Arts Ed is “Feelin’ the Beat”
Impacting Students Through Rhythmic Expression
Chautauqua Arts Education kicked off the 2023–2024 school year working with students to tap into their creativity and connect with others through rhythm and sound! The transformative “Feelin’ the Beat” School Residency Program shares the joy of musical expression through drumming with 10 area schools and almost 500 students.
Developed in 2014 by Chief Program Officer Deborah Sunya Moore and Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra Principal Percussionist Brian Kushmaul, the original vision was to create an arts education program for students attending special education programs in Erie 2 Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Educational Centers. From this vision, “Feelin’ the Beat” was born, initially designed to cater to the unique needs of students with disabilities.
Expanding its footprint, “Feelin the Beat” now reaches beyond the Erie 2 BOCES Educational Centers. Participating schools now include Hewes and LoGuidice BOCES Educational Centers, Chautauqua Lake BOCES Satellite Site; Ring and Bush Elementary Schools, Washington Middle School in Jamestown Public School District; Southwestern Elementary in the Southwestern Central School District; Dunkirk School 7 and Dunkirk Intermediate School in the Dunkirk City School District; and Little Seeds Pre-School.
The program is led by the Director of Arts Education Suzanne Fassett-Wright, and is supported by the new Resident Teaching Artist, Stephanie Dawson. A recent addition to the Arts Education team, Dawson’s position is made possible by funding from the Elise M. Besthoff Charitable Foundation, Inc. Fassett-Wright and Dawson visit each school for 10 weeks, bringing drums to encourage students to express themselves through music. Through creative music-making and drumming, students learn essential life skills such as self-regulation, emotional awareness, and empathy. Students are adding creative musical skills to their vocabulary, providing more tools for self-expression and life skill development through the arts.
“It’s truly amazing to see the growth in students in just 10 weeks,” said Fassett-Wright. “Students learn about self-regulation, identifying their own emotional state, defining their sense of empathy and much more all through creative music-making and drumming. Musicians need these skills all the time in their art and these students are truly innovative musicians in the making.” she added.
As the “Feelin’ the Beat” program continues to unfold its rhythm across schools, it leaves a lasting imprint on the lives of students. What began as a vision to bring arts education to a specific group has evolved into a program that transcends boundaries, welcoming students of all abilities to find their voice through the power of drumming. In the heartbeat of each drum lies a story of growth, resilience, and the unyielding belief in the transformative power of the arts.