Banner Health Thunderbird Medical Center ; Banner Health Thunderbird Foundation
The Beamz system, placed in 2005, is used in the acute-care facility by occupational therapists in Glendale, Arizona, to assist adult individuals with limited mobility as a result of accidents or illness; it is used as well in the Alzheimer’s clinic as a recreational instrument.  5555 W. Thunderbird Road Rd., Glendale, AZ 85306, Phone (602) 865-5555. Services Staff. http://www.bannerhealth.com

Bisbee Commission on the Arts/Central School Project
The Bisbee Commission on the Arts is a non-profit arts and cultural center with the three-fold mission of providing affordable creative space to working artists, preserving and adapting the historic Central School building as a cultural center, and fostering appreciation of the arts in the Bisbee community. Kids of all ages experiment with the Beamz in after-school projects and are currently rehearsing a summer performance featuring the Beamz as a centerpiece instrument. Central School Project, 43 Howell Ave., P.O. Drawer H, Bisbee, AZ 85603; Phone (520)-432-4866. Melissa Holden, Executive Director. http://www.centralschoolproject.org

Downtown Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Phoenix
Boys and girls in the Phoenix area integrate the instrument into their after-school music programs and present community performances. Partner: Ear Candy Productions, Inc., 365 N. 4th Ave., Suite E, Phoenix, AZ 85003. http://www.bgcmp.org

Ganado Unified School District
This district, on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona, has a set placed in its kindergarten general music class, the library at its Middle School, and in both Beginning and Advanced Band classes. A school system highly motivated by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and federal Title I initiatives; educators welcome the advanced technology and all-inclusive nature of the Beamz system. The first set was placed by Occupational Therapist Noelani Hong (928-755-1027) in 2009 and has been embraced by Special Needs programs and the Ganado Middle and the High School band/orchestra director, who has included the instrument in its bands. Individual students, including those with autism and reluctance to participate in group activities, have shown strong interest in the instant musical results with the Beamz, and are working with OT specialists to “bridge” the private — with the more sociable — experience. Ganado, Arizona, 86505. http://www.ganado.k12.az.us

Mesa Community College Music and Music Technology Department
Keith Heffner, Professor of Music at the MCC Department of Music and Music Technology, has two sets of Beamz. He is implementing the Beamz in programs its curriculum, specifically courses in Electronic Music I & II, Digital Audio Workstation I & II, and Introduction to Sound Design for Film and Video (EMI & II and DAW I & II are credited towards an A.A.S. degree in Music Business and Audio Production Technologies). Upper-division and pre-graduate students are working with Studio and Composer versions of Beamz and are developing their own curriculum strategies for advanced applications in technological music, including strategies in Music-Occupational Therapy. 1833 West Southern, Mesa, AZ 85202. Professor Keith Heffner, (480) 461-7000. http://www.mc.maricopa.edu

Musical Instrument Museum of Phoenix      
Bill DeWalt and the staff of the wonderful new Musical Instrument Museum, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, has two sets of Beamz. MIM and Jerry Riopelle share a vision with regard to music, which is, in MIM’s words, “… something all humans share, a source of beauty and comfort in our daily lives, a means to give voice to our joy in times of celebration and a powerful force that brings us all together. Music is the lifelong friend that we all have in common.”  In addition to being displayed as part of the museum’s unparalleled international collection of instruments, the Beamz will be used for educational activities and demonstrations, enabling museum visitors of all ages and skill levels to create and play melodious music. 4725 East Mayo Boulevard, Phoenix, AZ 85050. Bill DeWalt, President, 480-478-6000. http://www.themim.org

Phoenix Children’s Hospital
PCH is the original “outreach” Beamz client, having received an early model of the present Beamz system in 2004. The hospital has a modified set of Beamz for pre-and-post-op patients in the Neuro wing of the hospital as well as a regular system at the children’s day school, where the Beamz are in perpetual use in a special section of the classroom. Therapists and teachers use the system on a regular basis for mobility and rehabilitation “reach” training, environment control, relief of illness-related stress and anxiety, and cognitive rehabilitation. The modified set enables patients in a supine position, facilitates wheelchair and “stander”-bound patients, and is mobile: it is moved to the patients’ bedside or set up for partially ambulatory patients. 1919 E. Thomas Road Phoenix, AZ 85016, (602) 546-1000. Megan Goodman, PCH Teacher, (602) 546-1706. http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/patients-visitors/1-darn-cool-school

Park Meadows Elementary School
The Beamz are implemented and shared here in a broad variety of settings. General education courses in grades 1-6 incorporate the Beamz in language classes (spoken word, learning words and phrases, creative writing and drama, science and history, as well as general music) as “rewards” for productive students, and help the students with leadership roles. Interfacing with the SmartBoard and projected screens, the Beamz are involved in creative ways by various instructors to control the “energy levels” of students (getting them engaged and active, calming them down) and associating concepts of collaboration, timing, and cooperation (learning to “wait” for music cues from the system and harmonizing with other students, etc). 20012 North 35th Avenue Glendale, AZ 85308-2204, (623) 445-4100. Mary Sullivan, 6th grade teacher, (623) 445-4149. https://parkmeadows.dvusd.org

Phoenix Conservatory of Music
The Phoenix Conservatory of Music has one set of Beamz. PCM, which operates out of over 30 valley-wide educational locations, offers world music classes to learning-English-through-music/movement, private vocal and instrumental lessons to community-based young musicians, as well as a professional development series for teaching artists. PCM is currently developing ideas for incorporating the Beamz into their community choir, early childhood music classes, music theory and appreciation classes, and after-school composition classes for children ages 5-16. Location, valley wide (headquarters: 7801 N. Black Canyon Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85021). Regina Nixon, Executive Director, 602-353-9900. Partnership: Ear Candy Productions, Inc.  http://www.phoenixconservatoryofmusic.com

Phoenix Union High School District
Louis Kireopoulos, Technology and Special Skills Director of the Phoenix Union High School District, keeps The Beamz Outreach efforts very active with training sessions, demos and classroom visits for his district-wide distribution of 37 sets among his special needs, occupational therapy, and CBT educators. Medically fragile students and their teacher Maureen Tierney at Cesar Chavez High School have used Beamz in her classroom for over two years; Anne Martinez and her four classes of limited-mobility and cognitively-challenged students at Coronado High School routinely incorporate the system in her music classes. Both teachers combine the fun of making music with Beamz with cognition lessons (cards that represent words like “up,” “below,” “after,” etc. are paired with specific laser beams so that a sound represents a particular concept or action). Center for Educational Services, Phoenix Union High School District, 4502 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85012,(602) 764-1100. Louis Kireopoulos, Technology and Special Skills Director. http://www.phxhs.k12.az.us

Resounding Joy Solana Beach Hospice
Solana Beach, California, a nonprofit organization, introduced to the Beamz at the American Music Therapy Association’s convention in 2009. According to Director Barbara Reuer, Resounding Joy provides “supportive and recreational music programming” for community hospice organizations in her area. The hands-on program has been carefully designed to provide supportive music to home-bound individuals contending with chronic pain, anxiety, motor function and cognition; the organization believes the Beamz provides intergenerational involvement and ongoing at-home therapy. 3830 Valley Centre Drive, Ste. 705, PMB 542, San Diego, CA 92130-3307. Barbara Reuer, 858-922-3933. http://www.resoundingjoyinc.org/pages/aoverview.shtml

Roosevelt Unified School District/Valley View School
The Valley View Elementary School is the first elementary school in the Roosevelt Unified School District of Phoenix to order a total of nine sets of Beamz. Senior band leader Eddie Gaona has introduced the Beamz system to his beginning and advanced band students, who are learning timing, collaboration, composition and conducting skills using the Beamz system. Other instructors at the school are implementing applications using the Beamz relative to the special needs of students, and in occupational therapy classes. Gaining confidence with the Beamz helps students with routine tasks; kids also participate in exercises regarding the nature of cause-and-effect, and recognizing the sounds and tempos of various instruments (as well as the characteristics of various musical genres). Several of the nine sets are placed in pre-school classrooms, exposing very young children to technological music and its fundamental concepts (lasers, computer interactivity, composition and recording, looping, etc.). 8220 S 7th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85041, Maricopa County. Principal: John Wann. Eddie Gaona, (602) 232-4980.
http://www.rsd.k12.az.us

San Marcos Elementary School District
Jamie Merrill, Curriculum Specialist at San Marcos Elementary School, successfully requested the purchase of two sets of Beamz systems with a grant from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Center Grant Program from the National Governors Association Center. 40 elementary school educators and their principal, Christine Sargeant, were oriented to the system and asked to visualize applications within their own classrooms. Among those were special-needs instructors who felt their autistic students could benefit from “enlarging their world” or “breaking out” via the Beamz, as the instrument provides a safe and satisfying musical environment from which an individual may compose and experiment with instant success. Other educators loved the diverse catalogue of genres and musical styles, yet others were drawn to the recording capabilities for the student interested in creating the “take-home” musical artifact. The school hopes to procure several additional systems. 451 W Frye Rd Chandler, AZ, 85225. Jamie Merrill, Curriculum Specialist. http://ww2.chandler.k12.az.us

Scottsdale Unified School District
Janet Blum, SUSD Fine Arts Coordinator, has one set of Beamz. She and the band/orchestra leader for Coronado High School visualize a number of applications for the Beamz and their students for grades 10-12, including the integration of Beamz into musical classes and performances, as well as uses in special needs programs. An in-service presentation for educators of Occupational and Music Therapy, as well as general education teachers, will be scheduled for later in the spring of 2010. 3811 N. 44th St., Phoenix, AZ 85018. Janet Blum, Fine Arts Coordinator, 480-484-6100. http://susd.schoolfusion.us  

Sierra Tucson Treatment Center Sierra Tucson Treatment Center in Catalina, Arizona has one set of Beamz. This facility features extensive range of programs and treatment modalities including traditional therapies, as well as varying forms of Experiential Therapies and Integrative Therapies. The Beamz was found to be helpful in controlling emotional environments and the management of anxiety, pain and depression; therapists visualized applications of the instrument that may help stimulate creative, artistic, and collaborative impulses. Therapists specializing in the care of young children of addicted parents also recognized therapeutic value of the Beamz system. Sierra Tucson, 39580 S. Lago del Oro Parkway, Tucson, Arizona 85739. http://www.sierratucson.com

Jerry with Dr. Harry Goldwasser of Sierra Tucson

Other Participants in the Beamz Outreach in Education and Health Care Network that have and/or use the Beamz include the following:

Arizona Grand Senior Living
4602 North 24th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016-5253; (602) 954-9178

Sioux City Unified School District K-12
627 Fourth Street, Sioux City, IA, 51101

Tucson Unified School District/OMA Program
1010 E. Tenth St., Tucson, AZ 85719; (520) 225-6000

Washington Elementary School District
10444 North 39th Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85051-1179; (602) 896-6300

Watertown Unified School District (Wisconsin)
111 Dodge Street, Watertown, WI 53094-4434; (920) 262-1460 

Kids Play Beamz Onstage at Valley View School Assembly

The Beamz had the recent pleasure of meeting with Eddie Gaona, energetic band director of Valley View Elementary School, and the school’s principal, John Wann. Both are keenly on the lookout for innovative, accessible, progressive and inclusive ways to integrate music and music technology accross the curriculum.

After the “intro demo,” the district purchased 13 sets of Beamz for Valley View, to install in their special needs, general music and band classes. The teaching staff of 25-30 gathered for an in-depth orientation and training session with Becky and Jerry (during which, several teachers inquired about acquiring sets for their home use, as well!).

In late February, over 100 Valley View students (kindergarten, first grade, and special-needs kids) and teachers assembled in the school auditorium for an electifying performance demonstration, where Jerry, Eddie and other teachers, and the kids themselves had a great time making terrific music with the Beamz!

The Outreach program provides in-service intro demos, training demos, interactive performances and ongoing support to all local educational, health care, and arts-based organizations in the community. Contact Becky Byrkit at 480-510-3257.

Valley View Band Leader Eddie Gaona and Jerry Riopelle. Valley View is the proud owner of 13 sets of Beamz for its students!

Find out more about the Valley View School and Roosevelt School District: www.rsd.k12.az.us/!

Barbara Reuer of Resounding Joy receives donated Beamz from Outreach Team at AMTA

The Beamz’ focus on meeting the needs of educators and community-based arts and health-care programs extends to national conferences on Music Therapy and Music Education. Recently, assistant Becky Byrkit, inventor Jerry Riopelle, and Management Vice President Al Ingallinera brought the Beamz to the American Music Therapy Association’s conference in San Diego, CA, where they joined hundreds of music therapists, graduate students, and MT innovators.

Beamz were demonstrated and dozens of individuals and organizations became familiar with the system. A set was donated to Resounding Joy of Solana Beach, California. According to Director Barbara Reuer, Resounding Joy provides “supportive and recreational music programming” for community organizations in her area. The hands-on program has been carefully designed to provide “supportive music” to indiviudals contending with chronic pain, anxiety, motor function and cognition; they provide intergenerational involvement and ongoing at-home therapy.

Find out more about Resounding Joy at www.resoundingjoyinc.org.

We hope to see you at future conferences! 

Getting the word out at AMTA!

Becky performs her Beamzpoem, "Starz" at the Belle, San Jose

Becky has since presented applications in the language and perfomance arts to educators within the Beamz Outreach program, who have been delighted by the endless and exciting possibilities of merging poetry with the Beamz!

Always a Hit!

Jerry and Kids With Storm Trooper

During the week of July 6-10 of 2009, Phoenix Children’s Hospital outreach program at “1 Darn Cool School” held its annual daily “Summer Music and Art Camp.” Program director and head instructor Megan Goodman invited Jerry Riopelle and his assistant Becky Byrkit of Beamz Interactive, Inc. to participate in the camp, in order to spend afternoons demonstrating the Beamz Interactive Music System. Their function was to entertain the children who were patients in the hospital, expose them and their parents to the Beamz and its capabilities, train patients and hospital personnel on the Beamz, and broaden Jerry and Becky’s understanding of the therapeutic value of the Beamz in a hospital setting.

http://www.phoenixchildrens.com/patients-visitors/1-darn-cool-school/

Beamz Interactive, Inc. was named by Megan as “an unofficial sponsor” of the art and music camp in her promotional materials. On the last day of camp, Friday, July 10, Jerry and Becky also brought along Becky’s brother, Universal Studios artist and film director Jim Byrkit, who was responsible for original concepts and rendering of characters and animated scenery in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie series. As Jerry conducted (a continuation of) demonstrations of the Beamz system to intrigued children (ages 5 to 17), Jim and his wife Alethea gave drawing lessons to the patients. At one point during the session a group of visiting characters of the Star Wars film series also visited the schoolroom. The atmosphere was wonderful: lively and fun, full of music and art and cheerful children. Megan said they’d never seen a day in their school quite like that one. 

Jerry Riopelle enjoys a longstanding relationship with the PCH, as he introduced his Beamz system (including a set specially designed for limited-mobility or bed-bound players) several years ago. He and his son Paul have been frequent visitors to the hospital, replacing Beamz sets and computers and updating songs, as well as re-training personnel and interacting with patients. Megan feels that the Beamz work for the children and their parents on a number of levels. She has noted that the Beamz assist limited-mobility patients with simple, repetitive, and musically rewarding actions, which helps on numerous therapeutic levels. Autistic children tend to focus on the Beamz, and children dealing with anxiety and separation issues can be distracted, musically and intellectually, with the help of the Beamz, for lengthy periods of time. Long-term patients tend to “bond” with the Beamz and make ongoing discoveries with their capabilities.

Megan feels strongly that other facilities such as hers would be interested in Beamz systems in order to enjoy similar benefits. Megan says she thinks this would be welcomed especially by the parents of long-term patients who have bonded with the Beamz and would like to have sets in their home, for ongoing therapeutic value.

Instant Master of the Beamz!

Jerry with Park Meadows teacher Mary Sullivan and students

In September of 2009, sixth grade teacher Mary Sullivan of Park Meadows Elementary School (Phoenix) contacted Becky and Jerry to request an “intro demo” of the Beamz during an afterschool in-service. She invited PTA liaison Kathy Cross, school administrators, and about 20 elementary school instructors. The group included music teachers, occupational therapists, a speech therapist, and general-education instructors.

One of the most fascinating things about traveling to schools and presenting “demos” is hearing the extemporaneous brainstorming conducted by teachers who instantly see infinite classroom uses for the Beamz. Mary Sullivan described a series of writing exercises for her sixth-grade language class, and provided an extensive demo herself of the SmartBoard, with which the Beamz easily interfaces.

A number of other instructors visualized having a set of Beamz on in the classroom at all times to help with environment control and providing musical incentives and rewards for students. Music teachers were especially interested in the new “Fundamentals of Music” program currently in development with the Beamz team, which will provide a wealth of educational benefits, easily accessible by students who have not yet settled on an instrument, and those who wish to advance their musical practice.

Jerry donated a set of Beamz to the Park Meadows School. We are SO eager to find out how they’ve been put to use! Jerry and Becky were then asked to set up Beamz at a booth at the school’s upcoming Fall Fair (Friday, November 6). We intend to contact as many educators in our county as possible to attend the Fair, and watch Jerry give a performance demo that really shows off how great the Beamz can be! (see entry: “Park Meadows Fall Fair”)

The Beamz Grin! Training at PUHSD

On the 9^th of September, 2009, Beamz inventor Jerry Riopelle and his assistant, Becky Byrkit, spent the entire day with approximately 30 Occupational Therapy, Music Therapy, and general Music Studies instructors from the Phoenix Union High School District. Our day was divided into two three-hour demo and training sessions, to familiarize instructors and district staff with the capabilities of the Beamz and to inspire teaching implementations with the instructors.  And WOW, what a DAY!

Louis Kireopoulos, Technology Educator in Special Education at PUSHD, had previously purchased 13 sets of Beamz and requested a training demo. Jerry and Becky travel to schools (hospitals, too) to introduce the Beamz, to train on the Beamz, to continue support and invite feedback relative to the Beamz, and, on somewhat more rare occasions, perform on the Beamz.

Two instructors, Maureen Tiernan and Anne Martinez, had already implemented Beamz in their classrooms with Significantly Cognitively Disabled students. Special Education Director Diane Wray was also in attendance (see an interview with Diane and Jerry on Channel 12 news!). It was an incredibly eye-opening day, great fun, and wild with ideas! 

Excerpt from a letter from our friend Louie Kireopoulos, received after the training day:

Dear Jerry and Becky,

Thank you very much for spending the day training our teachers with how to use the Beamz.   I believe our teachers not only learned how to play music, but were enlightened to the endless possibilities your product provides for our students.  These possibilities ranged from stimulating awareness, to music therapy, to motor development skills.  I look forward to visiting the classrooms to see the Beamz being used by our students …

… This morning I sent the teachers the following questions:  What were the most beneficial ideas you learned from the training?  What questions do you still have about the Beamz product or software?  What strategy will you use to implement The Beamz?  I will be happy to share their responses with you.  Many teachers already expressed positive feedback upon leaving the training.

… I am also excited to show them how they can use it with the SMART Board.

… I enjoyed working with you, and look forward to a continued relationship with regards of how to best implement the Beamz.

*

Less than a month later, Jerry and Becky visited a class led by Anne Martinez at Camelback High School, accompanied by Louis and the school’s Public Relations advisor, Craig Pletenik. Anne’s students, joined by another class (around 18 students, total), played the Beamz and other instruments, danced and participated in Anne’s lesson, that included musical cues for “Go” and “Stop” and “Right” and “Left” as well as a variety of really fun interactive lessons for the kids. Anne’s student Patrick (whose parents were there), a student with cerebral palsy, had clearly completely connected with the Beamz. His mom, Sandy, was visibly very moved as she noted his reach with his right arm extended beyond any previous reach, as he moved toward the top right “guitar” beam on the Beamz system.

Louie wrote to us later. We’re still getting over it.

… Thank you for visiting Anne Martinez’s classroom last week.  Having you there made Anne’s music lesson more meaningful for her students.  Not only seeing Patrick’s face light up as he played the Beamz, but seeing the other students excitement as he played made Anne’s music lesson all the worthwhile.

… I sincerely believe your outreach program will be a success and will also help you achieve your goal of getting music into people’s hands, no matter what their gifted talents or capabilities may be.  I am sure someone once said, “ It is not how much wealth you accumulate that measures success, but the significant impact have you made upon the world.”  I know for sure, for our small student population we are working with, you already have started to make an impact on their world.

Ganado Students

In Early August of 2009, Jerry’s assistant Becky Byrkit visited students and staff at the Ganado Unified School District in the Navajo Nation, AZ. She’d arranged the visit through its occupational therapist who had previously attended a Beamz demo and purchased two sets for work in OT settings and with the music (band) classes. Since the district’s four schools sit together on the same “campus,” Becky was able to demonstrate the Beamz for kindergarteners, in the intermediate school library, to fourth and fifth graders, and the middle school’s beginning and advanced band classes.

According to Occupational therapist Noelani Hong, the ALL students were  intrigued by the versatility, creativity and unique method for playing and composing music through this system.  Moreover, students with disabilities were able to participate immediately and play a variety of rhythms using this system.  These students usually encounter great difficulty with playing traditional musical instruments.  The school based occupational therapy program supports access and participation for all students with special needs in the entire standards based curriculum.  This music system supports and inspires participation, creativity and learning music.  During the BEAMZ demonstration, one of the students with cerebral palsy started learning to “play the light” in a standing position while the physical therapist provided neuromuscular facilitation and postural support for increasing standing balance, weight bearing tolerance with correct posture and breathing. 

The BEAMZ Interactive Music System uses six horizontal low powered light beams, three on each side of a central upright post (like the spine of a large open book).  When the light beam is broken by using natural body movements, different sounds, rhythms and melodies can be played.  Very little strength is necessary to break the light beam.  And the beams can be broken by any part of the body, or adaptive device such as a head or mouthstick for a person with quadriplegia.  The hands, arms, feet, elbows, or head, may be used.  The horizontal beams are far enough apart to forgive extraneous motor movements. For people who are bedridden and ill, this music activity offers comfort, diversion from pain, and light exercise to prevent deconditioning.

Technology offers our clients many opportunities to participate in everyday activities.  The arts, music, dance, and poetry enrich our lives and give us hours of enjoyment.  This music system offers endless possibilities to not only able bodied persons but those of any age who suffer from amputations, post traumatic stress disorders, psychiatric illnesses, stroke, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, cancer and other diseases, spinal cord injuries, and visual and speech impairments.  The rhythm aspect of this system can be set at different speeds, tempos and sounds to facilitate therapy when motor coordination and timing are part of the rehabilitation goals; and thus extending the capability of the metronome.  The auditory and visual feedback facilitate motor learning.

Becky and Jerry love having the Beamz on the Navajo Indian reservation and proud that their students love them!

In the summer of 2009,

To date, Jerry and his assistant, Outreach Manager Becky Byrkit, have placed dozens of Beamz sets in classrooms and hospital rooms nationwide. The Beamz have joined school bands and libraries, and the revolutionary light-beam instrument has proved itself an endlessly helpful tool with occupational and music therapy programs.

We’ve been delighted that the Beamz happily find their way into the homes of students and their families, as well as school and hospital staff. Please be sure to check out the details regarding the variety of ways Beamz Outreach can benefit your school or health facility!