PBS Project News

PBS MUSIC THERAPY & AUTISM SUMMARY

Our work on the Rich Center-Music Settlement Coalition project brought us into conversation with several people who have had successful working relationships producing Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television specials and documentaries. CBC agreed to help create and produce a show that can ultimately help to bring music therapy to children with autism. Specifically, this one-hour high definition program will raise awareness about autism and celebrate the successes realized through the integration of music therapy into the treatment of those with autism. By exploring actual case studies of young people with autism who have benefited from music therapy, the program will allow viewers rare insight into the lives of those in the autistic community and enlighten, educate and bring hope through interviews with those with autism, caregivers and experts in the field.

April 2011

As we reported in January, we've got some new momentum building with this project. Greg Fredrick and his colleagues are at work currently on a "short form" video highlighting the work that music therapists do with folks dealing with autism.

January, 2011

We've got some new momentum building with this project. Currently, we're at work with Greg Frederick (an Oregon producer of videos for PBS) to create a Short Form Program (video) that describes the work of music therapists with autistic young people around the country. This "short form" video will be a valuable information tool not only for the music therapists but for us to use as we re-connect with PBS personnel. Stay tuned.

This project is currently being moved forward by Greg Frederick, who is hopeful that enthusiastic funding will soon be secured.

July, 2010

Admittedly, this has always been a sort of "fantasy" project for us, and its ethereal nature continues to elude our otherwise pragmatic grip. Greg Frederick continues to explore funding options on behalf of CBC.
April 2010
Irony rules! Our proposal was rejected by the national PBS folks as being too biased toward music therapy as a treatment for children with autism. At present, Greg Frederick, one of our co-producers, is shopping the proposal to a number of other sources (including regional PBS outlets). Meanwhile, we are preparing to meet electronically with several prominent members of the music therapy community to discuss additional production and distribution options.

LATE ADDITION  February 2010

After much collaborative interaction and construction-related grunt work, we have finally sent a 30+-page proposal for our television special on Music Therapy and Autism to the VP of Program Scheduling and Editorial Management at PBS. We will now proceed to gather our production troops to discuss funding strategies with our corporate and foundation funding professionals (Mary Mueller & Becky Antworth, respectively). More to come.

February 2010

Our PBS team is growing. We recently added Jim Scalem (long-time PBS producer) to the production team and he quickly managed to put our project proposal in front of the VP for Program Scheduling and Editorial Management at PBS - who responded enthusiastically and asked that we submit a full proposal. After almost 10 days of non-stop work we are nearly ready to submit our 30+-page proposal for review - a process that we hope will result in a letter of intent to broadcast from PBS. We are simultaneously working with our grant professional and another, corporate funding expert to identify possible funding sources, and communicating with a number of people in the entertainment industry and program-specific professional fields (medicine, autism & music therapy) to put together an advisory group for the show's production. Finally, we are in touch with a number of music therapy clinicians who will assist us in locating and securing young people with autism (and their families) who we might feature in the show, along with corresponding video footage of their music therapy treatment over the years. To say that we are excited would be an understatement! 

December 2009

With the help of Greg Frederick, Mark DuMond and Becky Antworth, we've completed an overview of the program on Music Therapy and Autism that we're creating for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).  This one-page is now being used to build enthusiasm for private sector funding and multi-city PBS support.  As with most projects, we expect a break until after the holidays.

Back from San Diego. We met and filmed a number of brilliant and dedicated Music Therapy professionals. Meeting on Monday to define next step of development of this PBS bound project

November 6, 2009

CBC is on the way to San Diego for the American Music Therapists Association conference Nov 10. We'll get to meet and talk with all the dedicated professionals. Greg Fredrick will come down from Oregon to do some preliminary interviews for our PBS one hour project too.

October 28, 2009

August 28, 2009