Brooklyn Conservatory of Music expands music therapy services with new institute
A new expansion at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music is expected to give thousands of additional New Yorkers access to music therapy, as the century-old institution opens a new campus and launches what it says is one of the largest music therapy institutes in the country.
Leaders and elected officials cut the ribbon Thursday on its new 12,000-square-foot campus on Prospect Park West in Park Slope, which includes the new Music Therapy Institute.
The expansion comes as music therapy is helping people with a range of needs, including 34-year-old Amaako Buachie, a painter and singer who has autism. Buachie receives music therapy through the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and performed at the celebration for an audience that gave him a standing ovation.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, whose son Andres also has autism and began receiving music therapy at his school, says watching Buachie moved him.
"Seeing that brought tears to my eyes. But tears of joy because I hope, I have hope for my son," he told CBS News New York's Hannah Kliger.
Reynoso said music therapy can help children develop skills and interests that extend beyond their diagnosis.
"There's a possibility here where your son can read, your son can sing, and that the autism doesn't need to be the sole thing he's defined by," he said of his hope for the future.
The new institute includes multiple music therapy studios stocked with pianos, stringed instruments, drums and xylophones.
"As the institute grows, we intend to introduce a research capability here in partnership with higher education," said Chad Cooper, executive director of BKCM during a tour of the space.
The Conservatory's music therapy program director, Toby Williams, said the expansion will allow an additional 8,000 people to receive services.
"We have specialized training. There's research and data ... not only how music works on the brain, but also how using therapy specifically is so effective in many different populations and settings," she said.
The project was made possible in part by a $2 million grant from The Joel Foundation. Alexis Roderick Joel, co-chair of the foundation, said music can provide social and mental health benefits.
"It gives kids an ability to fit in. It also helps with your mental health and it also has therapeutic benefits," she said.
The new campus will also support aspiring musicians through an affordable studio rental program.
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