By Jessica Dillon
Da Capo Virginia recently presented a concert featuring area students at Magna Vista High School on Nov. 25. The performance included contributions from the school choir, cheerleading team, and art department. Students used movement and props to create a magical experience for the audience.
Executive Director Tracee Prillaman helps guide students through music. “We adapt a lot of what we do so that we can best meet the needs of our students. We know that our boys and girls require outside-of-the-box methods to reach them and help them reach their fullest potential,” she said.
Students in the Vivo classes learn in one-hour lessons that run over a 10-week course. “What might work for a neurotypical student most times will not work for someone who is neurodivergent. So, at Da Capo, you use every way imaginable to be able to impact the student,” Prillaman said.
The concert was made up of seven and a half classrooms. “In that one hour, students are experiencing music and the arts in a wide variety of ways so that after the hour, each student will have had some sort of significant impact,” she said.
Prillaman said students might be reached in different ways, whether it be listening, moving, or visual. “We explore our music in a wide variety of ways so that every student is touched by it.” Each lesson targets several different learning styles.
“The preparation, as you can imagine, is immense for a collaborative event like that because there are so many parts and pieces that go into creating an experience like that,” Prillaman said. The concert was a collaboration between performers of all ability levels.
While the group generally has a live band, this performance featured a pianist and a student who is a novice cellist. “We always change things, but the collaboration among all of the people and the players is critical,” she said.
“We are collaborative in nature and in spirit. And we encourage and empower our students to do that same thing in their lives. Because music making and arts are not just about one person. To really maximize the impact, you maximize your ability to build relationships with people and connect people and organizations,” Prillaman said.
She said attending a concert has a massive impact on seeing the organization’s mission come to life. “There is nothing like it, super exciting stuff,” she said.
“Music is an equalizer, and it levels the playing field among people of all abilities, styles, varieties, shapes, sizes, colors, backgrounds, political affiliations — it doesn’t matter. Music levels the playing field. And that is the beautiful thing: music is an expression of a person. Through music and through art, people are able to express who they are without ever having to use words to do it,” she said.
