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Loudoun Now: ‘A Will to Survive’: Music Therapists, Teen Rockers Take on Suicide in Rock Opera
Sep 29, 2016 When Ann-Charlotte Robinson’s son Will committed suicide in January at the age of 17, her longtime friend Tom Sweitzer felt a call to reach out to teens with a message of hope through music. With Robinson’s participation, Sweitzer, a well-known local music therapist and his colleague Cedric Dimapilis created a rock opera,…
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Loudoun Times-Mirror: Musical touring Loudoun County schools addresses suicide prevention
September 22, 2016 After reading aloud a letter Loudoun Valley High School student Will Robinson’s parents wrote to him at the teen’s funeral and seeing a crowd of his peers mourning his suicide in January, Middleburg music therapist Tom Sweitzer had an epiphany. He realized he had to create something that could bring hope to…
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Washington Post: Snowboarding accident robs a Virginia man of his voice. Music helps bring it back
August 2, 2014 Friends draped arms across one another’s shoulders and swayed as they listened to Forrest Allen sing. Some joined in softly, not wanting to drown him out. Some blinked back tears. They never expected him to survive the accident. They knew the effort it took that afternoon for Forrest to sing each note…