are teaching piano, guitar and violin to special needs students, though she also engages them in music therapy activities if unable to learn an instrument. As a person with perfect pitch, she felt she was never taught by teachers who fully grasped her ability. By analyzing her own poor experiences with teachers she began to understand what it took to be a successful music therapist and instructor.
Graduating from Eastern New Mexico University with a bachelor's degree in music therapy in 1974, Susan now teaches 50 special needs clients, of which 30 have perfect pitch, including a few savants. Her goal is to focus on the ability rather than the disability. It is a philosophy that sets her apart from many other teachers and music therapists. By searching for the innate gifts of the students, hidden and unexpected talents are often discovered. In addition to teaching, she also serves as music director for a local Jewish preschool and synagogue.
Learn about her on her website.
Dr. Lamis Jabri
Dr. Lamis Jabri is a psychiatrist and mother to an autistic son, born with perfect pitch, and incredible math and memorization skills. Dr. Jabri was the inspiration behind and coordinated the 2019 Mozart & the Mind autism symposium. She received her medical degree from American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine.
Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra
The Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra offers six different ensembles: Suzuki Strings, Beginning Strings, Intermediate Strings, Concert Band, Intermediate Orchestra, and Advanced Orchestra. Under a strong inclusion policy that integrates young musicians of all abilities and musical backgrounds, they provide students with solo, chamber, and orchestral performance opportunities throughout San Diego and Baja California, as well as the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rehearse and perform side-by-side with the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, composed of incredible principal players and concertmasters from major orchestras across the country.
Their ensembles currently serve over 200 students ages 3-18, hailing from all over San Diego County and even traveling from Los Angeles County and Baja California. Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra students regularly participate in regional and national music programs such as NYO-USA, Tanglewood, National Symphony Orchestra Summer Music Institute, Idyllwild and more, and many alumni have gone on to pursue college careers in music.