ABOUT Sean Neely

SESSION TITLE: Teaching Percussion to Students on the Autism Spectrum

Sean Neely (b. 2000) is a musician and disability rights advocate. Born and raised in the St. Louis, MO area, Sean was diagnosed with autism at the age of one. He started playing percussion at age 16 with the opportunity to grow and develop his craft at Truman State University. Sean started taking formal private lessons in the Spring of 2020, and has spent the past 4.5 years learning more about percussion than he ever thought possible. Throughout this time, he also learned a lot about his own disability and how it impacts his playing as well as his learning experience. Sean created the capstone project, “Teaching Percussion to Students on the Autism Spectrum” and has presented at universities across the country, both in person and over zoom. He also received the opportunity to be a panelist for the session “Percussion is for EveryBody: Neurodiversity in Percussion” at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention in 2023. Mr. Neely is currently pursuing his master’s in Health Administration at St. Joseph’s University and works as a graduate assistant in the ASPIRE program, helping undergraduate students on the autism spectrum navigate college and career searching. When not studying or playing percussion, Sean enjoys crafting, watching football and college basketball, and going to antique malls. Sean Neely is not under any sponsorship, although he’d like to thank Dr. Michael Bump and the Truman State University Percussion Studio as well as his advisor Dr. Jocelyn Stevens for their support during his time in undergraduate.