PRINCETON — Having a disability doesn’t mean all the world is closed off. By learning how to create music, people coping with blindness, autism and other conditions soon learn they have a way to touch all the people around them.

Through a program of the Center for Excellence in Disabilities at WVU, Stages Music School in Princeton can now offer free music lessons to disabled adults and children in the Mercer County area, said Kellan Sarles, public information specialist for Mercer County Schools.

Stages’s director, Melissa McKinney, said the school teaches piano, guitar, bass, drums, and voice. Eligible individuals — those for whom a disability substantially limits function in at least three life areas — can take lessons at no cost. The grant will also purchase instruments for students with verifiable financial need.

“I’ve been teaching children since I moved from North Carolina about 10 years ago,” McKinney said. “I’ve worked with children with autism and with varied disabilities. I’ve had a blind piano student, a young 8-years-old. It’s my belief the music is very healing to anybody, so this is a great way to get some kids and adults in here who have always thought they might like to play an instrument. Kind of gives them a push to come on in here and give it a try.”

And having a disability doesn’t prevent a person from learning to play a musical instrument or sing. McKinney recalled how her blind piano student excelled.

“It was wonderful, it was amazing. When you have a disability, all your other senses are enhanced. His ear for music well surpassed anybody that age I had ever seen before,” she said.

Learning to play music also helps to build self-esteem, she said.

“Well, number one, it gives them confidence, and this is for anybody. It gives you confidence to be able to pick up an instrument and be able to play or sing, and we encourage interaction. A guitar player with a drummer, a piano player with a singer. It’s a bridge to interaction with other people in a positive way,” McKinney said. “I really think the biggest thing I can see these kids gaining is confidence in their skills and in their abilities and in themselves.”

Stages teaches guitar, base, vocal and piano, she said.

Funded through a federal grant administered by the W.Va. Division of Rehabilitative Services, the WVU Center for Excellence developed a program called ROMPP — “Real Opportunities Make People Productive.”

According to Helen Panzironi, Coordinator for the WVU Center, the program aims to support artists who have disabilities so they may achieve their goals for the future, whether interested in the arts as a profession, hobby or just for exploration. The essence of this program involves increasing access to community resources to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the fine arts.

Panzironi said the program has been in place for five years but the funding has varied.

“My funding is not unlimited, but right now I have some money to spend,” she said. “The program is offered state-wide, and participation is on a first-come, first-served basis.”

McKinney said she was enthusiastic about her music school and what it can offer students.

“We have developed a family here,” she said. “We work very hard to create a safe, positive environment in which learners can accept and encourage each other’s efforts. We acknowledge that every child is unique and we promote self-esteem and respect for others in every aspect of the learning process.”

To date, Stages is the only private music school in this area taking advantage of the program. Panzironi said other instructors, including those giving private lessons, could also participate.

For more information, contact Melissa McKinney, Stages Music School at 304-425- 7529. For information about ROMPP, contact the Center for Excellence in Disabilities at 877-724-8244 or TTY 800-518-1448.