Everett Bradley has served as the volunteer musical director for the Stuttering Association for the Young since its inception, providing songwriting workshops, singing and drumming techniques, performance, and recording. This AEP collaboration gave Everett the time to delve even deeper into these musical skill sets such that students could take these skills into their entire lives, as they improved on their speaking, performing, writing, and problem solving strategies. Everett helped to re-launch SAY’s afterschool Songwriting Project after a COVID-hiatus, leading a songwriting intensive at the overnight summer camp, Camp SAY. Participants worked with Everett and SAY’s teaching artists to learn basic music composition, thematic expression, and singing techniques, as well as spoken word pieces. Because of their disability, children who stutter are typically denied the opportunity to participate in any kind of vocal artistic mediums. Seeing people like themselves breaking down barriers and performing a song for the public can be extremely profound.

SAY: The Stuttering Association for the Young is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides support, advocacy, and life-changing programs for young people who stutter, ages 3-18.