"The Wellsongs Project: Songs and Stories of Inspiration" is a musical project created by Dr. Michael Pizzi, an occupational therapist and Equity actor, designed to inspire and empower children with special needs and their families through music and song. Dr. Pizzi and various composers have taken the interviews of the children and families and created an individualized song for each child, making him/her feel special and honored – essentially giving voice to the voiceless. The project is designed to give voice to those who are marginalized, and those deserving to have a voice in the world. A special concert was presented at The York theatre in NYC as a unique event sharing the amazing compositions of all the original songs, sung by Broadway artists – a truly unforgettable experience.
Please watch some of the videos of the songs and look for our upcoming Facebook tributes to each child, the CD of the compositions, and stay tuned for an upcoming original musical about these very special children and their families.
If you are someone involved or working with a child with a special need and interested in having us compose a song for that child, contact Dr. Michael Pizzi at 347-385-4207 or mptouchinghumanity@gmail.com
If you wish to donate to the project, please contact Dr. Pizzi!
Testimonials
"Before this project, I didn’t realize how music transformed my child into one who can actually move to the beat but also can utter some words of the song! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. – Ray’s mom (Ray has echolalia, where he repeats the last phrase he heard. The project helped him utter new phrases without echoing)
When you were interviewing my child, I didn’t know she had all that bottled up inside her. Then the song was spot on and told us who she really was. It opened up our minds and hearts. – Ariana’s parents (Ariana became physically and cognitively challenged after an accident at a friend’s home. She has an amazing spirit and a resilient soul)
I love my song!!" – Ammoni (a child with developmental disabilities who rarely speaks spontaneously)
"Thank you for this project. We want the world to know more about children with special needs – their joys and struggles – and this project helps get that word out. Our children are only less able to do things other kids do – and disability does not mean INability. We hope the project continues to share that message" – ALL of the parents who volunteered for The Wellsongs Project
"This project is something I want to do for the rest of my life. When I started it, I didn’t realize the positive and empowering impact it would have on the child, let alone the parents and care providers. I am extremely grateful to each of those children and families who gave me and my team much more than we could have provided them. Here’s to giving voice to the voiceless through song!" – Michael Pizzi, PhD
