Celebrating the Spectrum (Autism Awareness: retrospective inside)
| Hi -Do you know anyone on the autism spectrum? April is World Autism Awareness Month! If you’ve been part of my musical community for a while, you might know the song “Not So Different,” an anthem for awareness, acceptance, and love that I wrote, prompted by my friend Vanessa and her two children on the spectrum. I interviewed a variety of people with family members on the spectrum to truly get their perspective for the lyrics. And I drew inspiration from my own childhood with my amazing Aunt Linda, who was not labeled autistic, as such labels were not yet so clearly defined then, but she was a whimsical, fascinating, loving, mischievous and special lady who had a profound effect on my love and curiosity for people who process and see the world differently than I do. As we’re mid-April, I thought I’d share a little retrospective of Not So Different, sent with love to you if you are on the spectrum, or to your loved ones, friends, and colleagues who are (feel free to forward this email to them and express your appreciation and acknowledgment for them!) THE ORIGINAL “NOT SO DIFFERENT” The original “Not So Different” came out in 2016, with a video featuring Jac Laurita of Real Housewives, Cheryl Wills of NY1 News, and a cast of children both on and off the spectrum playing together. Produced with Daniel Neiden and crowdfunded by fans like you, the video grew quickly, and now has over 160,000 views and hundreds of comments from people around the world! See It Here. PLAYING AND TEACHING WITH AUTISM GROUPS As the song spread, invitations came in to perform the song for organizations, benefits, and autism communities. My band and I have been fortunate to perform the song for Music for Autism, The Help Group, Saratoga Bridges and many more…but one of my favorite collaborations was with Wildwood School, where I led multiple classes in a “Not So Different” themed experience of movement, percussion, and visual art. Wildwood School captured the day on video, and it still makes me tear up to see the creativity and joy music can bring. RECORDING + PERFORMING THE SONG WITH THE GOO GOO DOLLS Then the craziest thing happened…professor Armand Petri of SUNY Fredonia called me up and asked “Hey, if I could get the Goo Goo Dolls and my friends from 10,000 Maniacs to re-cut this song with you, would you be up for that?” Thus began the incredible journey of Not So Different, recorded with the Goo Goo Dolls and Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs, released on Hail Fredonia Records (Listen to that version… so different than the original!) Even better, we performed a release concert to a sold-out crowd at Buffalo State University, and almost the whole audience already knew the song and sang the chorus “Heeyy yeaahs” with us…I think it’s one of the only times I’ve cried onstage. EVEN BETTER, that concert raised over $25,000 for the Institute for Autism Research at Canisius College. Concert footage here! People sometimes ask me, why do you think Not So Different connected with people? And I think it’s because it expresses a simple sentiment, one that is universal: We all want to be loved and accepted as we are, not asked to change to “fit in” or make others comfortable. We all want this. It’s sometimes hard to define, and sometimes even harder to extend it to others, but feeling like there is space, allowing, for our being, is what makes us feel safe and allows us to try things, take risks, creatively express, show our vulnerability and expect that we will be loved for it, rather than hurt or punished for it. SING IT WITH US AT OUR LIVE SHOWS! We continue to perform “Not So Different”, and the best part is when you sing it along with us, like at Caffe Lena during The Saratoga Sessions release concert here. That’s Jim Mastrianni on guitar, Todd Hanhurst on drums, Mike Cassels on bass 🙂We donate the sales/streams of the song to Autism groups, so if you are part of one or work with one, reply and get it on our radar!! Thanks for reading, thanks for sharing, and wishing you and your loved ones a beautiful, peaceful, and fun Autism Awareness Month.Xo Cassandra |
| Add your voice to “Not So Different”: leave a comment on the video and share it for World Autism Awareness Month |
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