美国国家公共电台 NPR--Jazz Hands For Autism is creating new avenues for autistic musicians

Jazz Hands For Autism is creating new avenues for autistic musicians

Transcript¹

For many people, music can be their first language. It allows people to celebrate their creative expressions and talents.

Jazz Hands for Autism is a Southern California-based nonprofit that provides music training, vocational development and job placement support for musicians with autism.

Ifunanya Nweke, the 32-year-old founder² of Jazz Hands for Autism, told NPR that inspiration came almost a decade ago when she met Ruben, a young musician on the autism spectrum³.

When she was 21, she volunteered for a day program at UCLA where she met Ruben Jussen.

She was immediately struck when she saw him playing and singing the piano. He had heard the song for the first time three days earlier and had already transposed it.

"I saw Ruben, a leader. I saw Ruben, a communicator. He was just being himself. And in being himself, he was shifting the entire dynamic of his classroom," she shared.

Jazz Hands for Autism began for Nweke at that moment. It's now primarily funded by the Regional Center in California. They also receive grants, individual donors⁴ and corporate⁵ partnerships⁶ in the hope of further expanding their programs and serving more musicians in California and beyond.

Nweke says "people with autism have a voice. And they have something to say. And I think it's time for us to shift the industry towards a direction to receive and listen to those voices."

Over the past decade, Jazz Hands for Autism has since worked with dozens of musicians.

Christian⁷ Culmer Evans joined Jazz Hands for Autism three years ago and performed at the concerts they held. He sings and plays the bass⁸, guitar, piano and drums.

Before Jazz Hands Evans said he never saw himself in the music industry.

"Jazz Hands basically helped prove to myself that anyone can fit in and anyone can just be themselves in this world if they want to."

Jazz Hands for Autism will hold its next concert in May in Culver City and will be sponsored by the Cultural Affairs Commission of Culver City.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 spectrum   

n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列

参考例句：

• This is a kind of atomic spectrum.这是一种原子光谱。
• We have known much of the constitution of the solar spectrum.关于太阳光谱的构成，我们已了解不少。

4 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

7 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

8 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。