Driven by a personal passion for a cause, armed with teaching skills developed through her background in social work, autism training, behaviour management and using her own musical talents, Sasha Brathwaite founded the "Let’s Jam" Percussive & Creative Movement Program in 2011. An Educator for the York Catholic District School Board in the Special Education and Functional Life Skills Department, Sasha has over 15 years of experience working with children and adults challenged by developmental and behavioral disorders. Sasha provides support to students in a classroom setting with outstanding leadership, expertise, and enthusiasm in preparing, implementing, and developing strategies for students with various special needs. Also, Sasha is a percussionist and has been playing and performing since 2003.
Her sister Camille has Autism and is non-verbal. Sasha discovered unexpected benefits while sharing her musical gifts with her sister in an intimate setting; noticing significant improvement in areas of focus; ability to follow direction; attentive listening; and an overall calmer demeanor when Sasha and Camille played music together, and so Camille was very instrumental in the development of the Let’s Jam Program. "Lets Jam" enriches student learning beyond the standard scope by unleashing creative abilities to make classes more fun.
Sasha works closely with her Assistant volunteer Pradeep Verghese in developing a unique approach in utilizing drum therapy to promote inclusiveness, self-esteem, emotional wellness, social skills, behaviour management and more. In addition, this program is a vehicle in community outreach and has proven its value in various settings by helping members of the community with special needs, while removing social barriers and creating opportunities for inclusiveness.
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