Before enrolling her daughter in piano lessons, Kristen Lazoya struggled to find activities that felt accessible and supportive. For her 15-year-old daughter Sofie, who has severe autism and apraxia, even simple coordinative tasks—like touching her thumb to her pointer finger—were a challenge. Now, after taking lessons at Bull City Music School in Durham, Lazoya has seen noticeable changes.

“She has great fine motor skills now and is really good at reading the music and being able to take what she reads and then have that translate to a certain finger position,” Lazoya said.

Now, Sofie has learned how to play piano with both hands and is currently learning how to play with a pedal. 

For families like the Lazoyas, finding an inclusive space where children of all abilities can learn and grow is not always easy. At Bull City Music School, that need is at the center of its mission.

Bull City Music School is redefining music education in Durham by centering cultural representation, accessibility and individualized learning for students of all backgrounds and abilities.

Founded by Jeanetta Powell in 2017, the school offers programs from early childhood classes like petite piano and petite violin to adult instruction. It also provides specialized lessons for neurodiverse students, all within a curriculum designed to reflect the identities and experiences of its community.

Powell said her path to opening the school was shaped by both her professional and personal experiences. After moving to Durham about 15 years ago from Memphis, Tennessee, and working in the Durham public school system, she decided to pursue her own vision for music education.

She noticed a lack of cultural representation in traditional music education classrooms, which shaped how she designed the school’s curriculum.

“Our culture is our curriculum,” Powell said.

African-American culture is embedded in the curriculum, but all cultures are celebrated. Powell said her goal is to ensure students see themselves reflected in what they learn while also exposing them to both the classics and a broader range of musical traditions across cultures.

“Everybody is welcome to come and study,” Powell said. “I tell people it’s like when you go into a Chinese food restaurant. You see elements of their culture there, and they do not change their culture because I walk in as an African-American woman. No one should have to temper their culture to make others feel accepted.”

The school’s curriculum is structured in two parts: the first semester focuses on foundational skills and classical training, leading up to their fundraising Musical Nutcracker showcase. The second introduces genres such as blues, jazz, gospel and rock, leading up to the preparation of their annual Sounds of Summer concert, which will be on June 20th this year.

Powell said financial barriers should not prevent students from participating. The school supports scholarships through a nonprofit initiative called the Brown Sugar Music Project, which raises awareness for underrepresented composers, showcases the talents of girls of color, and teaches leadership skills that extend beyond music.

The school has also expanded its programming to include neurodiverse students, an area Powell said continues to grow. These programs serve students with a range of needs, including autism and dyslexia, and are designed to provide individualized instruction.

“When a child sits in front of me, I look at who that child is and what they can do,” Powell said. “I was able to read the IEP, knowing what I am working with with the child and what those goals are, and then I was able to design the music lesson around that.”

That individualized approach has led to both developmental and social growth. Lazoya said music has been therapeutic for her daughter, giving her new ways to express herself and connect with others.

“You’re giving them another language,” Lazoya said. “You’re giving them music. And so you’re giving them another way to communicate with their families, with their peers, with just the world.”

Another parent, Bianca Smith, said the school has helped her 4-year-old daughter build confidence, adding that Powell creates a welcoming environment by taking time to get to know each student and their family.

“We went and met with Miss Jeanetta, and it was an immediate click,” Smith said. “It’s been a really good fit ever since the first day.”

For longtime parent Leanna Collins, the impact has been more long-term.

“Jeanetta has been integral in our daughter’s musical development and nurturing her spirit of tenacity and refinement,” Collins said. “She has become an aunt figure with a genuine connection with our daughter and family. She does not stop with the music but is interested in our daughter’s overall development and who she is becoming as a productive and compassionate human.”

Collins added that her daughter has also gained a supportive community of peers built on acceptance and kindness.

Lazoya said the school’s impact extends to the broader Durham community. Unlike franchise music schools, Bull City Music School is a small, locally rooted business.

“I think with all the gentrification and stuff that goes on in Durham, it’s really exciting to be part of something so homegrown and something so organic,” Lazoya said. “This feels like it truly grew out of Durham.”

Lazoya recommends that other autistic families come give it a shot. She said it’s easy to be afraid of failing, especially with an audience, but the Bull City Music School is a supportive environment. 

“If you go to Bull City Music School in the Little Luminaries program and your child has a meltdown, you’re somewhere that is knowledgeable of why they’re having a meltdown,” Lazoya said. “They’re going to understand the sensory thing going on, and Jeanetta is going to be supportive.”

Powell said her broader goal is to expand the role of music education within the community.

“It is not one of these things that it is one and done. It is something that grows within a child from the time that they are an infant into life,” Powell said. 

She said the arts also play a role in fostering cultural understanding and appreciation. Powell described the arts as an entry to seeing the beauty of the world.

Looking ahead, Powell said she hopes to collaborate with researchers to better understand the impact of music on neurodiverse students.

“I would love to work with UNC’s TEACCH unit or those that really study autism,” she said. “I would love to call them in and let them see the work that I am doing with my students so that they can add the scientific part to it.”