‘Little tics’ give autism advocacy choir’s first album genuine touch
When Nicole Provost was 16 and singing in a choir, she noticed a little girl, about nine years old, with a developmental disorder who kept moving around, out of formation with the rest of the group. That brief moment inspired her to launch the Mayday Club Youth Choir, an autism advocacy choir, last fall.
“It’s a choir for kids who have a hard time fitting in,” said Provost, 22, a physics student at the University of B.C. “There is such a need for a group where people can go and be themselves.”
With her ability to “super-focus,” Provost, who was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, poured her energy into the choir, which has grown to 34 members, ranging in age from five to 27 (although it takes members up to 30 years old), and has performed at 20 events across Metro Vancouver.
The majority of choir members have developmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder or Down syndrome; others are siblings or people who are interested in working in the field.
The choir rehearses Sunday nights in Abbotsford. Staffed with volunteers, each session starts off with a warm-up dance, sometimes hip-hop, other times free-styling. The singing — usually a max of three songs in a row — is broken up with breaks, more dancing and games.
The choir’s first performance was at the Pacific Autism Family Centre in Richmond last October. It was nerve-racking for her and a lot of the participants, but they got up on stage and sang to much applause and praise. “I’ve never seen (the choir) so happy. They were shaking with excitement.”
Performing was a crucial part of Provost’s vision for the choir. She wanted the public to see the person behind the diagnosis, and she wanted the choir members to find an outlet for their natural talents, such as boundless energy, the ability to hyper-focus or think outside the box, to find their passion and, hopefully, a profession.
She also hopes the self-esteem boost that comes from performing would counteract the negative experiences most of the members will experience in the real world, noting people with developmental challenges experience higher rates of bullying and people with Asperger’s, or high-functioning autism, are vulnerable to depression and suicide.
Sylvia Dirks’ daughter, Amy, is one on the club’s first members. Amy, 27, has developmental delays and struggles with anxiety, but shines when she’s with the choir, where she has developed many “heart friendships,” said Dirks.
“She loves it, and she loves Nicole,” she said. “She’s laughing and she’s engaged.”
The first time she watched the choir rehearse, Dirks was struck by the energy and positivity. There were occasional bursts of difficult behaviours, but “what overshadows everything is the joy on these kids’ faces and in their movements and singing.”
Provost said she chose to name the club “Mayday” because the word makes her think of organized chaos with a goal in mind. But it also is a call to arms, a reminder that the lack of adequate resources for developmentally challenged kids is “almost a state of emergency.”
The choir is set to release an album titled Screaming Rainbows, which Provost believes is one of the first autism-advocacy music albums in the world. It’s available for sale on Indiegogo.
It came about after Sergio Cocchia, president of the Pacific Autism Family Network, heard them perform and was so inspired by their energy and passion that he offered the use of his recording studio for the album.
“This kind of vital, social and artistic outlet is incredibly important to these young people who all deserve a voice, and their music gives them a beautiful one,” said Cocchia.
Provost said the day the choir recorded the album was “one of the best days of their lives.”
The group decided to leave in some of the outbursts or inadvertent noises some choir members made during the recording session.
“We wanted it to be real,” said Provost. “With this music, we are putting it in a way people can hear how beautiful they are even with their little tics and stuff.”