Who We Are
Image Description: Rachel sits on stage in front of a drum set and a micrphone playing. She is wearing a blue dress and her brown hair is pulled back. She is smiling.
Image Description: Five musicians and volunteers are dancing around a group of chairs playing musical chairs. They are all focused and happy, wearing a variety of different clothing.
Image Description: Vinnie (left) and Sophie (right) are playing music on stage. Vinnie is sitting in his chair and wearing a dark shirt and khaki pants. He has blonde hair and is playing a tambourine. Sophie is looking at him wearing a pink blouse, a black mask, and her blonde hair is curled. She is clapping.
Image Description: Kali, Lily, and Brooklyn sit on the floor with multicolored scarves over their heads. They are all smiling.
Image Description: Corina is wearing a black tank top and is holding her hands in the shape of a heart. She has long dark brown hair which is styled in pigtails. She is smiling.
Special Musicians is a Nebraska-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit, youth music program (not affiliated with Special Olympics, any church, or any school). We currently meet weekly on Sundays at 4 different locations around Nebraska. We sing, dance, and play a variety of instruments.
Our number one priority is to create an atmosphere where your musician can thrive musically, but we also focus on building behavioral and social skills in our musicians. We currently have about 90 musicians enrolled, and we are always looking for new faces to join us! We have a list of trustworthy and responsible volunteers we rely on to help us teach the curriculum and also keep your musicians safe.
Education is a vital part of this program as we want all of our musicians to feel like they can accomplish ANYTHING! There is zero pressure here at Special Musicians; it will always be a safe place for everyone to be themselves and HAVE FUN!!!
In order to be accommodating to all, we divide our musicians into groups based on abilities and experience. In these groups, our musicians focus on music theory, rhythms, and maintaining steady beats as a whole. From there, we split into small groups and/or one-on-one work. This is where we begin working with our musicians on their performances. They get to choose what they would like to showcase at our seasonal performance, and we are simply there to guide them. We save the best for last with snack time and a giant DANCE PARTY! Our snacks are safe and meet all dietary restrictions. We have a loose structure in order to accommodate everyone's needs and to reiterate relaxed musical expression with friends!
Image Description: Carly (left) and Brooklyn (right) hug each other and smile for a photo. Carly's brown hair is clipped back and she is wearing a striped shirt and a navy romper. Brooklyn is wearing a blue shirt and sunglasses on her head. She has brown hair.
Image Description: Vivian (left) smiles and looks at Noelle (right) under the parachute. Vivian has blonde hair with bangs and a gray shirt and shorts on. Noelle is weating glasses and a red shirt and her brown hair is pulled back.
Image Description: Anna (left) and Abby (right) sit on the floor smiling for a photo. Anna is hugging her knees and wearing a blue shirt and shorts. She has long brown hair. Abby is wearing a gray sweatshirt and her brown hair is also down.
How We Started
Special Musicians began because of the lack of opportunities for people with different abilities. Across the United States and even around the world, access and availability for activities for people who have different needs is hard to find. Special Olympics is the only major program that supports individuals with disabilities, and we wanted to change that. Not everyone expresses themselves through sports, thus Special Musicians became, supporting and befriending and serving others with different abilities in a musical expression setting!
We first began sessions on August 20th, 2017 and have been growing ever since. Music is power, and our musicians show that weekly at our sessions!
Image Description: Joe (far left), Sophie (middle left), Erika (middle right), and Kali (far right) gather together to take a picture. All four individuals are wearing the same green long sleeve Special Musicians shirt. Joe has short dark brown hair and is wearing khakis. Sophie has blonde hair and is wearing black pants. Erika has dark brown hair that is in a ponytail, she is wearing black glasses and is sitting in her wheelchair with a light grey blanket over her legs. Kali has light brown hair and is wearing dark jeans. All four individuals are smiling.