April

2024

Hello –

As we welcome April, we are proud to celebrate National Arab American Heritage Month, a month dedicated to recognizing the invaluable contributions of Arab Americans to our history. This year's theme, Celebrating Arab American Resilience and Diversity, highlights the strength and rich tapestry of cultures within the Arab American community.

From Danny Thomas, the renowned actor and philanthropist, to Steve Jobs (yes, the founder of Apple was the son of a Syrian refugee!), and from supermodel Gigi Hadid to Academy Award-winning actor Rami Malek, Arab Americans have played a significant role in shaping the cultural, social, and economic landscape of our nation. Their diverse voices and resilience in the face of challenges have enriched our society in countless ways.

At NMTS, we stand in solidarity with our Arab American community members and honor their heritage, traditions, and remarkable achievements. I hope you take this opportunity to learn about the diverse contributions of Arab Americans to the culture and history of the United States. And to get you started, I highly recommend watching this hilarious TED Talk called "I've got 99 problems...palsy is just one" by disability activist and comedian Maysoon Zayid, who talks openly about her experiences living with cerebral palsy. Maysoon is proof that diversity is a source of strength, and that by embracing and celebrating our differences we can truly foster a culture of inclusion and respect for all individuals.

Manal Toppozada, Executive Director and Founder

  • A close up picture of a Mardi Gras mask hanging on a pillar. It is decorated with light and strings of beads in different colors.

    'An Evening in New Orleans' Volunteer and Donor Appreciation Event

  • The NoteAbles band plays in front of the crowd.

  • A picture of the prize table at the event. There are bottles of wine and liquor that are decorated with beads. Several papers are displayed that show vacation packages that were up for grabs.

  • The audience sits amidst a New Orlean style decorated auditorium. Lights swirl around the pillars standing in the room and droopy plants hang from the ceiling. Masks and beads are everyone and the overhead lights are low.

  • Eric is mid song, holding a guitar, serenading the audience.

  • A long table is decorated with beads, candles, and tiny tea lights down the center of it. Plants and very small versions of trees also adorn it, hiding little treasures the staff has left as gifts.

  • A woman smiles looking off camera. She is holding one of the masks meant for decoration to her face, cover her eyes with it.

Dena holds a drum out to a young girl who smiles at Dena while she holds two drumsticks.
Imani is helping too young boys make egg shakers.

NMTS In the Community

Note-Able Music Therapy Services likes to go out into the community and spread the joy of music. We recently went to the Discovery Museum to be part of their Mind Matters Exhibit, and attended the Boys and Girls Club’s Biggest Little Egg Hunt and Resource Fair to help kiddos make their very own egg shakers so they can make music wherever they go!

Friday Fun Nights!

We hosted our first Friday Fun Night at NMTS on March 29th. Performers, friends, and family gathered to show off their talent and cheer each other on at an Open Mic Night. We had an absolute blast!

If you missed this one, don't worry! We will be hosting Friday Fun Nights on the last Friday of every month. April’s event is a Movie Singalong on 4/26 from 5:30-6:45pm. Check out our calendar for all of this year’s events.

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

  • Join us for a favorite music-filled movie for this Friday Fun Night event. Yes! There will be singing!

    Event ends at 6:45 p.m. Pick up is no later than 7 p.m.

    Everyone is welcome to join, anyoneunder 18 must be accompanied by an adult. The event is free with a suggested donation of $5.

    We hope to see you there!!

  • NMTS will be partnering with Sparks Rotary for their 2024 ‘Rotarians at Work’ day, and everyone is invited to join in the fun! We will be cleaning up the NMTS grounds while enjoying the sunshine and getting to know the NMTS community. Exact details will be announced by mid-April.

See our full Calendar of Events by clicking below:

Staff Playlist - April

Imani: Noah Kahan, Hozier - Northern Attitude
When we talk about lyricist, we have to talk about Noah Kahn and Hozier. Some music is about the beat, the rhythm and some are made for the feeling you get when you just listen to the words. This is one of those songs.

Manal: Yusuf / Cat Stevens - Where Do The Children Play?
Tea for the Tillerman is one of my favorite albums and it was re-released in 2020 with reimagined recordings of the songs. This song was written in 1970 as a caution against destroying the world without thinking about the children. It's sad and haunting and feels even more relevant today than it was 50 years ago.

Alice: Lindsey Stirling - Eye of the Untold Her
The song I want to share for April is Eye Of The Untold Her by Lindsey Stirling. It's her newest song from her latest upcoming album. The music video on youtube is so powerful because shows her resilience to the criticism she received 14 years ago on America's Got Talent, and it goes through her career up until now to show that even if people say you're not good enough that you are good enough, which is an inspiring message.

Cony: Lee Brice - One Of Them Girls
This song to me is for when you are just having fun and going dancing with your girlfriend. Your energy is on and you’re having fun (who knows, you may even attract a dance partner!)

Wendy: Rainbow Girls - Angel from Montgomery
The original Angel from Montgomery was great, but I really like this Rainbow Girls version. Their harmonies are impeccable.

Nate: Kokoroko - Home
As soon as the guitar starts, I feel a sense of nostalgia and warmth.  The way you remember how the sun feels in Spring and how home feels like it's just the right place to be. As one comment in the YouTube section puts it, this song "feels like the healing process."

Elizabeth: Tierra Wack - Whack World
Okay so this is technically a whole album, but each song is 60 seconds in length. Tierra Whack is a phenomenal musician. She plays with rhythm, melody, and lyrics to create an experience. She seeks to "make hip-hop weird again." Her music makes me feel happy, sad, lonely and connected. 

Eric: Allison Ponthier - Harshest Critic
Recently I have been being pretty critical of myself and I love how the message of this song points out that everyone is their own worst critic. I also love the ethereal background noises combined with a heavily reverbed guitar that give an empty, lonely kind of feeling to the music.

Sam: Etta Jones - If I Had You
My song choice is "If I Had You" by Etta Jones. This song reminds me of my loved ones and it brings peace to me in times of uncertainty.

Dena: Mindless Self Indulgence - Lights Out
I took my 11-year-old niece to dinner last night and she was playing me music she likes in the car on the way. This is her favorite song right now. It's pretty rad (and now I'm dating myself) that she's into a 90s punk band from when I was in high school. Proving, again, how music connects us. 🖤🤘🎸

March Thank Yous

Thank you to our March donors:

Jeffrey Alexander, Shannon Beets, Kendra Bertschy, David Bianchi, Susan Boner, Kaley Braun, Kendall Caster, City of Reno Arts and Culture, Sara Danta, Theresa Desautels, Robert Duste, Cheryl Eckert, John & Wendy Firestone, Pat Fried, CeCelia Gable, Rachel Gattuso, Amy Ginder, Britton Griffith, Carrie Harding, Beverly Hennen, Michael & Stephanie Hix, Brian Huff, Andy Hughes, Jacob Johnson, Lucille Knight, Blake London, Connor London, Brad and Trudy Lund, Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Lynda Mahorter, Braden Martin, Jeanette Martin, Sophie Moeller, Judith Louise Monson, Anthony Murray, Pam Miller Russell, Jeff Sisco, Susan Smith, Jeannie Steinman, Chris Stewart, Dean and Laurel Sweigart, The Virgil, Geilan Toppozada, Ken and Doreen Vogel, Don Welsh, Jonathan Wilson

Extra thanks to our monthly giving crew:

Barb Anderson, Dodie Bryant, Michelle Burke, Jody Call, Skyler Dillon, Leslie Doukas, Tiffany Dunseath, MaryLee Fulkerson, Heather Gage, Rachel Gattuso, Mary Jo Gieseke, Karen Golonka, Beverly Hennen, Jonathan Hickox-Young, Andy Hughes, Dina Hunsberger, Sandy Jacob, Ana Johnson, Nadia Khan, Lucille Knight, Michael Lahnala, Deanna Lyons, Pam Macy, LuAnn Miller, Pauline Mooers, Jordan Nakao, Meghan Ochs, Rikki Powers, Lisa A Rizzoli, Jake Steinman, Judith Stewart, Jennifer Tibben & Sharon Hickox, Sarah Toney, Jonathan Wilson, Sandra Young, Tim Young

Thank you to our volunteers: 

Katie Amorelli, Kendra Bertschy, Jeff Bloyd, Kendall Caster, Char Choate, Cheryl Eckert, Mark Geeson, Mike Hix, Andy Hughes, Aaron Kirkpatrick, Michael Lahnala, Blake London, Conner London, Laura Matushek, Greg McNie, Diana Medina, Chris Middleton, Miguel Morales, Jordan Nakao, Ally Perez, Whitney Pomi, Pat Ragains, Patti Rodriguez, Becca Shipley, Dave Stockman, Ken Vogel, Ethan Ware, Tembra Wright-Hay

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