Click or Right-Click on the song number to download.
Songs in Autism Kit 1:

001  1.9 MB

002  1.6 MB

003  1.9 MB

02 harp in Lydian  5.2 MB

03 Move Past Fear  5.2 MB

04 harp in Lydian  2.4 MB

05 harp in Lydian, waltz  2.9 MB

06 simple harp  1.9 MB

07 Epiphany  3.3 MB

08 Soft Wall  2.4 MB

09 Fast Lydian Harp  1.7 MB


NOTES:

Autism is one of the most difficult conditions to live with. Improvements take tremendous work, may be expensive, and don't always hold up. This goes for music used as well. These songs are offered as possible help. We have seen some situations where they will be a positive factor. They might work for a while, and then stop working. Nothing can be said with certainty at this stage. As presented, these songs are intended to serve as models for local composers who can work on site.

One day while working as a substitute music teacher at an elementary school a small group of autistic children was brought in. Almost immediately one of the children went into an intense meltdown, screaming, crying, and thrashing around. Their guide was going to immediately take them back to the classroom but on a hunch, i persuaded her to let them stay for a few minutes while i played a few songs on my Celtic harp. I figured since a lot of autistic people appear to perceive things "backwards" as observed by those around them, we could use the Lydian mode which sounds backwards to most American listeners. It worked. Within seconds the boy was calm and everyone enjoyed hearing a set of continuous music with little commentary for the next 20 minutes which filled up the class period. A few similar experiments along with much intense literature review research led to the development of this free kit.
The first 3 songs, designated as 001, 002, and 003, are extremely simple. Many autistic people experience the world around them as overwhelming. If a child wants to hear these repetitively for a while, that's ok. These could in some cases be a good relief from the sensory overload that most contemporary music would produce.
Please share reports about the use of these songs, and any results that seem to occur.  This is very important, as your comments may help others.

Please keep Michael Riversong's contact information with any physical copies made of this music.  It is copyrighted, and that is the condition of the copyright in order for people to use it freely.

This work has been supported exclusively by donations.

Michael Riversong
Biblical Bards
P.O. Box 1891
Fort Collins, Colorado 80522
307-635-0900
mriversong@earthlink.net

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