54 | MARCH 2 • 2023
SPOTLIGHT
S
tudies show that music
has a full spectrum
of evidence-based
health and wellness benefits
for people with developmental
disabilities. JARC works dili-
gently to secure opportunities
to make music a part of daily
life, especially knowing that
it can stimulate the minds of
people with developmental
disabilities and can enhance
their lives.
The nonprofit organization
serves adults with develop-
mental disabilities in Metro Detroit and
has coordinated multiple virtual perfor-
mances by music students skilled in clar-
inet, all free of charge to the organization
and the people they serve. One of their
recent guests was clarinetist Citlamina
Hernández on the evening of Dec. 15.
Citlamina is a native of Mexico and
currently a master’s degree student in
clarinet performance at the University
of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of
Music. Citlamina and the other students
who have volunteered their time and tal-
ents to JARC are all scholarship recipients
of the Digital Clarinet Academy’s Spirit
of Community Scholarship, which was
developed in January 2021 as a tribute
to musician Lucile Myers who had two
loves: people and music.
The scholarship awards students with
a membership to the Thrive program by
Music 360, which provides them with
live events, a video library, resources, a
community and more, all with the goal of
expanding their growth and empowering
music students on their journey. As schol-
arship recipients, these
students give back to the
community by sharing
their talents virtually to
various organizations
while spreading their
love and enjoyment of
the clarinet.
The people JARC serves are always
excited by these highly anticipated 30- to
45-minute performances and remain
engaged throughout each virtual event.
In addition to Citlamina, clarinet schol-
arship recipients Tim Hanley and Abbey
Young have also performed virtually for
JARC. These performers are all accom-
plished musicians and graduates of music
schools and conservatories throughout
the U.S. and Mexico. For JARC, students
arrange an interactive session over Zoom
with solo, duet and trio selections that
include conversations about the pieces
they perform.
Tim, who is currently in a doctoral
program at Rutgers University with a
goal to teach at the college level, shared
that the people JARC serves were one of
the most engaging audiences he has ever
played for, both in-person or online. “The
performance was really great. They were
all very engaged, asking a lot of questions
about my instrument and sharing their
thoughts on each piece I played.”
The clarinetists typically play classical
music pieces. Abbey has also performed a
trio for JARC with two fellow musicians,
a pianist and a celloist.
“Live music is often not accessible to
the people we serve, either because of the
limitations of the venue or environmental
factors such as extreme lighting, noise
level and density of people,” shares JARC
CEO Shaindle Braunstein. “The people
we serve love music and welcome oppor-
tunities to explore all modalities of music.
Private concerts enable those we serve to
enjoy the experience, while also offering
an opportunity to learn about music and
different instruments.”
JARC serves 120 people with devel-
opmental disabilities in 45 locations in
Metro Detroit via group homes, indepen-
dent living services and in-home respite
care. The organization strives to provide
the highest quality of direct care services,
alongside a wide range of social, recre-
ational and religious opportunities that
ensure a full, rich life, all made possible
through JARC’s relationships with indi-
viduals and organizations like the Digital
Clarinet Academy.
JARC is always looking for new, cre-
ative opportunities to enhance the lives of
the people they serve. If you’re interested
in volunteering with JARC, visit www.
jarc.org/volunteer.
Accomplished musicians
from the Digital Clarinet
Academy play for the
people who JARC serve.
Performance
A screen
capture of
the virtual
event
Citlamina
Hernández
Virtual
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