Video by Emily Wu
Music therapist Rebecca Stephens sings “The White Stripes” by Seven Nations Army while CBI students follow along with instruments.
Take a peek into room 401 in the midmorning, and you’re likely to see an energetic woman strumming her guitar, sitting in a close-knit circle next to several students with learning challenges in the school’s Community-Based Instruction (CBI) program. Her pupils listen along, shaking tambourines, knocking tone blocks and hitting drums to the beat of the song. And if you’re lucky enough to catch the beginning of class, you’ll get to hear her signature introduction song.
“Hello, hello, everyone,” music therapist Rebecca Stephens intoned on a recent day. “Hello, hello, everyone. Hello, Hello, everyone, it’s good to see you today. Hey hey-ey-ey, hey, hey, hey, hey.”
Stephens continued around in a circle, singing hello to every student individually and inviting them to play along with their instruments. This catchy song marks the start of every Tuesday’s 30-minute music therapy classes for CBI students.
Music therapy is a research-backed practice aimed at aiding students in speech, motor behavior, decision making and other behavioral aspects. Stephens, a Class of ‘12 alumna, graduated from the University of the Pacific with a master’s in Music Therapy and, since 2023, she has worked to bring benefits of music therapy to the school.
She currently teaches the class for CBI students at the high school and post-secondary program students at West Valley College. The post-secondary program, which is a joint effort between the district and West Valley College, aims to prepare 18- to 22-year-old special education graduates of LGSUHSD for future jobs.
In a typical class, Stephens spends the entire half hour singing with a class of under 10 students. She also incorporates instruments to both see if her students can use them appropriately and invite them to actively participate in the music.
Stephen begins by asking a student to pick a song from a collection of Disney, pop, rock and kids songs, and after playing the song, she continues around to the other students. She notices that many students tend to gravitate toward childhood songs or nursery rhymes like “Hokey Pokey” or “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
“For the ones who always pick kids’ songs, I always suggest them to pick something else, like pop or Disney,” Stephens said. “I also add in questions like: ‘Oh, do you want a fast song or a slow song?’ Giving them choices and then letting them decide helps them work on their cognitive skills because many of them struggle with decision-making.”
Stephens observes that students sometimes come into the classroom feeling out of sorts. They can yell, throw objects or say “no” in a defiant manner. But throughout the music class, they are usually able to better regulate their actions and pick songs to sing with Stephens.
“By the end of the session — 99% of the time — the students are in a better mood,” she said. “And although we might not have necessarily met our goals for the day, we moved closer to meeting our goals.”
Post-secondary teacher Carlos Lamoso, who works closely with primarily the students that Stephens teaches at West Valley College, believes the effects of the classes vary between students. He notices that one student in the post-secondary program, who usually interacts less with other students, has been communicating more during and after the music classes.
“Singing has helped them build confidence. You have to have a certain amount of confidence to sing and to participate in a group,” Lamoso said. “By doing this, they have learned to communicate better. They’ve learned to listen to other people better just by being in the class.”
Stephens and Lamoso also note improvements in student engagement, compared to last year.
In the end, Stephens enjoys that the students are able to better express their wants and needs to her and that their decision-making intervals have shortened. She also commented that her students are much more comfortable with her now than they were when the classes first started.
“One of my favorite parts of teaching has been the long-term interactions and the comfort in our group,” Stephens said. “I went from just a stranger who pushes into their classroom for 30 minutes, once a week, to being someone they say: ‘Oh my gosh! It’s the Music Therapist!’ to when I come in.”
