WEBVTT 00:00:02.990 --> 00:00:06.570 And welcome to Rhythms of Progress, where we 00:00:06.570 --> 00:00:09.750 explore how music and artists are the unsung 00:00:09.750 --> 00:00:13.910 heroes of political movements and social advancement. 00:00:14.769 --> 00:00:17.730 I'm your host, Shozett Silva. But you can call 00:00:17.730 --> 00:00:22.109 me Lizzard. Yes, Lizzard. And with me is my faithful 00:00:22.109 --> 00:00:27.190 co -host and now sound engineer, Stoney. Hello, 00:00:27.370 --> 00:00:32.329 Stoney Boney. Oh, Stoney Boney in the house. 00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:38.320 Today, Stoney and I are thrilled to welcome Elise 00:00:38.320 --> 00:00:41.679 Ruggiero, another awesome person who more than 00:00:41.679 --> 00:00:44.439 once helped me with my music theory homework 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:49.899 and always led with kindness. Thank you. I owe 00:00:49.899 --> 00:00:53.880 you so much coffee. And guess what she's doing 00:00:53.880 --> 00:00:57.700 now? Helping the world with something even bigger 00:00:57.700 --> 00:01:01.820 by turning her love of music observation skills 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:05.980 and research into resonance and a cool thing 00:01:05.980 --> 00:01:10.700 called uCue. Oh, it's nothing, just an interactive 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:13.620 musical interface that invites children with 00:01:13.620 --> 00:01:18.040 autism spectrum disorder, ASD, to remix familiar 00:01:18.040 --> 00:01:22.700 songs in real time. I know, right? It's incredible. 00:01:23.900 --> 00:01:27.340 But it does more than play music. It hands them 00:01:27.340 --> 00:01:31.340 the conductor's baton to explore emotional expressions, 00:01:32.120 --> 00:01:35.099 sensory engagement and rhythm -led autonomy. 00:01:35.680 --> 00:01:40.319 Huh, talk about music making a difference. Alright, 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:45.719 but let's back up a bit. ASD or Autism Spectrum 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:50.879 Disorder. What is that? Well, it's a neurodevelopmental 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:53.939 condition that shapes how a person communicates, 00:01:54.319 --> 00:01:56.900 interacts socially and experiences the world. 00:01:57.680 --> 00:02:01.680 I know, it's kind of a long word, so neurodevelopmental 00:02:01.680 --> 00:02:05.159 condition is just a fancy way of saying the brain 00:02:05.159 --> 00:02:08.300 works differently. It's not a glitch in the system 00:02:08.300 --> 00:02:12.759 and people with ASD are not broken. Think of 00:02:12.759 --> 00:02:16.900 it like this. Ever stay at a hotel or a friend's 00:02:16.900 --> 00:02:20.030 house? Grab the TV remote to watch your favourite 00:02:20.030 --> 00:02:23.530 show and you cannot even work the very basic 00:02:23.530 --> 00:02:26.669 functions. Because it's different from the one 00:02:26.669 --> 00:02:29.789 you have at home. Or use someone else's computer 00:02:29.789 --> 00:02:33.330 or car. The buttons and settings are in a different 00:02:33.330 --> 00:02:37.669 place, but everything works. What makes it difficult 00:02:37.669 --> 00:02:41.090 for people with ASD is that the world is not 00:02:41.090 --> 00:02:44.250 set up to accommodate all our diverse brains. 00:02:44.810 --> 00:02:51.409 I know I said the D word. diverse. So, people 00:02:51.409 --> 00:02:54.830 on the autism spectrum may struggle with social 00:02:54.830 --> 00:02:58.770 cues, have trouble managing emotions, or struggle 00:02:58.770 --> 00:03:02.930 with sleep disturbances. Alright, let's hang 00:03:02.930 --> 00:03:07.289 out with our guest. But just a little FYI, this 00:03:07.289 --> 00:03:11.710 interview was recorded over Zoom. Yeah, I don't 00:03:11.710 --> 00:03:15.689 miss it either. So, let's get to it. And let's 00:03:15.689 --> 00:03:20.509 ask her. A very serious question. Who are you 00:03:20.509 --> 00:03:25.810 and what led you to this awesome project? So 00:03:25.810 --> 00:03:30.969 my name is Elise Ruggiero. I am a senior viola 00:03:30.969 --> 00:03:33.810 performance and psychology double major here 00:03:33.810 --> 00:03:36.689 at the University of Delaware. I'm also in the 00:03:36.689 --> 00:03:39.409 honors college and an accessibility scholar. 00:03:40.229 --> 00:03:46.229 So really this project is such a niche crossover 00:03:46.229 --> 00:03:49.889 of like, all of my little interests and my degree 00:03:49.889 --> 00:03:53.509 and stuff. Essentially what led me to this project 00:03:53.509 --> 00:03:56.830 is that I have a younger brother on the autism 00:03:56.830 --> 00:04:00.930 spectrum. He's three years younger than me. And 00:04:00.930 --> 00:04:06.389 growing up as a musician myself, I really made 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:09.330 a lot of observations and noticed a lot about 00:04:09.330 --> 00:04:15.199 how he reacted to audio stimulus. And whether 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:19.420 that be like me practicing in the house, or, 00:04:19.439 --> 00:04:22.339 you know, going out to eat at a restaurant and 00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:26.459 him having, you know, a sensory overload, because 00:04:26.459 --> 00:04:31.439 they were blasting the music. Or, you know, at 00:04:31.439 --> 00:04:33.680 orchestra, symphony orchestra concerts, and he 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.639 would get upset. That was always something that 00:04:36.639 --> 00:04:41.660 I had noticed. And been wanting to figure out 00:04:41.660 --> 00:04:45.540 why. Why does he and other people on the autism 00:04:45.540 --> 00:04:48.939 spectrum have such negative and adverse reactions 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:53.500 to certain sounds? What about sound causes that? 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.160 And so I had actually thought about doing something 00:04:57.160 --> 00:05:00.000 like this originally for my Girl Scout Gold Award 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.639 back in high school, but I decided to go in a 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:07.100 different direction and then COVID happened, 00:05:07.160 --> 00:05:10.959 so I never really got to dive into that too much. 00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:13.060 But it was something on my mind that I wanted 00:05:13.060 --> 00:05:19.240 to do in going to college. And in my freshman 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:23.779 year honors aural skills class, Dr. Stevens, 00:05:23.980 --> 00:05:27.240 Dr. Daniel Stevens, who's now the interim director 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:29.319 of the University of Delaware School of Music. 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:33.879 At the time he was just our honors theory professor, 00:05:34.620 --> 00:05:39.819 suggested doing some sort of community outreach 00:05:39.819 --> 00:05:42.540 project with our musical knowledge, where we 00:05:42.540 --> 00:05:45.160 would like, choose an organization as a class 00:05:45.160 --> 00:05:47.300 and see how we can help them with our music. 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:50.439 And so I suggested Autism Delaware because this 00:05:50.439 --> 00:05:52.100 has always been something that I was interested 00:05:52.100 --> 00:05:54.879 in. And then the whole class got behind it and 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:58.500 that really skyrocketed the project. That's beautiful. 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:03.540 the power of music. Right. What has surprised 00:06:03.540 --> 00:06:08.720 you the most doing this project? I think ultimately 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:13.480 what has really surprised me is just like obviously 00:06:13.480 --> 00:06:16.379 autism spectrum disorder is on a spectrum so 00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:20.620 everybody is different but by working with so 00:06:20.620 --> 00:06:25.579 many individual people children and young adults 00:06:25.579 --> 00:06:31.779 it's been so clear just how different everyone 00:06:31.779 --> 00:06:34.879 is from each other. Like, obviously, we've discovered 00:06:34.879 --> 00:06:39.480 like, some overlap and preferences, but at the 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:43.180 end of the day, like, everybody is just so different 00:06:43.180 --> 00:06:45.779 and gravitates to different sounds, which I think 00:06:45.779 --> 00:06:49.699 is really cool and really interesting. And in 00:06:49.699 --> 00:06:51.620 the piece that you said, you said that people 00:06:51.620 --> 00:06:55.339 gravitate more towards lower sounds. Is that 00:06:55.339 --> 00:06:57.000 something that you noticed with your brother 00:06:57.000 --> 00:07:00.000 when he would get upset in the concerts or at 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:04.899 restaurants? A bit, yeah. I never really noticed 00:07:04.899 --> 00:07:07.199 him having a preference towards lower sounds, 00:07:07.220 --> 00:07:11.540 but I definitely did notice him having an adverse 00:07:11.540 --> 00:07:16.699 reaction to the higher sounds. So I'm a viola 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:19.240 performance major, but I did start on the violin 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:24.360 and Obviously, I would have violin recitals when 00:07:24.360 --> 00:07:28.480 I was younger with other violin students studying 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:33.720 with my teacher at the time. And he wouldn't 00:07:33.720 --> 00:07:36.480 be able to sit through those recitals just because 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.779 like, you know, the timbre and the sound of the 00:07:39.779 --> 00:07:43.740 violin, it can be so bright sometimes and, you 00:07:43.740 --> 00:07:46.819 know, very high pitched. And so that would always 00:07:46.819 --> 00:07:49.819 upset him and he would have to step out of the 00:07:49.819 --> 00:07:53.329 room. and it's similar with like symphony stuff 00:07:53.329 --> 00:07:56.730 like when things are you know really really loud 00:07:56.730 --> 00:08:00.490 he'll struggle with that same if you heard like 00:08:00.490 --> 00:08:03.829 a pop song that had an element that was like 00:08:03.829 --> 00:08:06.250 higher pitched or louder than the rest his reactions 00:08:06.250 --> 00:08:14.529 would be more negative during those moments Alright, 00:08:14.949 --> 00:08:18.230 we had a little Zoom grumblin chew up our audio, 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:23.649 so I'm going to re -ask the question. Um, Stoney? 00:08:24.750 --> 00:08:29.050 Stoney? Please stop sharing catnip with a grumblin. 00:08:31.069 --> 00:08:38.049 Finish the session. She's just so caring. Tell 00:08:38.049 --> 00:08:42.480 me about the uCue. What is it? Yeah, absolutely. 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:51.600 So the uCue is a device that my honors oral skills 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:55.580 music class in our freshman year developed along 00:08:55.580 --> 00:08:58.100 with the computer information and information 00:08:58.100 --> 00:09:01.740 sciences department here. And basically, what 00:09:01.740 --> 00:09:07.059 it is, is that it's a little box device. And 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:13.200 we as a music class wrote and arranged and produced 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:18.860 different versions of different nursery rhymes, 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:22.139 such as Row Row Row Your Boat, Wheels on the 00:09:22.139 --> 00:09:26.320 Bus, Ansko Marching, Rain Rain Go Away, Twinkle 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:30.399 Twinkle. I cannot be the only person who did 00:09:30.399 --> 00:09:34.580 not know one or two of those classics. No, I 00:09:34.580 --> 00:09:39.539 was not living under a rock. As a child, I was 00:09:39.539 --> 00:09:42.720 actually on an international meet and greet tour 00:09:42.720 --> 00:09:46.220 introducing myself to a parade of foster families 00:09:46.220 --> 00:09:52.279 and awkwardly asking, um, can I crash at your 00:09:52.279 --> 00:09:57.879 place? So, here at a playground's top hits, the 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:01.320 kids would not stop singing while the parents 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:08.889 perfected their place of a smile. Well, row, 00:10:09.149 --> 00:10:13.610 row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, 00:10:13.649 --> 00:10:16.990 merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream. 00:10:17.610 --> 00:10:20.090 That's great. Now we're going to twist them. 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:22.970 Are you ready? Twist, twist, twist your boat 00:10:22.970 --> 00:10:24.929 gently down the stream. That is the version from 00:10:24.929 --> 00:10:27.490 the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. 00:10:28.549 --> 00:10:31.750 Hello, my sweet home Chicago. Here is Anne's 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:54.909 Go Marching by Gracie's Corner. And the same 00:10:54.909 --> 00:10:58.730 song by the Laurie Berkner band. Same song, different 00:10:58.730 --> 00:11:03.110 moods. Wait, are we gushing into music therapy? 00:11:24.750 --> 00:11:28.990 This next song is Rain Rain Go Away from Doggyland 00:11:28.990 --> 00:11:32.789 by Snoop Dogg. That's right, Snoop Dogg. And 00:11:32.789 --> 00:11:35.210 I remember when he called me and was so excited 00:11:35.210 --> 00:11:39.710 about it, and I thought, cool title. Actually, 00:11:39.750 --> 00:11:44.210 we've never met, but maybe one day. Can you imagine? 00:11:45.009 --> 00:11:49.090 Snoop, Lizzard, Stoney. I think there's a record 00:11:49.090 --> 00:12:12.980 there. And lastly we have Twinkle Twinkle Little 00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:17.100 Star by Sara Bareilles and Big Bird. I heard 00:12:17.100 --> 00:12:19.940 Elmo and Big Bird and all of my friends over 00:12:19.940 --> 00:12:23.159 there got into politics. And I'm sorry that the 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:25.899 politicians were so rude. I think they missed 00:12:25.899 --> 00:12:29.000 some of the lessons. They should listen to this 00:12:29.000 --> 00:12:54.860 song and pick them up. songs like that. Because 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:58.220 we did reach out to the Autism Delaware organization 00:12:58.220 --> 00:13:04.559 here and had families tell us like what songs 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:09.740 that their kids would want to hear, or what sounds 00:13:09.740 --> 00:13:13.460 they seem to like. And so we use that information 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:19.960 to go about production and composition. So we 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:24.759 have three different melody layers, two different 00:13:24.759 --> 00:13:27.519 harmony layers, three different additional melody 00:13:27.519 --> 00:13:30.679 layers, different percussion tracks, different 00:13:30.679 --> 00:13:34.019 bass tracks, and so there's a button that's paired 00:13:34.019 --> 00:13:37.039 with each of those tracks. And so if you push 00:13:37.039 --> 00:13:39.559 the button for each, it'll switch through like 00:13:39.559 --> 00:13:41.740 what harmony layer you're hearing or what melody 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:45.139 layer you're hearing. And when making these, 00:13:45.340 --> 00:13:48.620 we had sort of an idea in mind where we would 00:13:48.620 --> 00:13:52.059 test for variables, so we would have a high pitched 00:13:52.059 --> 00:13:54.620 melody, we would have a medium pitched melody, 00:13:54.720 --> 00:13:57.779 and then a low pitched melody, and then a more 00:13:57.779 --> 00:14:02.299 active rhythmic harmony versus more sustained 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:07.200 pedal tone harmony. So we do have those elements 00:14:07.200 --> 00:14:10.820 in for testing, so that has been a really interesting 00:14:10.820 --> 00:14:15.610 experience. Let's hear their version of Row Row 00:14:15.610 --> 00:14:42.059 Row Your Boat. Fun! How did you get involved 00:14:42.059 --> 00:14:44.840 with our technology department? Because music 00:14:44.840 --> 00:14:49.620 often advances technology. And there's so much 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:53.299 overlap between technology and music. What I 00:14:53.299 --> 00:14:57.960 remember, my freshman year spring, Dr. Stevens 00:14:57.960 --> 00:15:03.120 had contacted Dr. Matthew Moriello, who is a 00:15:03.120 --> 00:15:05.740 professor in the computer and information sciences 00:15:05.740 --> 00:15:10.039 department. and he was really interested in our 00:15:10.039 --> 00:15:13.720 project and he had made a little prototype of 00:15:13.720 --> 00:15:18.159 the uCue and was like, yeah, like I can code all 00:15:18.159 --> 00:15:22.919 of your arrangements like into this device and 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:26.460 he had showed it off at the very, very end of 00:15:26.460 --> 00:15:29.059 my freshman year. I think it was the last day 00:15:29.059 --> 00:15:31.500 I was allowed to be on campus. I like ran to 00:15:31.500 --> 00:15:34.389 the music building to like see the device that 00:15:34.389 --> 00:15:37.789 he made and our music being coded into the device. 00:15:38.230 --> 00:15:41.289 And then we had other computer and information 00:15:41.289 --> 00:15:44.190 sciences students join the team the following 00:15:44.190 --> 00:15:49.710 year. We have Abhishek Karwankar, who is a PhD 00:15:49.710 --> 00:15:52.509 student in the department. And he has been on 00:15:52.509 --> 00:15:55.190 the project for about three years now, two to 00:15:55.190 --> 00:15:58.690 three years. He has really done a lot of work 00:15:58.690 --> 00:16:02.429 with coding the songs in, he had made an interactive 00:16:02.429 --> 00:16:06.009 dashboard where we get like all of the data that 00:16:06.009 --> 00:16:09.570 we collected from the children using our device. 00:16:10.169 --> 00:16:12.409 And he even, a recent addition is a steering 00:16:12.409 --> 00:16:15.409 wheel for the uCue, where if you turn it to the 00:16:15.409 --> 00:16:18.509 right, the tempo gets faster. And if you turn 00:16:18.509 --> 00:16:20.870 it to the left, the tempo gets slower for the 00:16:20.870 --> 00:16:23.009 sounds. So that's a really exciting addition. 00:16:25.450 --> 00:16:28.240 Hello, Dr. Stevens. And thank you for proving 00:16:28.240 --> 00:16:30.820 that musicians don't just sit in practice rooms, 00:16:31.159 --> 00:16:35.000 they actually do a lot of good for society. Fun 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:38.879 fact, the US arts and culture sector contributed 00:16:38.879 --> 00:16:44.799 $1 .1 trillion to the US economy in 2022, supporting 00:16:44.799 --> 00:16:50.259 4 .9 million jobs. Thank you, National Endowment 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:53.120 for the Arts and Bureau of Economic Analysis 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:59.350 2023. The intersections of autism research and 00:16:59.350 --> 00:17:02.090 technology and music therapy, do you think they're 00:17:02.090 --> 00:17:07.789 underfunded? So with this field, it's so niche 00:17:07.789 --> 00:17:11.369 because the music therapy field is relatively 00:17:11.369 --> 00:17:14.829 recent. If I'm remembering correctly, it was 00:17:14.829 --> 00:17:20.529 around 1950, 1960ish when this was sort of established 00:17:20.529 --> 00:17:23.769 as like a practice, like an official medical 00:17:23.769 --> 00:17:28.200 practice. And so With that comes research, obviously 00:17:28.200 --> 00:17:32.519 following that. And so one thing that I noticed 00:17:32.519 --> 00:17:36.759 when obviously, A, applying to grad school programs, 00:17:36.759 --> 00:17:40.079 because I want to continue this work beyond my 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:46.079 time here at UD, and B, looking at related works 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:48.980 while working on my research, because obviously, 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:50.819 like, you know, we have to look at the whole 00:17:50.819 --> 00:17:53.000 field to sort of see what other people are doing. 00:17:53.539 --> 00:17:57.609 And one thing we noticed is that there is very 00:17:57.609 --> 00:18:00.690 limited knowledge and research out there because 00:18:00.690 --> 00:18:05.970 it is such like a new research area, like it's 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:08.670 such a new area that people are starting to explore. 00:18:09.170 --> 00:18:13.329 And I am really excited about the uCue because 00:18:13.329 --> 00:18:17.569 I feel like it can really contribute to the field 00:18:17.569 --> 00:18:20.089 that's already out there and hopefully inspire 00:18:20.089 --> 00:18:23.089 more research to get done. Because you know, 00:18:23.170 --> 00:18:26.930 it is new and every few months like when I'm 00:18:26.930 --> 00:18:29.750 looking for something like one more new article 00:18:29.750 --> 00:18:32.609 will be out and that's really exciting to see. 00:18:33.509 --> 00:18:37.029 Have you gotten in touch with any neuropsychologist? 00:18:37.829 --> 00:18:40.049 Besides this, are you kind of branching out into 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:43.930 other parts of psychology with music? So our 00:18:43.930 --> 00:18:49.130 team, specifically Dr. Stevens and Dr. Mauriello 00:18:49.130 --> 00:18:53.069 have talked to a couple professors in the psychology 00:18:53.069 --> 00:18:55.769 department about our project. And, you know, 00:18:55.769 --> 00:18:59.049 they're definitely interested. I think, you know, 00:18:59.069 --> 00:19:03.410 a lot of them are more clinically based, rather 00:19:03.410 --> 00:19:05.950 than like, you know, we're going to use this 00:19:05.950 --> 00:19:08.589 device as like a therapeutic practice and like, 00:19:08.690 --> 00:19:11.890 see how we can aid like the music therapy fields 00:19:11.890 --> 00:19:15.250 already out there. But it's definitely something 00:19:15.250 --> 00:19:21.630 that like, we really want to engage the psychology 00:19:21.630 --> 00:19:26.789 department here at UD with just because it is 00:19:26.789 --> 00:19:28.910 something like it already is an interdisciplinary 00:19:28.910 --> 00:19:33.250 project. So, you know, why not bring in other 00:19:33.250 --> 00:19:35.950 discipline? Like, why not involve another field? 00:19:36.009 --> 00:19:40.170 And as a psychology major, you know, I'm seeing 00:19:40.170 --> 00:19:44.660 a lot of valuable and I'm hearing a lot of valuable 00:19:44.660 --> 00:19:48.680 information in my classes that I'm like oh like 00:19:48.680 --> 00:19:51.880 I can contribute it contribute this knowledge 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:56.380 to the project so that's something that you know 00:19:56.380 --> 00:20:00.720 I really want to push for for my final few months 00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:03.420 here I think you can there's certainly there's 00:20:03.420 --> 00:20:05.380 gotta be a way to push forward for it because 00:20:05.380 --> 00:20:08.720 we use music to emotionally regulate all of us 00:20:08.720 --> 00:20:14.690 do Welcome to when loss catch the beat. Turns 00:20:14.690 --> 00:20:18.650 out, music and autism research aren't just changing 00:20:18.650 --> 00:20:22.509 lives, they're literally changing loss. In the 00:20:22.509 --> 00:20:26.230 US, autism went from an overlooked diagnosis 00:20:26.230 --> 00:20:30.170 to front -page policy with the Combashing Autism 00:20:30.170 --> 00:20:35.349 Act of 2006. That set the stage for the Autism 00:20:35.349 --> 00:20:41.130 CAS Act, just renewed in 2024. dropping $2 billion 00:20:41.130 --> 00:20:46.289 into research and services. Then we go to Ryan's 00:20:46.289 --> 00:20:49.670 Law in South Carolina that forced insurance companies 00:20:49.670 --> 00:20:52.849 to actually cover therapy for kids with autism. 00:20:53.789 --> 00:20:57.309 Meanwhile, in New York, Jonathan's Law made sure 00:20:57.309 --> 00:20:59.730 parents got told what's happening with their 00:20:59.730 --> 00:21:03.970 autistic child in state care. Because apparently, 00:21:04.509 --> 00:21:06.789 parents should know wasn't obvious enough to 00:21:06.789 --> 00:21:11.779 write down until 2007. And in the UK, the Autism 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:15.700 Act of 2009 broke grounds as the first autism 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:19.779 -specified law on the books. And let's flip the 00:21:19.779 --> 00:21:23.740 record to music therapy. Some states actually 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:27.079 police the title of music therapy, as they should. 00:21:28.420 --> 00:21:31.180 In North Dakota and Nevada, you cannot just throw 00:21:31.180 --> 00:21:33.880 music therapists on your business card, Uncle 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:36.900 Bob, even if you play the tambourine beautifully. 00:21:37.769 --> 00:21:42.009 And in Illinois, Governor Pritzker signed a law 00:21:42.009 --> 00:21:45.210 requiring music therapists to be licensed because 00:21:45.210 --> 00:21:49.730 healing is serious business. So yeah, whether 00:21:49.730 --> 00:21:53.230 it's autism or music therapy, the message is 00:21:53.230 --> 00:21:59.210 clear. Music matters. These fields matter. And 00:21:59.210 --> 00:22:03.390 lawmakers, they are transcribing the score. And 00:22:03.390 --> 00:22:09.529 that is what we call rhythms of progress. Who 00:22:09.529 --> 00:22:11.309 do you think should fund this technology and 00:22:11.309 --> 00:22:15.670 this research should be public or private? Well, 00:22:15.910 --> 00:22:18.950 the thing is, is that we've already, we do have 00:22:18.950 --> 00:22:22.289 a generous amount of funding from different organizations, 00:22:23.029 --> 00:22:28.509 like IDH, Maggie E. Newman fund from the pug 00:22:28.509 --> 00:22:32.930 leases last year. So we have had like pretty 00:22:32.930 --> 00:22:36.160 generous funding, like through schools and different 00:22:36.160 --> 00:22:40.099 organizations. And so that has been really, really 00:22:40.099 --> 00:22:43.240 beneficial for us. And because of their generosity, 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:48.920 we have been able to make such significant milestones 00:22:48.920 --> 00:22:52.539 on our project. But I think in the long run, 00:22:53.200 --> 00:22:59.799 this is something that is a tool for music therapy 00:22:59.799 --> 00:23:04.390 and music therapists. So in terms of funding, 00:23:04.730 --> 00:23:08.670 I don't, I'm not sure if it should be funded 00:23:08.670 --> 00:23:12.710 by a public or private institution. I mean, I 00:23:12.710 --> 00:23:16.470 think it's just, you know, as it's a tool used 00:23:16.470 --> 00:23:20.230 for music therapy practices, like that's ultimately 00:23:20.230 --> 00:23:24.470 up to, I guess, the team and music therapists. 00:23:26.250 --> 00:23:29.410 And now it's time for my unrequited opinion. 00:23:30.130 --> 00:23:33.240 Yes. The government should pay for autism and 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:36.440 music therapy research. Please use my taxes for 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:39.700 the best interests of society. Because music 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:43.359 therapy and autism research intertwines with 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:46.880 neuroscience, language development, and the arts. 00:23:47.400 --> 00:23:50.140 I know that some politicians are allergic to 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:52.779 the arts, but try having your next convention 00:23:52.779 --> 00:24:01.980 without a single song. Do you see people using 00:24:01.980 --> 00:24:07.000 it in other fields to teach? Yeah, so we actually 00:24:07.000 --> 00:24:10.259 have talked a little bit about this as a team. 00:24:11.579 --> 00:24:16.299 Last year, we sort of talked about what if we 00:24:16.299 --> 00:24:20.900 compose and produce songs that have a sort of 00:24:20.900 --> 00:24:26.119 like educational lesson behind them. So we talked 00:24:26.119 --> 00:24:29.740 about like making some sort of like counting 00:24:29.740 --> 00:24:34.480 song where we would do like pop goes the weasel 00:24:34.480 --> 00:24:41.519 and every time um we do like pop goes the weasel 00:24:41.519 --> 00:24:45.269 like we would add more um time between that and 00:24:45.269 --> 00:24:47.910 we would have the kids like count in that space. 00:24:48.210 --> 00:24:51.630 We also talked about doing a variation of itsy 00:24:51.630 --> 00:24:55.630 bitsy spider where we have the harmony and the 00:24:55.630 --> 00:24:57.970 percussion layers doing different things and 00:24:57.970 --> 00:25:00.950 different patterns of like two, four and eight 00:25:00.950 --> 00:25:05.390 to sort of help with counting. And then we also 00:25:05.390 --> 00:25:11.089 talked about using the device to teach turn taking 00:25:11.089 --> 00:25:14.819 with kids. And so we actually conducted a study 00:25:14.819 --> 00:25:20.700 at Marbrook Elementary last spring, early summer, 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:25.200 where we as a team went in and we assigned one 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:27.599 kid to work with the steering wheel, one kid 00:25:27.599 --> 00:25:32.200 to work with the uCue, and one kid to sort of like... 00:25:32.059 --> 00:25:37.480 direct what they wanted. And it's definitely, 00:25:37.640 --> 00:25:40.299 you know, every kid struggles with turn -taking 00:25:40.299 --> 00:25:43.940 and especially with a new device that's making 00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:49.720 all these cool musical sounds. Oh yes, I heard 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:53.839 your thought. And it was, I know some adults 00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:57.960 that can use a refresher on turn -taking. Wait, 00:25:58.259 --> 00:26:01.339 are you smiling? Is that a smile on your face? 00:26:02.340 --> 00:26:05.380 Aww, you look pretty even when you don't smile. 00:26:07.619 --> 00:26:11.039 By the end of the session, you know, the kids 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:14.980 sort of settled into their roles. And so, yeah, 00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:17.380 like this is a device that not only can be used 00:26:17.380 --> 00:26:21.720 for music therapy, but can be used to teach counting 00:26:21.720 --> 00:26:25.839 or turn taking and even other sort of skills 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:28.420 that we haven't thought of yet. So that's exciting 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:31.150 to me. I think it would also go into, it could 00:26:31.150 --> 00:26:33.450 be used for people with different learning abilities, 00:26:33.609 --> 00:26:39.670 such as ADHD. I could use that. Yeah, absolutely. 00:26:40.569 --> 00:26:44.089 And, you know, for me, like, I'm 22 years old, 00:26:44.950 --> 00:26:48.589 I'm just now sort of coming to the conclusion 00:26:48.589 --> 00:26:51.650 after, you know, talking to some of my doctors 00:26:51.650 --> 00:26:55.029 and doing some self reflection that I also have 00:26:55.029 --> 00:26:57.950 ADHD, so this is something that is interesting 00:26:57.950 --> 00:27:02.730 to me too, so. Yeah, I knew that about you. Did 00:27:02.730 --> 00:27:10.089 you? No, no, I'm kidding. I think that I'm not. 00:27:10.170 --> 00:27:14.450 I can kind of tell who has it. But first of all, 00:27:14.549 --> 00:27:17.289 congratulations on knowing that there's freedom 00:27:17.289 --> 00:27:20.150 that comes with knowing how you learn because 00:27:20.150 --> 00:27:22.890 the educational system isn't always catered to. 00:27:23.309 --> 00:27:26.170 towards people who learn differently. Now that 00:27:26.170 --> 00:27:31.210 you know that you have ADHD, has it changed your 00:27:31.210 --> 00:27:40.650 process for the uCue? Honestly, this is such like 00:27:40.650 --> 00:27:43.130 a new thing for me, like coming to terms that 00:27:43.130 --> 00:27:46.809 I, you know, do have this and like this is something 00:27:46.809 --> 00:27:49.309 that like I have to understand about myself when 00:27:49.309 --> 00:27:55.069 like doing my work and learning. that I haven't 00:27:55.069 --> 00:27:57.589 really applied that knowledge to the uCue yet, 00:27:57.589 --> 00:28:01.450 and I think that's something that can be extremely 00:28:01.450 --> 00:28:07.170 valuable to look at. Like, how can the uCue not 00:28:07.170 --> 00:28:10.250 only benefit people on the autism spectrum, but 00:28:10.250 --> 00:28:14.789 how can it positively impact the neurodivergent 00:28:14.789 --> 00:28:19.190 community as a whole? And I know that, you know, 00:28:19.390 --> 00:28:23.049 sensory sensitivities, specifically audio sensory 00:28:23.049 --> 00:28:28.450 sensitivities are not limited to people on the 00:28:28.450 --> 00:28:31.690 autism spectrum. Like it's also common for people 00:28:31.690 --> 00:28:35.630 with ADHD to have that and a bunch of other things 00:28:35.630 --> 00:28:38.089 too. So that's something that, you know, I'm 00:28:38.089 --> 00:28:41.970 definitely interested in diving into more in 00:28:41.970 --> 00:28:47.250 the coming months. What does ADHD stand for? 00:28:47.960 --> 00:28:51.980 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Knowing 00:28:51.980 --> 00:28:56.119 you have ADHD or anything else is like having 00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:59.460 a manual about how your brain works. But it's 00:28:59.460 --> 00:29:01.799 more for other people so they know how to help 00:29:01.799 --> 00:29:05.839 you. So congratulations to Elise and to anyone 00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:08.500 else out there who has a different way of learning. 00:29:09.240 --> 00:29:11.740 We spend so much time getting to know all of 00:29:11.740 --> 00:29:14.759 the cool things our phones do. Get to see how 00:29:14.759 --> 00:29:17.849 you learn and how you memorise. Keep exploring 00:29:17.849 --> 00:29:22.509 it. And have fun. And here, at Rhythms of Progress, 00:29:22.930 --> 00:29:26.750 ADHD stands for Awesome Dreams, High Determination. 00:29:28.269 --> 00:29:31.329 Oh, hold on. Moment. Stephanie just handed me 00:29:31.329 --> 00:29:36.789 a note. And it says, enough talking, human. I 00:29:36.789 --> 00:29:41.769 love you, but we need snacks. Meow. I listen 00:29:41.769 --> 00:29:45.670 to my cat. I know my rule in life. We'll be right 00:29:45.670 --> 00:29:55.420 back. Hey, do you believe autism comes in just 00:29:55.420 --> 00:29:59.700 one flavour? Do you think it's a boy's only club? 00:30:00.940 --> 00:30:04.099 Have you ever caught yourself saying, She can't 00:30:04.099 --> 00:30:07.299 be autistic, she makes eye contact. She can't 00:30:07.299 --> 00:30:11.299 be autistic, she's too social. If so, you may 00:30:11.299 --> 00:30:14.519 be suffering from outdated diagnosis disorder. 00:30:14.700 --> 00:30:19.539 also known as ODD, odd. A chronic condition, 00:30:19.859 --> 00:30:23.359 treatable with just a bit of knowledge. Unlike 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:26.220 the internet comment sections, actual research 00:30:26.220 --> 00:30:29.240 shows autism is not limited to boys, robots, 00:30:29.480 --> 00:30:33.140 or quirky TV detectives. Possible side effects 00:30:33.140 --> 00:30:36.579 of learning may include realizing girls, women, 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:39.480 and non -binary folks exist on the spectrum. 00:30:40.259 --> 00:30:42.759 Unexpected empathy attacks that brightens your 00:30:42.759 --> 00:30:46.190 weekend. Random acts of kindness towards people 00:30:46.190 --> 00:30:49.849 you misjudged. In clinical trials, participants 00:30:49.849 --> 00:30:52.309 reported the corners of their mouths lifting 00:30:52.309 --> 00:30:55.509 when they learned something new. A sudden urge 00:30:55.509 --> 00:30:58.750 to hand kids a uCue so they can make their own 00:30:58.750 --> 00:31:02.170 music. And puffiness around their eyeballs after 00:31:02.170 --> 00:31:04.650 a mysterious saltwater leakage from laughing 00:31:04.650 --> 00:31:07.710 too much. The worst side effect that has been 00:31:07.710 --> 00:31:10.950 reported is discovering your stereotypes were 00:31:10.950 --> 00:31:15.119 wrong all along. It's time to retire outdated 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:19.000 myths and start learning. This message is brought 00:31:19.000 --> 00:31:21.319 to you by the Society of Noticing Girls on the 00:31:21.319 --> 00:31:24.539 Spectrum and Sony, reminding you, autism doesn't 00:31:24.539 --> 00:31:27.440 have a gender bias, but diagnosis patterns often 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:32.299 do. If you were a musical note, which would you 00:31:32.299 --> 00:31:36.660 be? It's a bit of fun. Exactly, exactly. Are 00:31:36.660 --> 00:31:41.599 you serious? Are you talking rhythm? well let's 00:31:41.599 --> 00:31:48.059 start pitch first okay well since my name is 00:31:48.059 --> 00:31:54.680 Elise it starts with an E so probably an E where 00:31:54.680 --> 00:32:00.259 I'm a violist so I'm gonna say three um because 00:32:00.259 --> 00:32:05.539 our So for the string players out there, the 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:08.440 viola's C string is something that really distinguishes 00:32:08.440 --> 00:32:11.519 it from the violin. And so we have our open C 00:32:11.519 --> 00:32:16.059 string and then we have D, E, F. And so that 00:32:16.059 --> 00:32:20.420 E, I would say, that is what I identify with. 00:32:22.460 --> 00:32:24.400 What has been your favorite thing about working 00:32:24.400 --> 00:32:32.250 under uCue? I honestly think it's just... how much 00:32:32.250 --> 00:32:37.210 I have learned with different disciplines. So 00:32:37.210 --> 00:32:40.410 working with the computer and information sciences 00:32:40.410 --> 00:32:45.170 department, that is something that I would never 00:32:45.170 --> 00:32:49.390 do otherwise. Obviously the school of music and 00:32:49.390 --> 00:32:51.490 the computer and information sciences department 00:32:51.490 --> 00:32:54.470 don't overlap for a lot of things. They don't 00:32:54.470 --> 00:32:57.750 cross paths on a regular basis. But they do in 00:32:57.750 --> 00:33:02.470 so many ways. They do. They do. But I feel like 00:33:02.470 --> 00:33:04.289 they're like, obviously, there's not a lot of 00:33:04.289 --> 00:33:08.490 projects going on here that brings these students 00:33:08.490 --> 00:33:11.210 together. Like, there's so many overlaps, but 00:33:11.210 --> 00:33:13.630 that's not something that, you know, is really 00:33:13.630 --> 00:33:17.910 common. So I'm really enjoying that I'm enjoying 00:33:17.910 --> 00:33:20.950 expanding my knowledge on composition and production, 00:33:20.950 --> 00:33:23.569 because that's also something that, you know, 00:33:23.569 --> 00:33:26.940 I didn't have. any familiarity with before coming 00:33:26.940 --> 00:33:32.240 here. And then I think even analyzing the graphs 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:35.559 and analyzing the data and coming to conclusions 00:33:35.559 --> 00:33:38.700 as to what they mean and what these preferences 00:33:38.700 --> 00:33:42.200 are that has been really interesting to me too. 00:33:43.019 --> 00:33:45.759 Again, like I didn't think I was really like 00:33:45.759 --> 00:33:50.599 an analytical graph kind of person. But then 00:33:50.599 --> 00:33:53.980 when it's regarding our study in this, I'm like, 00:33:54.140 --> 00:33:57.400 oh, this means that and this is really cool for 00:33:57.400 --> 00:34:01.880 me to see. So it's been so cool. Do you think 00:34:01.880 --> 00:34:04.660 your project's finding could impact global approaches 00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:09.559 to autism music therapy? I think absolutely, 00:34:10.219 --> 00:34:14.940 because we're really looking for what specific 00:34:14.940 --> 00:34:19.159 sounds Cause a positive reaction and what specific 00:34:19.159 --> 00:34:21.760 sounds cause a negative reaction and there's 00:34:21.760 --> 00:34:24.880 really not a lot of research out there on that 00:34:24.880 --> 00:34:27.940 Like off the top of my head. I can only think 00:34:27.940 --> 00:34:31.860 of about two Empirical articles that I've looked 00:34:31.860 --> 00:34:35.739 at that really talk about that So the goal of 00:34:35.739 --> 00:34:38.539 this project is to really expand and figure out 00:34:38.539 --> 00:34:41.480 what that is and obviously there's gonna be difference 00:34:41.480 --> 00:34:44.820 in it differences across different people for 00:34:44.820 --> 00:34:47.019 sure. But we're trying to see like, is there 00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:51.320 anything or are there any constants? In pinpointing 00:34:51.320 --> 00:34:57.280 those constants, I think will absolutely change 00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:04.739 how different musical operations, you know, go 00:35:04.739 --> 00:35:09.119 about creating music. for people with ASD or 00:35:09.119 --> 00:35:12.739 how music therapists can cater the session to 00:35:12.739 --> 00:35:15.800 their patient because they know they know what 00:35:15.800 --> 00:35:19.119 sounds to play more. I think it's going to be 00:35:19.119 --> 00:35:21.039 different culturally because of the different 00:35:21.039 --> 00:35:24.360 sounds and scales so I think that it's really 00:35:24.360 --> 00:35:28.559 a project that will have more of an impact than 00:35:28.559 --> 00:35:34.159 you think. Here are people with ASD who changed 00:35:34.159 --> 00:35:40.260 the world. PhD, regarded as the father of theoretical 00:35:40.260 --> 00:35:43.079 computer science and artificial intelligence. 00:35:43.679 --> 00:35:46.880 Temple Grandin is renowned for her groundbreaking 00:35:46.880 --> 00:35:50.780 work in animal science and animal welfare. Michelle 00:35:50.780 --> 00:35:54.199 Dawson is a prominent figure in autism research. 00:35:54.619 --> 00:35:57.360 She is known for challenging conventional perspectives 00:35:57.360 --> 00:36:02.019 on cognition and neurodevelopment. Albert Einstein, 00:36:02.599 --> 00:36:05.380 who is widely believed to have been on the autism 00:36:05.380 --> 00:36:08.510 spectrum, He revolutionized our understanding 00:36:08.510 --> 00:36:11.329 of the cosmos with his groundbreaking theories 00:36:11.329 --> 00:36:14.469 on relativity and gravity. If you believe you 00:36:14.469 --> 00:36:17.590 have autism spectrum disorder, please see a professional. 00:36:18.070 --> 00:36:23.050 Some links are in the episode notes. What can 00:36:23.050 --> 00:36:27.210 the public do or the educational system do to 00:36:27.210 --> 00:36:32.389 prepare teachers to help people with ASD? Yeah, 00:36:32.389 --> 00:36:36.349 so I know obviously for education degrees, there's 00:36:36.349 --> 00:36:40.969 a lot of schools that have concentrations for 00:36:40.969 --> 00:36:43.590 special education, and I have a lot of friends 00:36:43.590 --> 00:36:47.889 that are specializing or majoring in special 00:36:47.889 --> 00:36:51.190 education. But honestly, at the end of the day, 00:36:51.650 --> 00:36:57.130 I think it's important for everybody to have 00:36:57.130 --> 00:37:02.059 that knowledge of how to go about being the best 00:37:02.059 --> 00:37:05.139 teacher, the best role model they can be for 00:37:05.139 --> 00:37:08.400 somebody who is neurodivergent or has a learning 00:37:08.400 --> 00:37:13.559 disability. And it shouldn't be limited just 00:37:13.559 --> 00:37:17.599 to people who have that concentration in disability 00:37:17.599 --> 00:37:22.280 studies or special education. I think it's something 00:37:22.280 --> 00:37:26.639 that, you know, everybody who is, you know, wants 00:37:26.639 --> 00:37:30.480 to be an educator someday should take you know, 00:37:30.559 --> 00:37:35.340 a few classes or have that concentration. This 00:37:35.340 --> 00:37:39.800 has been wonderful. Thank you for this. Thanks 00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:44.079 for doing this. And what is Elise up to now? 00:37:44.920 --> 00:37:47.280 She has graduated from the University of Delaware. 00:37:47.719 --> 00:37:50.539 She will begin her master's degree in musicology 00:37:50.539 --> 00:37:53.679 at Florida State University. Congratulations 00:37:53.679 --> 00:37:58.489 to you and your entire team. We want to celebrate 00:37:58.489 --> 00:38:02.110 and thank anyone who worked on the uCue by knocking 00:38:02.110 --> 00:38:05.150 this glass of water off the counter. Do it, Tony. 00:38:08.730 --> 00:38:12.670 Yeah! And into a plant. We're not wasteful. It 00:38:12.670 --> 00:38:16.730 is full circle here. This episode was produced, 00:38:16.889 --> 00:38:19.789 recorded and mixed by Shozzett Silva. Parody 00:38:19.789 --> 00:38:22.690 commercial and song for it are by them as well. 00:38:23.039 --> 00:38:26.179 Special thanks to James Kelly and Chris Milanowski 00:38:26.179 --> 00:38:29.739 for volunteering the wonderful voices. Thank 00:38:29.739 --> 00:38:32.199 you to all of you for tuning in. You can help 00:38:32.199 --> 00:38:34.760 us by following us on Instagram and watching 00:38:34.760 --> 00:38:37.679 me make a lot of mistakes. Hopefully, they'll 00:38:37.679 --> 00:38:40.179 bring a smile to your face. You can also give 00:38:40.179 --> 00:38:43.219 us five stars if you like it. And if you really 00:38:43.219 --> 00:38:46.300 hate it, you can also give us five stars. I hated 00:38:46.300 --> 00:38:49.829 five stars. Share it as much as you like, listen 00:38:49.829 --> 00:38:52.769 to it on repeat and hang out with my international 00:38:52.769 --> 00:38:57.849 fluctuating accent. And thank you to 91 .3 WVUD, 00:38:58.130 --> 00:39:00.289 the voice of the University of Delaware, where 00:39:00.289 --> 00:39:03.269 parts of this episode were recorded. Thank you 00:39:03.269 --> 00:39:06.329 to my accidental mentors Dave McKinsey and Steve 00:39:06.329 --> 00:39:09.929 Karamak. Until next time, honor your rhythm.