JESSICA EMERY SCHNEIDER
MUSIC THERAPY SERVICES FUND
Michigan State University Community Music School
PRIZES
Providing music therapy scholarships and the
latest technology so all people, regardless of
ability, can benefit from the powerful
influence of music.
To make your tax-deductible gift, please visit:
WWW.GIVINGTO.MSU.EDU/GIFT
“Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears - it is a remedy, a
tonic… But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more - it can
provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life.
For them, music is not a luxury, but a necessity.” – Oliver Sacks, M.D.
Music Therapy
Music therapy is the clinical use of music and therapeutic
techniques to help people of all ages improve their motor,
verbal, communication and social skills through music. Bonus
benefits often include joy and pride in new skills and
friendships.
Music lets us experience the world in powerful ways. For
people with disabilities, it can be life-changing:
Children with autism who cannot talk can learn to sing.
Teens without the physical ability to play instruments can
make and compose music with electronic notebooks.
Adults with developmental disabilities can discover and
share untapped abilities.
Jess Schneider
About Jess and the JESS Prizes
The JESS Prizes – officially the JESSICA EMERY SCHNEIDER MUSIC THERAPY SERVICES
FUND – are designed to enhance the lives of people with disabilities.
Jessica’s ability to produce music was limited, but her ability to appreciate it was vast. Above
all, it enabled her to negotiate the world. Life was often an assault on Jessica’s senses, and
music – especially via headphones – helped create a world she could safely inhabit.
Music touches us on a level we don’t yet fully understand. Music therapy helps illuminate that
potential, one struggling human being at a time.
Our Family’s Commitment
Although Jessica was our older sister, we often took
care of her – a job we expected to continue throughout
our lives. Her gift to us was an abiding commitment to
people with disabilities.
So when Jessica died, we knew we had to apply that
gift somewhere else. The JESS Prizes help us –and
hopefully you, too – put our gifts to work for people
with special needs.
Jess’s siblings: Caitlin, Justin and Ben
The JESS Prizes, awarded through the JESSICA EMERY SCHNEIDER MUSIC THERAPY
SERVICES FUND, put your gift to work for children and adults with disabilities by providing
scholarships and technology for music therapy at the MSU Community Music School.
WWW.GIVINGTO.MSU.EDU/GIFT
Checks can be written out to MSU, with code AE060810 in the subject line, and mailed to:
MSU Community Music School, 4930 S. HAGADORN ROAD, EAST LANSING, MI 48823