Pearl Arts Launches New Music Therapy Initiatives
Pearl Arts is thrilled to launch two new music therapy programs at Pearl Street Arts Center in downtown Fort Wayne: Family Soundscapes and Rhythm Connect. Led by board-certified music therapist Ali Dencklau, MMT, both groups are thoughtfully designed to remove barriers to the arts and make creative expression open to all. By welcoming all communication, learning, and mobility styles, Pearl Arts ensures that every individual in our community has a safe, supportive space to express themselves without needing any prior musical experience.
Our hallmark group, Family Soundscapes, is an inclusive, family-centered program designed to bring families closer through rhythm, creativity, and shared experiences. In a warm and welcoming environment, families with children of all abilities are invited to explore drumming, percussion, movement, and improvisation. Each session offers interactive musical experiences that encourage communication, emotional expression, teamwork, and family bonding. Through group drumming and rhythmic games, families can strengthen relationships, build confidence, and discover new ways to connect beyond words. These sessions create beautiful opportunities for laughter and relaxation, ensuring families leave with shared memories, stronger connections, and a renewed sense of joy.
Complementing this exciting environment is Rhythm Connect, an inclusive, multigenerational music therapy group where family members, caregivers, friends, and peers of all ages come together to share the joy of live rhythm and sound. This dynamic, engaging session uses drums and percussion to build social bridges, enhance coordination, promote emotional well-being, and foster deep community connections. Each weekly session serves as a welcoming sanctuary for creative self-expression and pure fun. By joining this supportive circle, participants can look forward to a reliable source of weekly stress relief where every individual is warmly welcomed and celebrated.
These vital programs are made possible through the profound generosity of Windswell. Pearl Arts extends its deepest gratitude to Windswell for their transformational grant funding, which directly supports the program development, professional staffing, and specialized instruments required to bring these groups to life. This critical investment ensures that high-quality therapeutic arts experiences remain fully accessible to local Fort Wayne families, reinforcing our shared belief that the healing power of music belongs to everyone.
Ali Dencklau, MMT, MT-BC, is a board-certified music therapist dedicated to using person-centered, evidence-based, rhythmic and creative experiences to foster deep connection, emotional well-being, and personal growth for individuals of all ages and abilities.
“We love being part of the sessions. It is not about performing. It is about being present and enjoying the blessings only music can offer. Being captured in the rhythms of play, we discovered learning happens naturally and effortlessly, impacting both the behavior and core emotions as well. Ali is constantly offering new music, new songs, new games and keeping everything in a very structured tempo. We have been given the tools to navigate a wide variety of emotions. We are always looking forward to the next group. It has become such a treasured time!” —Raluca Vlagea
“Our sessions are sacred, and I feel protected when I walk in the room. It is a place where we can come exactly as we are, and leave everything at the door. Thank you for making space for us to just be, and for giving us permission and the opportunity to dig deep and reach the untouched or forgotten creative parts of us, and to share in that humanity and dignity together.” —Erika Marx
