“In a rural area, if you want something you have to start it,” said Dara Hart Riley as she sits crosslegged on a circular rug that would soon be filled with children gathering for a music class.
As a musician and a mother from Floyd County, Kentucky, the idea to start offering music classes in Eastern Kentucky came after she saw Kindermusik classes online years ago. After learning there was nothing available locally, she jokes that she “accidentally started a business.”
In 2018, after about a year of training in Kindermusik, she began teaching classes, incorporating her education in yoga and writing her own songs as well. It soon shifted from weekly sessions traveling around Floyd, Magoffin, Letcher and Martin Counties to classes in a rented brick and mortar studio. But then the pandemic came, and so did some significant health challenges for Dara.
Dara was diagnosed with MOGAD, an autoimmune disorder, in 2021. Soon after, she lost the ability to walk, speak fluently, and use her hands due to brain and spinal lesions. It also created memory issues. She had to go through extensive therapy. It was through this process she gained insight into what children with learning or physical disabilities need, and she saw the vision for what her classes could be.
“Around here, many services and places are not accessible. It’s like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Many families with disabilities or chronic illnesses are often unable to find extra curricular activities that fit their needs.”
Dara shifted her classes to be more inclusive. The Kent Rose Foundation, a local nonprofit, provided funding for adaptable instruments, such as hand grippers for drum mallets and sensory stepping stones.
“I’ve found that the needs I have are needs similar to those of many others in our community: connection, family and friendship, inclusiveness, accommodation, understanding, belonging.”
Despite this exciting new direction, Dara said she still felt a bit lost.
“The overwhelm of picturing a brighter vision for my work held me back,” she explained. “What I truly needed to rekindle the fire was direction.”
“With the help of Carla Gover through the Mountain Association’s Business Support program, I’ve come to pin exactly which direction I needed to take my business. And I’ve been shown the tools I need to sustain this dream for the long run.”
Fast forward to Spring 2024, as we sit together before the class, Dara shares that she is finally ready to move into what she hopes will be her forever studio near her home in Floyd County. To celebrate this new beginning, she also announced a new business name that truly embodies what her classes are like: Joyful Jams.
Dara and Carla have been working on this complete rebrand and rethinking for the past several months. Carla is assisting her with building a new website that offers membership and other payment options. At the same time as this work, Dara will be moving into the new studio, which will feature a chill out room for over stimulated kiddos, a changing room, safety barriers to prevent elopement, and more. She said most of her classes include about half neurotypical kids and half neurodivergent, whether it be Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, or other disabilities.
“I love that can now serve families with issues similar to mine,” Dara said, standing up as she prepares to start the class with a “bumble bee breath.”
Eastern Kentucky seems to be experiencing an inclusion revolution as more parents work together to build community and expanded options. We recently wrote about Prestonsburg’s autism and sensory friendly movement here, and hope to continue to feature more examples of inclusion. Please write with any ideas: ariel@mtassociation.org.
