In response to the systemic racism and oppression of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) prevalent in the United States, Annapolis Music Therapy is working to implement our antiracism commitment through clear action steps and new programming. This is essential to more fully realize our vision of creating truly inclusive therapy and community spaces in Maryland and beyond.

After a successful pilot program this summer, we are thrilled to announce our Fall 2020 series of “Just the Way You Are: Songs of Self-Love for Little Ones” classes!

“Just the Way You Are” will be offered on Thursday evenings from 6:30-7pm via Zoom this fall, and is designed for children ages 0-4 and their caregivers. Classes will continue to feature music experiences centered on social justice, self-love, and raising up the works of BIPOC authors, musicians, and artists in a way that is both accessible and fun for little ones! Each class will involve a range of music experiences, such as singing, signing, dancing, and singable storytime, led by members of the AMT team including Naomi Davis, Music Therapy Intern, Zoe Levine, MT-BC, and Kerry Devlin, MMT, MT-BC.

Fall 2020 classes will include:

• September 24th at 6:30pm: My Voice, Your Voice
• October 29th at 6:30pm: My Land, Your Land
• December 3 at 6:30pm: My Faith, Your Faith

Our fall series of classes has been designed with great intentionality to explore and challenge traditional seasonal “themes” often used with young children, offering an alternative approach to contextualizing Election Day, Thanksgiving, and religious holidays through a social justice lens.

“Just the Way You Are” classes will always be offered free of charge for BIPOC families in acknowledgement of generational wealth disparities and trauma. All participating white families are strongly encouraged to join and donate via sliding scale ($15 suggested) in an attempt to re-allocate wealth in one small way. All families have the option to pay more or less as is comfortable for your family unit, and no family will be turned away due to lack of funds.

Registration is required in order to receive your Zoom link for the class, which will be sent to all registrants the morning of the scheduled class.

AMT continues to partner with R.I.S.E. Arts Center of Baltimore for this program, and will be donating 100% of all donations generated from these classes to this incredible local organization!

A message from R.I.S.E.: Our mission is to provide a multidisciplinary arts education to youth minorities and youth with autism of Baltimore City. R.I.S.E. stands for reach for your dreams, inspire creativity, stay focused, and evolve to step into your purpose. We are a nurturing, creative community where young people discover their inherent talents and gifts through music, acting, singing, visual arts and creative writing. $100 fully sponsors a student to attend R.I.S.E. arts programming.

How can you support R.I.S.E. by participating in “Just the Way You Are”?

• Sign up for two classes and donate $50 per class to fully sponsor a RISE student. Bonus: your child will also benefit through engagement in these Zoom classes!
• Reach out to 3 friends with little ones and commit to donating $25 per family when you sign up for a class to fully sponsor a student.
• Sign up for a class and give what you can: all donations are welcomed with deep gratitude. Suggested class donation is $15, which is equivalent to AMT’s regular class drop-in rate.
• Share this class offering AND R.I.S.E.’s work on social media to widen our reach! We hope to connect with families who may not typically be able to afford our programming or attend free programs offered during daytime hours.
• Don’t have a little one aged 0-4? Your donation is still extremely valuable! Donate to R.I.S.E. via Paypal.

We look forward to making music with your family and celebrating all that you and your little ones are!