Musical Participation by Autistic People, or What is Good for Autistic People is Good for Everyone

Note: This post is a re-working of some of the material from the post I was asked to take down, which I discussed in my post "Reflections on a Year of Blogging". 

One non-autism-related component of my identity is that of musician. I play in orchestras. I also play chamber music, which is a form of classical music written for a small enough number of players to fit into one room. The most common groupings are string quartet (2 violins, viola, cello), string trio (violin, cello, piano -- as a violist, I kind of hold a grudge against this grouping!), and woodwind quintet (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn). 

The reduced instrumentation is a challenge to the composer's creativity. Sure, it is easy to play with the textures available in an orchestra, but what can you accomplish with a handful of instruments? Many composers used the string quartet as a "study" for a larger work, the same way that a painter might draw sketches before committing paint to canvas. And many composers were so stimulated by the challenge of chamber music that they wrote some of their greatest music for small groups. 

I think that most musicians would agree that playing chamber music is the most rewarding type of music-making. Chamber music is an extremely intimate form. It can be a minefield of issues, but when it comes together it is incredibly exhilarating. Those moments of exhilaration are why we do it.

I love this photo of David Finckel, cello, and Wu Han, piano. They are two of the leading proponents of chamber music in the United States. I don't know what they are playing, but their musical attunement is palpable.

In chamber music, the instruments are fairly evenly balanced, sonically speaking, so that you can hear each individual. There is no conductor indicating what you should do or showing a beat, so everyone in the group must contribute to maintaining the beat and leading through the use of physical gestures when it is appropriate. There should be no such thing as "playing second fiddle", as in a string quartet the 2nd violin bears just as much responsibility as the 1st violin. It can take many years to become proficient at these things. I have been playing chamber music for over 20 years, and it is only recently that I have felt very comfortable leading. 

In such a small group, musical decision making is usually done by consensus, and interpersonal conflict can really disrupt this process. When everyone is playing one-to-a-part, a musician exposes a piece of their soul to the other players in their group, and this can be quite terrifying. So, if someone is feeling uncomfortably exposed, it can trigger interpersonal conflict. Conversely, if there is interpersonal conflict in a group, it can lead to someone feeling that the vulnerable, exposed piece of their soul is being denigrated. 

All of the players are constantly evaluating each other's playing and musical ideas (piece of the soul, remember). They are also constantly evaluating their own playing, which may leave them feeling inadequate, not good enough for the group or not able to make the music sound the way it does in their head.

Many chamber musicians also enjoy polishing a piece and performing it in front of an audience -- for a chamber music club, in a concert series, or at a house concert. They might want to take their piece to a chamber music workshop to receive coaching, and then perform the piece in a master class of fellow participants. Musicians may be coached by someone they have never met. Receiving coaching, even by the most supportive of coaches, can make a person feel as if they are on the hot seat. And depending on the amount of time remaining before the performance, consensus-based decision making might not be possible, so you may have to just go with the flow if your idea is not agreed upon. 

Can you imagine a more perfect storm? Well, yes, imagine dealing with all of this if you are on the autism spectrum and have issues with interpersonal communication and a tendency to become inflexible. It's a wonder that even we NT's can deal with it. And really, sometimes we can't. As I was writing this, both Klailklop and I reminisced about melt-downs and interpersonal conflict we have had in music workshops and chamber music groups!

So, how can we ensure that chamber music opportunities are accessible to an autistic person who wants to and is able to participate? Is some form of accommodation necessary? I have several suggestions: 

1. Be prepared to be more explicit in the ways you handle the decision making process. If the autistic person is showing resistance to adopting a musical idea, ask about his/her idea, and respectfully try it out. The autistic person has a different way of looking at the world and may have some startling insights to contribute!

2. If the autistic musician's idea is not adopted by the group, explain why not. The autistic person might really not understand that a group decides what to do based on what the majority wants to do. They might have a hard time relating to your point of view, and they might remain stuck on their idea. If this happens, you could consider doing it their way, even if it isn't what the group would otherwise do. Think of it as an accommodation. 

3. Be aware that the autistic person may become overwhelmed and need to take a break so that he/she can self-regulate. 

4. If an autistic person has a meltdown, try to remember that he/she isn't giving you a hard time. Instead, he/she is having a hard time. Give the person some space and check back in with him/her after some time. How long would it take you to recover from a meltdown? However long that is, give the autistic person even more time. Doing this graciously may help the autistic person rejoin the group later with minimal embarrassment. 

5. Though it may seem to a neurotypical person that the autistic person is unpleasantly inflexible, take a moment to remember all of the hurdles that person has had to cross in order to participate in the first place. Admire his/her bravery.

6. Treat the person with respect, and more importantly honor their right to participate.

7. If you find that it is too hard for you to work with a specific autistic person in a musical group, don't play with that person again. You might just be incompatible with that person, quite aside from his/her autism. Ideally, everyone should enjoy their chamber music experiences, so if you don't enjoy playing with someone, don't. But don't assume that the only reason you can't play with someone is that they are autistic. 

So, if you read the title of this post, you know that I think that whatever we do to accommodate autistic people is good for everybody. In the same way that adding visual supports to an elementary school classroom is good for everyone (not just the autistic child), in a chamber music group working hard to accommodate each other's needs is good for everyone. 

And of course my personal stake in this is that I want to ensure that in the future my sweet Singularity is able to take part in any activity he chooses.