I’ve been blogging for about a month now, but I haven’t talked much about the school where I work, the Hope Institute in Springfield, Illinois. I’ve been fortunate to serve as the music therapist there for the last year and a half, and it has been an extremely eye-opening and gratifying experience.

The Hope Institute is a residential school for children with multiple disabilities. Over 70% of our students have a diagnosis of autism; other diagnoses include Down Syndrome, Tourette Syndrome, severe behavioral disorders, and various cognitive, physical and emotional deficits. Hope has a staff of over 500, including teachers, educational and habilitation specialists, therapists, and administrative officials.

As the only music therapist, I work with each class as well as several students individually. We work on social skills, movement, following directions, interaction, and many other goal areas. I also get to do all sorts of fun “extras” such as leading school singalongs, organizing student performances, and sharing the music of Hope with the community.

Last year I was asked to write a new school song, which the students sang at this year’s pep rally. It was so much fun to write, but what I really love is hearing the kids sing it and showing their school spirit. Here it is:

We are the bulldogs,
We are the bulldogs,
The Hope bulldogs are we.
Mighty and strong,
At the top we belong,
Oh just you wait and see!

We are the bulldogs,
We are the bulldogs,
White and blue and proud,
We do our best,
Stand apart from the rest,
We sing our song out loud!

We are the bulldogs,
We are the bulldogs,
The Hope bulldogs are we.
Mighty and strong,
At the top we belong,
Oh just you wait and see!