Autistic Hong Kong conductors win rave reviews from cellist Matthew Barley
World-class musician helps 20 young people enjoy liberating experience at charity workshops
A world-class musician has described playing under a group of Hong Kong's newest conductors as "immediate, spontaneous and raw". The novice maestros were 20 young people who shared two things in common: autism and never having conducted before.
Aged 14 to 25, they were taking part in two workshops held by Music For Autism, a London-based charity which aims to connect with autistic individuals through classical music.
The highlight was the rare one-to-one contact with internationally respected British cellist Matthew Barley in a unique music-making process.
"I play and improvise on the cello following the conducting of the children and it is as though they are creating the music with their bodies. They are so free, and you will see the moment when they suddenly realise they are making music in some way, and that is incredible," said Barley.
Renowned conductor John Lubbock founded Music for Autism in 2002 and brought the project to Youth Square in Chai Wan last Friday - the charity's first stop in the Far East since its international wing launched an Asian branch in Abu Dhabi last April.
"I was a little anxious about the difference in culture and music," said Lubbock, artistic director of the Orchestra of St John's Smith Square, which he also founded, back in 1967. "But there is no difference at all and it's fascinating that the children behave exactly the same as those in England. I think it's going to be the same wherever we go in the world."
The maestro, whose youngest son is autistic, added: "People say there is an explosion of autism, but it is actually an explosion of the diagnosis of autism and it's time for us to address the need."
Some of the participants were capable musicians, playing the flute and piano, for example. For others, being able to play on a variety of colourful plastic instruments and make music for themselves was a novel experience.
Their focus on the long Bach suite Barley played was extraordinary, so were their questions for the cellist afterwards.
And the group conducting of the cellist in the final section was a spectacle to behold.
Music for Autism International's chief executive Jill Bradford said she looked forward to future collaborations with Hong Kong agencies such as New Life Psychiatric, the workshop's host.
Jessica Tang, a senior manager at New Life, said the centre had just received a HK$7 million grant from the Hong Kong Jockey Club to spend on helping autistic young people over three years.
"We have 133 autistic individuals at present, and we take in to three more every day, so the need is great, and I am grateful for these experts sharing with us valuable advice entirely at their own expense," she said.
Bradford hoped elements of the workshop would be taken on board. "We would like to continue monitoring the progress here and if there are things to adjust or a need to bring in professional musicians, we would be happy to do that," she added.
Dr Raymond Chan, a clinical psychologist, said the greatest merit of the exercise was to offer autistic young people a new experience in which they were in control, with immediate impact from the interaction.
"It is worth a study to compare two different groups; one taking part in these exercises and one without over, say, a six-month period.
"It is important to make it a sustained drive to benefit those in need," he said.
