VIBES Fine & Performing Arts

We’re at David Street Station’s Back to School night! Come by to say hello!

To celebrate back to school, we’re giving away a back to school goodie bag for all that your student would need to bring music into their life this school year. To enter, all you have to do is follow our Facebook or Instagram, and comment below what instrument you would learn this school year. ⬇️

A winner will be picked on August 25th!

This week, we were invited to participate in group music therapy sessions at The Arc of Natrona County's ARC camp on Casper Mountain! Campers participated in shared music-making experiences designed to promote social-emotional and interpersonal skills. We're so happy to bring music therapy to the ARC camp, and we're so thankful to be a part of it!

That's not failing - that's learning, with style!

By participating in Kindermusik, all areas of social-emotional development are positively impacted. Confidence, curiosity, and self-regulation are all given opportunities to shine and grow within your child. All of these, and more, are needed to be a good friend, and who wouldn't want a friend like that? Join us for our "You've Got a Friend In Me" Kindermusik camp, where you and your child will participate in a learning experience of singing, moving, and instrument exploration while making new friends! You'll see them grow to infinity and beyond!

August registration is open now! Spots are limited; register today to secure your spot! 🤩

Kindermusik Classes Casper, WY - VIBES Fine & Performing Arts In every Kindermusik class, your child is welcomed into a playful and nurturing environment where they will sing, move, play instruments, and hear stories. Our research-based curriculum focuses on development of the whole-child and helps you understand how your child is developing musically, cognit

Check out this opportunity for your child's extracurricular activities this school year! Beyond Limits Wyoming is looking to eliminate barriers to a child's involvement in sports, arts, music, and more! Find more information in the post below or visit their website/page to learn more. Applications close JULY 31st!

I’m going to be completely honest...

I expected more applications by this point.

Not because Beyond Limits Wyoming isn’t reaching families—we’ve received wonderful applications—but because I know there are so many kids in our community who could benefit from extracurricular activities, and I worry that some families simply don’t know we’re here or assume they won’t qualify.

So I’m asking for one favor.
Would you please share this post? 🧡

A few important reminders:
• We help K–12 students participate in extracurricular activities.

• If it’s offered in Casper, we want kids to have access—sports, dance, music, theater, robotics, STEM, martial arts, horseback riding, art, and so much more.

• Applications are 100% private and confidential. Whether anyone knows your family received assistance is entirely your choice.

• Applications are currently open for Fall 2026 activities (August–December).

• You can apply at beyondlimitswyoming.org.

My hope has always been simple: that every child has the opportunity to discover what they love, regardless of their family’s financial situation.

If you know a family who could benefit, please share this with them. 🧡🧡🤟🏻🧡

Beyondlimitswyoming.org

We're thrilled to announce our new music therapy partnership with Among Friends Adult Day Center and our longtime friends at Wyoming Dementia Care! Among Friends will be bringing group music therapy sessions to their families twice a week, sponsored by Wyoming Dementia Care. Our music therapy supervisor, Zane Rutledge, describes the benefits of music therapy for our aging populations and what they can expect to engage in during their weekly sessions.

Additionally, WyOGives, a yearly donation event for nonprofits across the state, opens tomorrow! If you're able, a donation to our friends at Wyoming Dementia Care or Mercer Family Resource Center helps provide not only music therapy services to the community through fiscal sponsorship, but also allows them to continue to serve their mission to the community through other avenues. You can search for both organizations at www.wyogives.org

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Music therapists have long watched a familiar song help individuals connect with the people and world around them while unearthing long-forgotten memories. All the while, the cognitive and emotional work taking place is presented simply as musical play and social interaction. This is the heart of VIBES’ music therapy program at Among Friends Adult Day Center serving individuals living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Music has a unique relationship with the brain and memory. Language and memory fade as diseases like Alzheimer’s progress, but the brain’s ability to respond to music is typically preserved and often enhanced. Music therapists utilize this response to encourage movement, singing, and storytelling when previously these skills were inaccessible. In these moments, music serves as a bridge to identity, emotion, and memories of the past that were previously forgotten.

Music therapy in these settings is built around small-group sessions that use live singing, movement to music, and reminiscence to create successful experiences regardless of the progression of their disease. Music for each session is specially chosen to evoke strong feelings and memories of earlier years. Hymns, big band standards, folk songs, and childhood classics related to a client’s early adulthood are chosen because personally meaningful music produces the strongest and most reliable cognitive responses. Using music, the music therapists are able to leverage the heightened response to music to increase the lucidity, engagement, and recall of the patient.

The medical and mental health benefits extend well beyond an afternoon, and in most instances are shown to persist up to a week after the session. Research shows that music therapy for individuals with dementia can reduce anxiety and agitation, improve cognition and memory, and even encourage more effective verbal communication. Additionally, isolation proves to be a significant exacerbator of these symptoms. Using music intervention in a group setting helps to reduce this isolation by providing opportunities for socialization, intergroup validation, and collaborative music making. Perhaps most powerfully, music often opens a channel for emotional expression and connection with loved ones when words no longer come easily.

For families, this program offers a way to share an experience with someone they love, even as the disease progresses. For participants, it offers dignity, joy, and connection to the people and world around us. In these small, often playful moments, music therapists help people hold onto the parts of themselves that music refuses to let go of.
- Zane Rutledge

Happy Parade Day! Thank you for coming out to the parade, Casper! Your support today was amazing - maybe the best crowd the Drumline has ever played for. We’re so grateful to play for you and your families!

VIBES is closed for the 4th of July from June 29th to July 5th. All lessons, classes, and music therapy sessions will resume as scheduled on Monday, July 6th. If you have an enrollment issue or change, please contact VIBES before July 1st to ensure changes are made before billing is processed. Check your emails for more information.

Have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!

The Amplify Youth Fest at David Street Station was a blast! Thank you to everyone who came out to play music or to support a musician - VIBES or otherwise. Check out the story for videos, and Wyoming Out Loud for more pictures of the wonderful musicians! Thank you to David Street Station for having us!