Ridgewood High School graduate shares his music in village schools
Thursday December 27, 2012, 4:51 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Just watch local musician Andrew Nieporent play the guitar and sing at a local coffee shop, and his passion for music is obvious.
Andrew Nieporent shares his love of music with Ridgewood students.
It’s no wonder. Music helped Nieporent come into his own far before there was an in-district program like Ridgewood Intensive Services (RISe) to help kids with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs).
Even though it wasn’t easy dealing with Asperger’s syndrome, an ASD that can cause delays in the development of certain skills, Nieporent, 26, has clearly prevailed.
After three years of work, “Butterfly,” his first full-length album with his band Andrew Nieporent and the Nonspecifics, came out in August. He also graduated Ramapo College last May with bachelor’s degrees in communications and music.
Now, he is helping other people on the autism spectrum succeed in Ridgewood. He has worked for the past four months as a teacher’s aide with the RISe program at Benjamin Franklin Middle School (BF).
The program, which has gradually grown since it began with one class in 2003, offers students with an ASD at BF, Glen School, Ridge School and George Washington Middle School (GW) the opportunity to attend regular education classes when appropriate, according to Supervisor of Special Programs Kerry Huntington.
Each Friday, Nieporent teaches music to his three students. His future goal is to become a music therapist for children with autism.