■ ARCADIA
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metro
Home Care & Staffing
Melodic Method
Helping people stay at home & healthier longe
"Modified Music-ation" helps kids
with special needs learn.
A full service agency providing
quality care for your loved ones.
Barbara Lewis
Contributing Writer
• Live-In or Hourly
• No minimum hours
• Complimentary Assessment
• Ongoing Care Coordination
• All employees are bonded & insured
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Caregivers Assist With:
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Lynn Feinberg
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THANK YOU VERY MUCH
V
e want to thank our family and friends and our
Shaarey Zedek family for the amazing response to our receiving
the Shin Award from the Jewish Theological Seminary.
We are overwhelmed by your generosity and your commitment
to a cause that is so dear to our hearts. May we continue to share
wonderful days with each other in good health and in joy.
With much love and appreciation,
Janet and Herb Pont
20 July 3 • 2014
acob Levy holds two firm
beliefs: that music is a uni-
versal language that should be
accessible to all, and that people with
special needs have strengths they can use
to help them learn.
Levy, 31, of Beverly Hills, has a bach-
elor's degree in music performance from
the University of Arizona and a master's
in special education from Northern
Illinois University. Building on these spe-
cialties, he developed a process to teach
music to people with special needs and
learning disabilities. He calls it Modified
Music-ation.
The basis for his system came from his
own experience.
"I have a terrible memory:' he said.
Remembering even a list of three things
to buy at the store could be a challenge.
But lists consist of words made up of
syllables, just as songs consist of musical
phrases, which are made up of notes. He
found that setting the list —"milk and
eggs and bread and cheese" — to a tune
made it easier to remember.
Music is a wonderful memory aid,
said Levy, who also does academic tutor-
ing. "Take the ABC song:' he said. "How
many children learn the alphabet by
singing the song? Just about any formula
can be set to music:'
He starts by asking students to choose
a song. He uses only two scales, C major
and A minor, so the students don't have to
worry about sharps or flats. He calls them
the "happy" scale and the "sad" scale.
"First I have them sing the song. Then
we break it down into phrases. If they
can sing it, they can play it:' he said.
The students learn about notes, inter-
vals and rhythm by studying the phrases
of the song.
A Los Angeles native, Levy moved to
Michigan in 2008 after a stay in Israel,
where he met Hila Yaari, who grew up in
West Bloomfield. They married in 2011.
He taught special education for a
while but was unable to get certification
in Michigan, where the certification
skills are different from what he learned
in Illinois. He also taught fifth- and
sixth-grade classes at Congregation Beth
Shalom's religious school.
In November 2012, he put two ads on
Craig's List offering music lessons, one
for the general population and one for
children with special needs.
Matthew Beauchamp responded
almost immediately. His son, Adam, now
13, wanted to learn to play the trom-
Jacob Levy teaches trombone
to Adam Beauchamp, who has
autism.
bone, but he struggled in band class.
"We were pleasantly surprised when
a teacher recruited Adam to be in the
band:' said Adam's mother, May Marra,
of Warren. "But because of his special
needs, he needed extra support at home:'
Levy, she said, "has the patience of a
saint. He loves and accepts his students
for who they are:'
Autistic children have problems look-
ing people in the eye, and they have
trouble reading music, but they have
good listening skills, Levy said. He
quickly discovered that Adam has per-
fect pitch, something his parents hadn't
realized.
With Levy's help, Adam, who just fin-
ished seventh grade, was able to catch up
with his classmates in band. This sum-
mer, Levy will help him learn to read
music.
"He's so proud of his ability to do
something; Marra said. "Whenever he
meets someone new he tells them, 'I'm
Adam and I play the trombone:"
Mike Dorfman of West Bloomfield is
another Jacob Levy fan.
His son, Hayden, 12, has central audi-
tory processing disorder, sometimes
called verbal dyslexia, which makes it
difficult for him to make sense of the
speech and sounds he hears.
Hayden, who just finished fifth grade,
really likes music, and he wanted to play
the clarinet, Dorfman said. He started
lessons with Levy in September.
"Jacob is very good at knowing
Hayden's strengths and helping him
build on them:' he said. "He's so patient,
and he really connects with the stu-
dents:'
At the end of May, Hayden performed
in his school's spring band concert,
"something he never would have been
able to do before Dorfman said.
❑
Reach Jacob Levy at (310)720-3558 or
modifiedmusication@gmaiLcom. He also has
a Facebook page, Modified Music-ation.