Banging on the drums at Disney

Students from the Life Skills class at Lawrence High School under the guidance of special education teacher Diane Ronen and with the help of music teacher Alan Katz are banging on drums for a portion of their school day.
Life Rhythms has the students playing an array of percussion instruments and pieces of music that include American Rock, Caribbean, Jamaican, Latin and African influences. The group was first formed in October and performed at a school assembly later that month. In March, the students took part in Lawrence High’s biennial trip to Disney World.
“The students’ parents were asking me for more electives and we’ve been trying since last [school] year to incorporate music,” Ronen said. “The students took to the drums and what they began producing was unbelievable.”
With the support of Superintendent Gary Schall, district music director Pam Gallopini and music teacher Terrence Batz, the students began receiving music instruction from Katz. “I met my students; assessed their strengths and weaknesses,” Katz said about the approach he applies to teaching. “I made an effort to know them as individuals; conferred with other educators about them, and tailored a learning that I felt would give our students the best chance of success, while also cultivating a love for music as well as a nurturing environment to promote their self-expression.”
Ronen said that learning to play such instruments as Latin bongos and African djembes, which are capable of producing many different sounds, including a deep bass tone, has helped the students to elevate much more than their musical skills. “In my mind they have become a more cohesive group, their verbal skills have definitely improved, it has given them something to talk about and their conversation is much more age appropriate,” she said.

Along with the rain sticks, thunder drums, shakers, bird calls, cow bells and marimbas, an instrument called the Soundbeam that works similar to a motion detector, but instead of lights or an alarm, when motion is detected, it produces the same range of sounds as any keyboard synthesizer. The Soundbeam is played by Atlantic Beach resident Oliver Miller, a student who is severely disabled and blind due to a pre-birth stroke.
“When pointed in a certain direction, all Oliver needs to do is move his leg, foot, arm or even just a hand in front of the beam and a synthesized sound will be produced, this has enabled him to be part of this magic,” said his mother Missy Miller, who along with her daughter, Katy, a Lawrence High graduate, accompanied Oliver to Disney. “It has been nothing short of magical to watch what these kids have been able to create under the direction of their teacher, Alan Katz,” Missy said. “They truly create music — beautiful, cohesive music.”
The group that added four other Lawrence High students for the Disney performance attracted the largest audience ever seen at the Epcot Innovations concert, according to the school’s, Katz said. “This was in large part to incredible spirit from our Lawrence family of educators and students,” he said. “Some kids literally ran from their own dance, vocal and orchestral performances in others area of Epcot to hear the concert and support their classmates and friends. The powerful and unique sound of our group drew in other visitors. I was told the crowd spilled into the streets of Epcot.”