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At Bethany Ranch Home we work with a large population of people with Down Syndrome, and they love the Beamz Interactive Music System and Jam Studio VR, they absolutely love it! There’s some that I didn’t think would really be involved, and those are the ones that love it the most. The first thing you see when they start playing is a big smile, and it’s amazing to see some of my non-verbal people open up and shine. It’s honestly like magic, and the smile – they can just go on and on and on and on. It is absolutely amazing! One additional great benefit I see is that it surprised many of them that they can do it. A lot of times they’ve been told what they can’t do, but this interactive music experience makes them feel like they can do anything. For the short time that they’re doing it, they feel like they have no limitations to what they can do. The experience is a 10 out of 10, but honestly, it’s priceless. It really is! I have seen my group open up and smile and shine – there’s no number you can give it, it’s just priceless.
-Gloria Quinn, Assistant Program Manager, Bethany Ranch Home
We got to use the Beamz with our students here at EPI yesterday and it is such a pleasure to see how everyone’s faces light up when they realize they are changing sounds with the simplest of movements. The Beamz is so accessible–it’s one of the few technologies that any of our students can use with the greatest level of independence. When I said that we would be using the Beamz for our afternoon activity both students and staff were delighted, and had a great time collaborating together.
-Caroline Davoust, Assistant Program Director, Able Arts Works
“Beamz is an engaging activity for students across age groups and differing strengths. As a therapeutic tool, it provides motivation and immediate feedback for students. Beamz allows for most students to initiate and engage independently. It encourages movement, requesting, and commenting.”
-Ami Graves, Foundation for the Blind
““The Apogee Project is all about empowering people with complex additional needs to be more independent with the help of technology. We work closely with people who may have complex difficulties such as Cerebral Palsy, Rett syndrome, Autism, Muscular Dystrophy, Motor Nerone Disease, acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury and other associated difficulties.
At The Apogee Project we use Beamz hardware and software a lot. Music is such a huge motivator and we have found Beamz to be a great resource for enabling fun, simple and unrestricted quality music creation for people no matter how complex their additional needs or impairment might be.
We have found time and time again that Beamz software has been the catalyst for captivating people of all ages with eyegaze technology , allowing them to grasp an understanding of the core skills they may need to go on and use a computer to communicate and to take some control of the world around them.
Beamz also enables us to bring people of differing ability levels together to enjoy play, social interaction and life through activities that stimulate and bring joy through music. The Beamz hardware unit is great for people who have some degree of mobility, while the Beamz Tobii edition software allows someone with very restricted mobility to join in using specialist access equipment such as eyegaze or switches.
For us, Beamz is one of those rare resources that makes learning and teaching fun by delivering intuitive tools for music creation that are accessible for all.”
-The Apogee Project, Assistive Technology Experts
With Beamz, people, in whatever setting they find themselves in, can simply reach out and magically wave their arms, hands, or fingers through the musical laser beam lights and instantly create, and actually play along Live, to real music in real time! Not just playing the guitar like I struggled to play on one string, but many guitars, already digitally sampled, or virtually any instrument, all at the same time as an orchestra, or you can experience what it feels like to be the virtuoso soloist on any solo instrument, classical, flamingo, slide, steel, nylon string, crystal clear 12-string, lus enchanting Native flutes, mystical pan pipes, jazzy saxophones, trumpets, the grandest pianos, luscious dulcimers, violins, conga drums, bass guitars, electric rock guitars and organs, classical cathedral pipe organs, dijeridoos, full or solo string and horn sections, Japanese taiko drums, angelic harps,…all can be played by anybody now, even with limited mobility from an injury or disability, or with absolutely no musical training whatsoever. They can be playing music instantly at the speed of light by playing the light.
I’ve seen people’s eyes brighten, and their bodies grow animated, as they make the sounds of a flute, or air-drums, or air-guitar…with the Beamz. It’s not a game, but such a simple thing to play, and yet it lends itself to a feeling of great happiness, beauty and hope. I’m so pleased to know that the Share Your Blessings program is offering this opportunity to individuals with special needs, programs and schools across the country, spreading the music and light to more people who will benefit from it.”
-Craig Chaquico, LEGENDARY GUITARIST
We are excited to send you this letter of thanks for your support of Morgan Project and our Quality of Life support programs for children with special health care needs. The donations of the Beamz units have been a huge success for our clients, both here and at home. We utilize the Beamz with an iPad and dancing water speakers, and the kids absolutely love “seeing” as well as hearing the music!
We have incorporated the use of our instruments in our music programs that we offer to individuals as well as during our specialized sensory group sessions. We have had quite a few of our member’s request donations of home units and as far as we know the kids are having a wonderful time with them in the home environment, as well.
Share Your Blessings has made a huge impact on our ability to offer truly multi-sensory technology to our clients and we are extremely grateful to have been chosen as a charitable partner for this program with Beamz.
For the kids,
-Kristen Malfara, The Morgan Project
I am writing to you on behalf of the Share Your Blessings, Inc and its marvellous Project Maestro Program. Our non-profit, Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom, was introduced the Beamz by Jefferson Starship guitarist, Craig Chaquico several years ago. Since that time, we’ve been blessed to work with Charlie and his team to train special educators how to set up, play and teach children with special needs to make music and communicate their thoughts and feelings through the magic and science of the Beamz Interactive Music System This is now an integral part of our AMAISE conferences- Adaptive Music for Inclusion and Special Education.
Students who are nonverbal can gradually learn to sing and from there, many begin to speak. But before this is even possible, they can make music by manipulating the light beams of the instrument to change sounds in ways that engage them on every level. Students with limited motoric ability can play, too. The impact in our special education classrooms has been absolutely profound. This instrument has evoked wonder, joy and surprise as students have found meaningful ways to engage with the music and with their classmates. The social-emotional value of the donated Beamz units is indisputable.
We have also seen students respond positively to the lesson plans and the wide range of song choices the Beamz Team put together. Sustaining student attention in special education can be hard, but not where the Beamz is concerned. When kids can all play no matter what abilities they bring to the experience, a sense of belonging, individual and group accomplishment is possible.
To date, Share Your Blessing has generously funded 61 units to Guitars in the Classroom teachers from coast to coast. We encourage, indeed urge everyone to support Share Your Blessings, Inc. to help make a profound difference for students and individuals with special needs who have long been excluded from music making. Everyone deserves this chance and we are very thankful for the Project Maestro program!
-Jessica Baron, GUITARS IN THE CLASSROOM (GITC)
On behalf of Guitars in the Classroom, thank you so much for contributing to our efforts to make a musical difference for young children and educators in Title I schools. Your gift of 10 Beamz Interactive Music Systems was extremely generous and will be very much appreciated by the teachers and students in a San Diego County classroom.
The Beamz Interactive Music Systems will make music possible for hundreds of students with special needs this year and we are most grateful for the opportunity to bring it to special ed!
The donation you just made will help our grassroots organization continue to build music a new home and a new life for music, integrated into learning in academic classrooms where it can supercharge student performance, ease stress, increase joy, and cultivate an essential artistic process. Thank you for helping us serve and grow.
-Jessica Baron, Executive Director GUITARS IN THE CLASSROOM
“Beamz is definitely more motivating than a lot of tools that we would necessarily choose. It is super easy, I would definitely give it a ten. I think it would work great in schools, in outpatient clinics, even in group settings. “We used it to really, as a tool, to kind of distract people, or to motivate people more than a task, for example the 1st task I explained was Sitting/Balance. Instead of just, “I want you to lean over and reach”, it becomes more motivating because there is that reward. It can be calming, motivating. I think it’s more intrinsically motivating to be able to either create just some background music or to have something where they are actually creating the music.”
-Abbey Glenn – Occupational Therapist, St Joseph’s Hospital
“At the Scottsdale Training & Rehabilitation Services (STARS) we are very fortunate to have quite a few volunteers who come in and offer entertainment or educational services, sometimes both! The Youth Program is very lucky to call Tom Reidy WITH Share Your Blessings one of those volunteers. Tom has come to STARS on a number of occasions to give the Youth Group a chance of a lifetime to play with an amazing “instrument” called “Beamz”, which was donated to us by Share Your Blessings. This device is synced up to a computer and offers a wide range in song and instrument selection. The goal of the instrument is to trip one of four lasers coming out of the device that are each synced up to a different instrument and activate said instrument. As a track plays, the kids like to play a game where they take turns using different body parts (nose, foot, elbow, hand, etc.) to activate the lasers. They always have a tremendous time with this device and Tom for a number of reasons, but namely Tom is an excellent teacher for the developmentally disabled and they all get to learn more about music and different ways to not only create it, but also enjoy it. Unfortunately, some of the kids will never be able to learn how to actually play an instrument, but with Beamz, they’ve been closer than ever. Staff is always excited to hear when Tom is coming back because the kids enjoy their time with him so much.
Once again: Thank you Tom and Share Your Blessings! “
-SCOTTSDALE TRAINING & REHABILITATION SERVICES (STARS)