Driving back home following our ritualistic visit to my parents, we put on Alessia’s favourite sound track – Shrek. Alessia must have been around 2 years old at the time. Those days I used to welcome with open arms the red traffic light command. This vibrant colour, that many of us loathe seeing while driving, during this period in my life offered me the time to listen to my own breathing, it was within these brief moments that I allowed myself to reach within and reflect on my current state of being.
“And then I saw her face, I’m a believer… YAY!” came the cute squeaky sound of Alessia’s voice from the backseat. My husband and I looked at each other smiling, Alessia loved to add her own vocalisations to music that she loved. She did it intentionally, waiting patiently for the music until the next verse allowed her to place in her “Yay” in time. It was striking at the time how she rarely offered us barely any attention but when it came to music she was completely present, adding her own vocal ornaments perfectly in time.
Even today, being on the autism spectrum Alessia chooses to use language for her own specific use. She simply chooses not to engage in conventional speech. But give her the lyrics of a piece of music she likes, and she will light up and gladly sing along to the beat. Throughout her childhood Alessia continued to throw at us these subtle signs that exposed her openness to the musical world.
Being mindful of her strong musical inclination and because my sister is a classically trained pianist, without much thought we decided to expose Alessia to the piano. Helping Alessia discover music however was a rather tough undertaking during the first years. I think we had to change around 5 piano teachers during this time. Alessia’s unconventional way of learning must have been a challenge to each of these teachers who one after the other decided to halt their services after a month or two of seeing Alessia. Notwithstanding this discouraging feedback we persisted in our quest to search for a music teacher who could see beyond Alessia’s disability and instead focus on her potential.
Eventually, I signed up Alessia to School of Music, disclosing Alessia’s condition up front in the hope that the appropriate teacher would be chosen. Thankfully the school opened up their doors to us and assigned Alessia to the acclaimed pianist and Music Therapist, Rosetta Debattista. With incredible sensitivity Rosetta was able to uncover Alessia’s strengths and adapt her teaching according to Alessia’s individual needs. Sensitively pushing her further, helping her achieve one milestone after another.
Music has enriched Alessia’s life and that of our family in a unique and essential way! It has expanded Alessia’s range of communicative possibilities and provided the rest of the family with a powerful means of connection. Alessia, who is now 16 years old, plays the piano at Grade 8 level, the violin at Grade 5 level and she has recently started playing the viola.
Before the Covid pandemic hit our planet, it was planned for Alessia to perform Ilia Chkolnik’s piano concerto No1 with the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, a great achievement for any aspiring young musician. Regretfully, like many other artistic projects, it had to be cancelled in the light of the Covid restrictions that were set in place. Rosetta, mindful about the hard work that Alessia had engaged in to prepare for this concert came up with the creative idea of identifying a team of artistic professionals that would sensitively bring to life this concert in a visual format… and Ale’s Project came to life! Below is a brief description of the project:
Alessia’s talent, commitment to music and ‘joie de vivre’ are the inspiration behind this project. As a teenage pianist with autism, she engages with music in a distinctive way, expressing through it a vast world of lived experiences that she is unable to express verbally, witnessed in her delivery of the Piano Concerto No.1 by Ilia Chkolnik. Through the making of a short film this project will attempt to communicate Alessia’s unique relationship with music, and celebrate her multiple abilities while respectfully acknowledging her challenges. As the main protagonist of this film, Alessia will be represented as a valid person, an accomplished artist and a creative individual, whose different perspective can serve to expand that of her collaborators and audiences. The creation of this short film will be employed as a catalytic agent within a series of workshops for a variety of audiences, including schools, encouraging a positive turn in participants’ attitudes towards persons with diverse abilities.
Through the use of music and movement the artistic team is trying to expand possibilities of representation within our society and share Alessia’s beautiful journey with the hope that we will motivate interest and action within our community, while enhancing dialogues on important societal issues. Because as Jimi Hendrix eloquently said,
“If there is something to be changed in the world then in can only happen with MUSIC.”
Follow Ale’s Project on Facebook and visit her website at https://alessiabonnici.com
This project is sponsored by Arts Council Malta, Jonathan Stubbs Foundation, Sherries Estates- Garden, Pets & Home and Melita Foundation.
It is supported by Teatru Salesjan, Villabianca, Malta School of Music, Faculty for Social Wellbeing – University of Malta and the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability – CRPD.
Do you have an inspirational project you’d like to share with us at wham? Contact us or send us an email at [email protected]
