In a Snow Canyon Middle School classroom, the sound of trumpets, clarinets, and drums is giving students with special needs a new way to connect.Only the second
In a Snow Canyon Middle School classroom, the sound of trumpets, clarinets, and drums is giving students with special needs a new way to connect. In a Snow Canyon Middle School classroom, the sound of trumpets, clarinets, and drums is giving students with special needs a new way to connect.
Only the second program of its kind in Utah, it pairs special needs students with mentor students to learn how to play musical instruments.“I think it’s really hard sometimes to include some of these children, almost in anything, just because of the extent of their disabilities,” said Starley Terry, a life skills teacher at Snow Canyon. “But something like this with music that is really getting through to them and they’re participating is an amazing program that I do feel really lucky to be a part of.” While United Sound doesn't rely on federal dollars, Washington County School District leaders acknowledge funding gaps remain. The current government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1, hasn't had an immediate impact — but deeper cuts, or President Donald Trump's executive order to dismantle the Department of Education, could impact broader programs that serve vulnerable students. “Right now we haven’t seen any impacts from the shutdown, and in the short term we don’t expect to,” said Steven Dunham, the district’s communications director. But if federal dollars are at risk? "We’ll have to work with the state to see what we really need to continue programs for special needs students, our food service program, and for transportation." In a March press release responding to Trump's Executive Order, the Department of Education said that funds will continue even if the agency is dissolved. “Closing the Department does not mean cutting off funds from those who depend on them,” Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We will continue to support K-12 students, students with special needs, college student borrowers, and others who rely on essential programs.” At Snow Canyon, the need remains immediate. The program began with a $2,500 startup fee, but the ongoing costs of about $1,900 a year are difficult to cover. “This really is something that’s difficult to accomplish,” Dunham said. “We’re hoping community members will see the impact this makeson the children and would be willing to help contribute so we can continue this program and possibly even expand it here in Washington County." For Terry, the payoff is clear: students who once stayed silent, or covered their ears in noisy rooms, are now raising instruments alongside classmates. “Even my nonverbal students are picking up instruments and interacting with their peers in ways they never had before,” she said. “There aren’t very many options for kids with severe needs. When a program like this comes along, the district does a good job of stepping up.”
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