Kalamazoo Music School — Local services in Kalamazoo

Just wanted to share my disappointment with the Kalamazoo Music School on Rose. It is NOT as inclusive and welcoming as advertised nor as we thought it would be. Firstly, we got sneers from a lot of the participants’ parents and some of the children too.. so we can just about imagine what the poor children are being taught. There was enough room for the small group to all be seated and nobody wanted to sit next to our family.

Once we transitioned from music class to art class, there was room for a little girl to sit next to my daughter and she adamantly refused. I spoke up and asked her and her father was there a reason she didn’t want to sit in the seat next to us. She shook her head and her father just smiled. We decided to leave because even my daughter was less happy and engaged than she usually is. Once we left, the little girl and her father walked over to the table and sat in the very seats that we’d been in.

There’s lot of work to be done in this country and it starts with each person. It must be sad to exist daily with such a high level of ignorance.

Update: we can see that you’ve collaborated with the few people who were there (some of whom were guilty of sneering at us and not wanting to sit near us) and had them give their positive feedback to offset our negative review. We understand that you wouldn’t want to lose business or be noted as a place that fosters or tolerates discrimination of any kind. The fact is, no matter how you slice it, you, Jessi, are the facilitator of the sensory Sunday program and like you communicated to my wife on Facebook ( I have posted, here , the photos of the conversation between you both), you should keep a sharper eye out for social cues that occur between the families and if you see something that appears “off” between them, maybe encouraging people to fill in empty seats and not rearrange seats to avoid sitting next to others would be helpful, in the future. It’s all about ensuring that every family/paying student/customer feels comfortable in the environment that you have the ability to make pleasant for ALL...

I have been welcomed by the school and the staff each time I have been there. When I inquired about sensory Sundays they were pretty accommodating when I needed to introduce my child to their building before we came.

I think that this initial sensory Sunday is somewhere to build from. The staff were very accommodating of my child's needs and for the most part things were fairly accessible for them. I didn't feel there was any forced participation.

I think as a parent with special needs children it can sometimes be a little bit hard to introduce others to your family and your dynamic. I didn't feel that anybody in particular was singled out or overbearing or anything like that. I think with more repetition it will obviously get easier for everybody involved. Everybody has different disabilities and different levels of communication. Everyone that attended and participated were accommodated to the best of everybody's abilities including the staff.

I think that with honest feedback the program could grow and it could be something very special I just think that it isn't fair to judge something very quickly. We plan on having our child come to more of these classes to see if it's a good fit for them. These are not traditional music lessons at any rate it is more something appropriate for those with disabilities.

The classes they do offer however are taught by excellent staff who are pillars of the music community around here. They are very knowledgeable about the instruments they specialize in. Anybody seeking to start or improve their craft with music I think should seek the school out. In my brief visits to the school I've seen many different people from all walks of life welcomed into...

They advertise as a school that is "all inclusive" which should include those with special needs. A good friend of mine took her autistic daughter in who has a great passion and love for piano. She took her here with all parties knowing that her daughter was autistic. She called and asked if they can meet the needs of her daughter. They insisted they could meet her needs. She took her daughter to her first class and the teacher refused to teach her music because she couldn't read music. The school then suggested music therapy and refused to issue a refund. If you cannot handle meeting the needs of someone that is special, that is fine. Not everyone is equipped to do so right now (hopefully making progress in being truly all inclusive). As a father of two children who have special needs I am greatly disappointed to hear what they have done to my friend and her daughter. Do not state that you are all inclusive when you truly are not. Do not tell people you can meet their child's needs to help them learn music, when in fact you cannot. I cannot express my anger and sadness enough about this. I do know I will never bring my children here until I know first hand that they have improved and become a truly all inclusive school as they...