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DocuSign Envelope ID: 571863E8-F892-43F0-B73F-4AB062ACBOBF XHIBIT A <br /> PROVIDER'S OUTSIDE AGENCY APPLICATION <br /> 2. AGENCY INFORMATION (Be Very Brief and Concise) <br /> Please provide the following information about your agency (2 pages OR LESS): <br /> a) Years in Operation, Date of Incorporation (Month/Year): Nine years in operation, <br /> Date of Incorporation: March 06, 2007 <br /> b) Agency's Purpose/Mission (no more than a few sentences): The mission of Voices <br /> Together is to empower individuals with developmental disabilities to transform their <br /> lives. Voices Together address critical life skills that enable students to make a <br /> healthy transition to an independent adulthood. <br /> c) Types of Services the Agency Provides (bullet format): <br /> • Voices Together in the Community: programming for individuals in the <br /> community <br /> • Voices Together in Education: programming for students in special education <br /> classrooms <br /> • Voices Youth Connection: programming for individuals who are at-risk for <br /> emotional trauma and behavioral issues. <br /> Using a specialized music therapy approach, Board Certified Music Therapists use music as <br /> a tool to help improve social, cognitive, and emotional health to effect positive change in <br /> people's lives. <br /> Agency's History with Providing These Services: For a decade, Voices Together has <br /> provided weekly programming for students across seven districts in Central North Carolina. <br /> Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish <br /> non-musical goals. Public schools, agency administrators, and academic partners have all <br /> labeled Voices Together a best practice. Last spring, June Atkinson, the State <br /> Superintendent of NC Public Schools wrote, "Students with exceptional needs struggle with <br /> language, socialization and emotional development, which directly impact their ability to <br /> learn. Across our state, the number of children with intellectual disabilities continues to <br /> increase and teachers are struggling to find new and innovative methods to support these <br /> students and help them gain critical functional skills they need in their classrooms and in <br /> their daily lives. Voices Together is a dynamic best practice and offers unique tools for <br /> teaching critical skills to our students. It offers new ways for our teachers to teach and for <br /> our students to learn." <br /> In 2014, Voices Together began a strong collaborative partnership with Dr. Geraldine <br /> Dawson of Duke University. Bass Connections, a Duke research team, worked to measure <br /> the efficacy of the Voices Together program in public school special education <br /> classrooms. Findings of the 2014-15 study were published in the journal Autism Research <br /> and Treatment: https:OOwww.hindawi.com0iournals0aurt02016012647900 <br /> The study in 2015-16 showed significant increases in not only communication, but also <br /> socialization. There are three to four more academic articles in process and the Duke <br /> DO NOT SUBMIT THIS PAGE 1/26/2017 11:10:15 AMIII'age 12 •t 31 <br />