Today we’d like to introduce you to Yue Wu.
Hi Yue. Can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Growing up as a concert pianist gave me a strong foundation in music performance, music education pedagogy, and music theory. My passion for music and desire to help others ultimately drew me to music therapy. In 2013, I moved to Colorado to begin graduate education in music therapy at Colorado State University, specializing in neurologic music therapy. This degree program led me to Minnesota to complete a music therapy hospital internship. I stayed in Minnesota, working as a music therapist and teaching artist at one of the US’s oldest and largest community music schools, the MacPhail Center for Music. This work with people with disabilities led me to a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science program from the University of Minnesota. My Ph.D. program allowed me to develop as a global scholar and further pursue my passion. During my study, I built a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2021, Light in the Well (lightinthewell.com), that combined my clinical experiences and research findings into practice.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Is there a thing called smooth road?! However, help is always on the way. When I first came to this country to study, I spent 3 times more time than my American peers reading and completing assignments. Help is always on the way. My peer students were so nice and encouraging, They included me in their circle, and we all studied together. I met my best friend by reviewing materials after each class. By studying together, she re-taught me everything. Being the only one in this country and far away from home has been hard. However, I made friends who adopted me into their families, and now I have families all over this country. I so appreciate the help that I got along the way. Although struggles are real, helps are always on the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next, you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Light in the Well is a multi-sensory event, weaving together symphony movements and the real-life stories of people with disabilities. Its purpose is to honor people with disabilities and their families by sharing their stories through music and sharing hope with those who are on the same journey. The project uses storytelling through music to build bridges between people with and without disabilities and invite all people into the conversation of hope. Instead of being the audience, people with disabilities are featured, telling their own stories, and performing with professional musicians.
The Light in the Well team envisions a future that embraces the diversity and inclusion of people with disabilities in society, whether in school, working, or simply living in the community. The vision of Light in the Well is: A world of kindness where people with and without disabilities learn from, appreciate, and embrace one another in our community. Its mission is: To bring people with and without disabilities together to enrich lives and influence culture, primarily through creative music experiences and storytelling, therapeutic intervention, education, and relationship building. This non-profit will continue to fund Light in the Well productions with our next published performance this coming October at the Landmark Center in St. Paul.
To learn more about Light in the well, please visit: https://www.lightinthewell.com/
What matters most to you?
Hope. I interviewed many families affected by disabilities, and all the families shared a similar emotional journey. They described that being affected by disabilities feels like living in a well. It’s dark, cold, and lonely, and they feel stuck. However, there is light in the well. The Light is hope. Hope is what keeps us going and gets us through tough times. Light in the Well will share this hope with others, especially families in developing countries where social services and interventions are not as well developed as it is here.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lightinthewell.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightinthewell/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lightinthewell
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHnM1ZhG8cIgnruix5qsPzQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@lightinthewell
Image Credits
Carlos Anguita (performance photos) Carolyn Kester (flyers)
