The Southwest Florida Music Education Center (SWFLMEC) is hosting a free community engagement event to share more about their post-secondary music education certificates for musically talented neurodivergent young adults. The event, geared toward prospective students, interested families, music educators and mental health professionals, is on Saturday, March 26 from 2 to 6 p.m. at Artis Naples’ John and Jeanne Rowe Performance and Learning Center, located at 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd. in Naples.
After registering on the Center’s website, prospective students and families can check in at 2 p.m. to participate in a hands-on musical education experience and be the first to hear about the state-of-the-art Music Center. Music educators, mental health professionals, the media and community members are invited to check in at 4 p.m., with a program beginning at 4:30 p.m. on the program’s methodology, curriculum overview, presentation and question and answer session. Speakers include the founding managing director of the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs, Dr. Rhoda Bernard along with leaders from the SWFLMEC.
The event will be the first official appearance of the Center’s new Director of Music Education Hannah Fan. A classically trained singer and educator, Fan is passionate about bringing music to more classrooms to encourage a new cultural perception of inclusion and accessibility in the field of classical music. Prior to joining the Music Center in February, she worked at the Boston Lyric Opera, Boston Symphony Orchestra and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where she led the special education department for several years. She earned her Master of Music Education degree at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she specialized in arts administration and worked with students with disabilities.
Interested students, parents, music educators, mental health professionals, community members and the media can learn about the March 26 community engagement event and register at SWFLmusic.org/Experience-MEC/.
About the Southwest Florida Music Education Center:
The Southwest Florida Music Education Center is a not-for-profit organization serving neurodivergent young adults with a strong interest in music. Based in Naples, Florida, its mission is to create a world-class music education center where neurodivergent students who have a strong interest in music and low to moderate support needs receive education in music and life skills, preparing them for meaningful growth opportunities that enrich their lives and the community. For more information, visit SWFLmusic.org.
