Testimonials
“What an amazing collaboration! You have been such a great resource to us, and we have enjoyed every minute working with you. As a fellow educator, I was so impressed with how you engaged the students, the type, form, and manner of information presented, and your level of enthusiasm for our girls’ eduction. You are, simply put, AMAZING! Thank you for everything!”
–Ms. Nahm, Aviva High School, in partnership with Collective Voices Foundation
“Our schools have really enjoyed the great services that you and your colleagues have provided us this school year. You tap into a very deep part of our souls through the drumming! And from the time I met you I could feel a blessing of goodness flowing from you to all of us that are privileged to spend time with you.”
–Anthony Ceja | SDCOE, Student Support Services Department
“I just wanted to thank you for your service and for the time you took to teach my daughter (and other children) how to grow in certain areas. I have seen growth in areas she was having trouble in. R. was having trouble getting along with peers….she is very self directed and she is a natural leader and sometimes may come across as an aggressive person. I have seen her grow in a way that she can understand that other people may not want to do everything she wants to do. She gets along better with other kids now. She is more open about her feelings and is a lot more patient.
-Mother of 5th grader in after school music therapy program
“Hi Summer, I have SOOOOOO enjoyed the music class and W. has been very engaged and happy. Thanks so much! You make it really fun and interesting. I have to say your class is way ahead of the MANY others I have done over the years.”
–Mother of W. in Music & Me Classes
“Summer has an amazing ability to relate and interact with children of all ages in a manner that allows them to engage and express themselves and their feelings through music. The music therapy performed by Summer during Camp Connect was the most powerful experience of the weekend."
- Camp Connect volunteer
“They specifically said that it was fun to play with instruments and they appreciated that you involved and guided them without controlling them, and they were moved by the lyric writing. Thank you!”
–Jessica (Jewish Family Service)
“Ms. Summer is cool, she made me feel confident in myself. She also helped me understand good music. She taught us how to use certain instruments to be used as a massager. Ms. Summer is kind of like both person/teacher, she is patient as a teacher and fun and let loose as a person. I would recommend Ms. Summer’s program to a lot of people who love music…my friends would benefit from the experience of the music program. I would like to personally thank Ms. Summer for letting me appreciate music and the music program.”
“I feel like I’ve got an extended family even more, so I really appreciate what you guys have done for all of us. So thank you.”
“Ms. Summer was an outstanding teacher…she would stay calm and patient…she never raised her voice. I would recommend Ms. Summer to other programs…one reason…is because she likes to get to know your personality by letting you choose the type of music you like first before she just starts teaching you new stuff. She likes to get you comfortable and that’s what I like most about her.”
“Summer made me think about the lyrics…and the different stuff you can use music for like relaxation. She has a lot of instruments that most children don’t see in their regular music classes. Summer is a cool, funny and nice teacher and person. She knows how to relate to us. If one of the students was to get mad she doesn’t yell or kick us out like a regular teacher, she talks to us. She gets along with everybody. I think everybody loves her, and we thank her for coming…Every school should have her as a music teacher because she is different. She doesn’t just teach music, she shows you how to relax, make songs and shows you the importance of lyrics…what she did that was fun for us was that she played the drums over our bodies. Summer is a really nice person and everyone should have an experience with her.”
“My favorite activity with Summer was when we wrote lyrics and performed on the microphone. Songs sometimes tell people’s stories about their lives. Summer taught us a lot about music. She was a wonderful artist. I learned A LOT! Summer was very smart, loving and a beautiful person. She would always cheer everyone up when they were down and make them happy….I am writing to thank you for the wonderful experience I had with you and my classmates. You will be truly missed. Thank you for all the fun times we had with you.”
“We learned that some people express their feelings in their songs. Summer was a good teacher because when we were down her music would make us laugh and smile and come together. I like slow music because it calms me down and it makes me think about life. I also like rap music because I can relate to some of the songs. Summer sometimes makes me happy with her music because her music is different. I would recommend Summer because she is a good teacher, so I would like other kids to know about her. I will remember Summer because she is in a band and I will buy her music. Summer is a really good person and she is really sweet. I hope she comes back and does music with us again because I really enjoyed music with her.”
“You showed me that music is everywhere and it can really help me smooth out my problems.”
“It was a fun music session. Now when I listen to music I get lost in it.”
“I never thought that I would have fun there because I don’t like the music but no, I was wrong. The music made me feel relaxed and now I like it.”
“I had a lot of fun having the Music Therapy session. It took almost all the anger of out me with the musical instruments. Thank you.”
“I appreciated this because I didn’t know how calming playing music could be. The music therapy session was interesting, intense and fun at the same time. What a way to spend the end of the week!”
“Thank you for the musical release. I REALLY enjoyed myself…I went from a 7 to a 10! Thanks for making my day a 10.”
“I got to let out everything inside of me. I learned different kinds of ways to take out my anger…not in a physical way.”
“Deep breathing really works. I’m going to use that when I’m having a tough time.”
“Thank you for freeing me spiritually! I like the deep-breathing. I’m going to try that at home again.”
“Thank you for raising my spirits. I loved the music and had a great time. I felt that old instrument…flow right through me and felt it change how I felt.”