| | BERKSHIRE HILLS MUSIC ACADEMY
(see BHMA under
Support Groups for contact information).
The BHMA is accepting applications for its 2004
summer program scheduled for July 25 - August 7. For
information and application procedures please see their
website:
www.berkshirehills.org or contact Admissions by e-mail
at
mdoran@berkshirehills.org or by telephone at
413-540-9720, ext. 201.
Our Mission Is…
To educate, train, and develop the talent of young adults
with special learning needs in a community that shares a
passion for music so they can achieve personal growth and
make a positive contribution to society.
Overview
Berkshire Hills
Music
Academy is
a private post-secondary school for young adults (18+) with
strong musical aptitude who have special educational needs
due to learning, cognitive, or developmental disabilities. In a two-year
certificate program, the Academy offers students an
integrated curriculum of academic, practical,
pre-vocational, and musical studies designed to facilitate
their transition to productive adulthood with a high
quality of life.
Student Profile
The program is geared to individuals who 1) wish to
continue their education after high school but have
significant learning disabilities, 2) have demonstrated
ability in, or passion for, music, and 3) wish to pursue
their musical potential.
Candidates should be motivated, emotionally stable,
possess basic social as well as self-care skills, and be in
general good health.
The Academy, which opened in September 2001,
currently enrolls 20 students from 12 states and
Canada.
The
Berkshire Hills
Difference
Berkshire Hills
Music
Academy
puts the emphasis upon students’ aptitudes and abilities
rather than upon their deficits. Its unique
“strength-based, music infused” program leads to gains in
thinking skills, life skills, confidence, and job readiness
along with the development of talent in
performing arts.
Background
Traditionally, students with learning disabilities have not
had the opportunity for post-secondary education. In recent
years, several schools and colleges have established
successful non-credit “Transition Programs” for students
with severe learning disabilities. The Academy will offer
transition education with one important difference: a focus
on its students’ special strengths in music.
History
 |
1994
|
The Williams Syndrome Arts and Music Camp
is founded as a one-week summer
music camp for individuals with Williams syndrome and
similar conditions. Belvoir Terrace, a fine and performing
arts camp in
Lenox,
Massachusetts,
directed by Nancy and Diane Goldberg, serves as the host
camp and site. Co-sponsor is the Williams Syndrome
Association, a volunteer-driven organization of parents.
The unique music camp receives extensive national and
international coverage and attracts the interest of
cognitive scientists.
|
1998
|
The Williams Syndrome Foundation, a non-profit organization
based in
California,
which promotes research, music education, and residences,
begins a search for a site for a residential music academy
in
New England.
The
National
Research
Center on
the Gifted and Talented at the
University of
Connecticut,
Storrs,
pilots a 10-day program for two consecutive summers, Music
& Minds, for young adults with Williams
syndrome. The program experiments with teaching academics
through music and gives the students an experience of
college life.
|
1999
|
The
Berkshire Hills
Music
Academy is
incorporated as a non-profit organization in
Massachusetts.
Kay Bernon, of
Wellesley,
Massachusetts,
is President of the Board of Trustees and Fundraising
Chair. The Academy holds the Founders’ Dinner, its initial
fundraising gala, in
Boston,
and announces an affiliation with the
University of
Massachusetts,
Amherst,
and the Five College Consortium.
|
2000
|
The Academy purchases from
Mount
Holyoke
College
the 40-acre Skinner estate on Route 116 in
South Hadley.
The 22-room mansion on the property, called “The Orchards,”
was built in 1915 by Joseph Skinner, longtime President of
Mount Holyoke’s Board of Trustees, and willed to the
college in 1946. The second Concert and Dinner is held in
Boston to
celebrate the unveiling of the property and to raise money
for a facility addition and renovations.
|
2001
|
The Academy completes the renovation of the Skinner mansion
and adds a 6,000 square foot new wing. The
University of
Massachusetts,
Amherst,
hosts an international research symposium on
Williams syndrome to mark the
Academy’s opening. In September the first class arrives,
consisting of 14 students from 9 states and 2 Canadian
provinces. The third annual gala in
Boston
celebrates the inaugural class, with a focus on fundraising
for curriculum development, endowment, and other
initiatives.
Social & Cultural Life
The Academy offers a rich environment of friendship with
the common thread of interest in musical arts. Students regularly
attend concerts, perform in the community, and welcome
guest artists.
They visit museums and the mall, go to college sporting
events, and take an annual school trip. They walk to the
village center, where there is a coffeehouse, bookstore,
bank, library, and post office. Every
Wednesday small groups of students plan and carry out a
“community day trip” to build skills in accessing public
transportation and local resources. The Academy
encourages students to take part in the local community by
joining organizations such as an adult chorus, amateur
theater groups, and worship communities.
|
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