​​In the Community

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​In 2023-24, after Covid, we returned to our expanded outreach portfolio, with a special focus in sharing our music with children and families, thanks to continued support from the community and especially from NewYork- Presbyterian Allen Hospital. We continued these activities through 2024-25, and we are happy to tell you that we will continue this programming for 2025-26, our final season.

 

We have been presenting annual free Family Programs at CSAIR since our first season in 2009, and in 2017 we specially re-designed these to encourage the inclusion of children with special needs from throughout the community. This interactive and informal program brings us all together in a sensory/autism-friendly and relaxed setting to enjoy great music, involving the audience in actively exploring the music, and engaging the whole family. The opportunity for all families to really get close to live music, and to the musicians playing it, can inspire children’s enjoyment of and participation in music-making of all kinds for years to come!

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We will offer this sensory/autism-friendly Family Program again in 2025-26, as well as continue our visits to a local special-needs pre-school, where we play for small classes of excited kids who listen, clap, sing and move to our music. Every class is different and we enjoy working with the staff to structure a wonderful short program for each group.

 

We will also continue our visits to area nursing homes, rehab centers and multiple units at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center to play for those in the community who are not able to come out and hear music. Many of our wonderful audience members have remembered us from year to year, and we know that our visits are also welcomed and enjoyed by the hard-working staff members at these facilities. 

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Our heartfelt thanks to all our supporters who have made these programs in the community possible since 2009!​​​​​