By Tim Wholf

Aging and Human Services celebrated Older Americans Month in May by hosting a Lunch & Learn series. The last event in that series was an Unspoken Symphony class where participants created a piece of art that was then turned into a musical melody.

I first became aware of Unspoken Symphony when I took a tour of a Johnson County Developmental Supports site. There was a wall of artwork with QR codes that allowed you to listen to music associated with the piece of art. To say the least, I was intrigued. I began thinking of ways to use Unspoken Symphony to help with social isolation and loneliness. Thus, the Lunch & Learn class was our introduction to the program.

“(Unspoken Symphony) is a great way for those with IDD (intellectual or developmental disabilities) to express themselves through art and music,” says Angela Austin, JCDS senior direct support professional. “It also gives them a sense of achievement when their art is displayed and enjoyed by many who sometimes want to purchase the art. That’s how great this program is! We love this program!”

Unspoken Symphony was created for all those who struggle to express themselves verbally. It began with a little girl named Riley and a commitment to understanding the challenges families face. Riley is living with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and tuberous sclerosis complex, two rare and severe forms of epilepsy that often cause seizures.

Riley’s never been able to speak. Her dad said: “It’s not easy to get to know someone who can’t talk. It teaches you to pay a lot more attention to little things.” His words inspired the idea for Unspoken Symphony.

Many children and adults who struggle to express themselves verbally often turn to art and music as a form of self-expression. Unspoken Symphony offers a unique way to bridge the two, creating a symphony of sound that gives voice to a resilient community.

It took a little bit of magic, a touch of inspiration (that came from Riley), and a team of experts working with Jazz Pharmaceuticals to build the breakthrough software behind Unspoken Symphony. The software analyzes the shapes, lines, brightness, contrast, dominant colors and density in each piece of art. It uses that information to determine the tempo, chords, musical style, timing and pitch for each melody created, so each one is unique.

Unspoken Symphony is for anyone who struggles to express themselves verbally, for families living with challenging conditions, and for anyone looking to connect through art and music. Anyone can create their unique piece. Simply upload your artwork on the website (unspokensymphony.com). Unspoken Symphony analyzes it and transforms it into sound. The result is an audible form of communication that never existed – until now.

Images of artwork on this page were created by Johnson County residents during the Lunch & Learn class and QR codes for each piece. Scan the QR code and experience the magic of Unspoken Symphony.

Tim Wholf is director of the Johnson County Department of Aging and Human Services.