Over the last few months, our Guests and Residents have been working hard to bring you a couple of WOW! Magic concerts. Working with the Real School of Music‘s Reach 4 Real adaptive music program, our Guests and Residents have written unique songs and practiced them along with other originals by the Reach 4 Real program instructors.
Our Residents recently performed theirs at the WOW! Magic Reach 4 Real Concert on July 12. With over 60 people in attendance at the concert, nerves were high. But our Residents came together to help each other break through the pre-show jitters and deliver an amazing performance.
“They were all strangers when this began,” said ATI program manager Tammy Wilson, “but they became friends part way through it, and then became family by the end of the program. They really trusted each other and they helped each other push through the nerves.
“It’s a hard thing to open up and sing in front of people. It’s difficult to put yourself out there like that,” she added. “But I was happy to see they were able to do it. I was so proud of them, really bursting with pride about what a great job they did.”
Accompanied by Reach 4 Real instructors Terry O’Malley and Olivia Stiling, our Residents Damien, George, Lois, David, Erika, Jacob, and Anastasha took to the microphones and belted out the first song, Beautiful Music. The performance was amazing, but it was the second and final song that really stole the audience’s heart.
Our Residents proudly performed Music Makes Me, with lyrics written by each of them regarding how music makes them feel. The energy was high as each Resident sang his or her solo.
“Everybody was so thrilled and so proud of their family members,” said Wilson of the doting parents, aunts, uncles, siblings in attendance.
The performance wrapped up with a dance party, cake, flowers, and celebration for a great show! Thank you to all who came out and supported our Residents! And thank you to our wonderful Reach 4 Real instructors!
Check out a few pictures from the performance below.
Read a little more about the music program here.