Raymond Ko, 19, says music has been his passion for as long as he can remember. After reading a study that demonstrated the therapeutic effects of music in the treatment of autism, he took action. In 2004, Ko founded the Music Sensory Awakening Program (MSAP) after months of promoting his concept to Autism Services in Saskatoon. Since that time, the program has grown to include three more trained teachers, and his student body has grown from three in its first year to more than a dozen at present.

Lessons for the students are held once a week for 30 minutes. Although MSAP focuses primarily on the piano, Ko said other instruments and singing are frequently incorporated as autistic children generally have short attention spans.

“Music is a universal language and in most cases of autism, social interaction and communication is lacking,” said Ko, a third-year Biology student at the U of S. “Music, in a way, can be a medium for the children to communicate with.”

The Top 20 Under 20 Award was founded by Youth in Motion to celebrate and honour Canadians who have demonstrated significant levels of innovation, leadership and achievement, but are under the age of 20. Sponsors for the award include ING Canada, ING Foundation, Bell Canada, CHUM Limited and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.

Along with a $2,000 prize that will be applied to Ko’s education experience, he will also receive access to a number of leadership and career development courses. A full profile of Ko and the other award’s other 19 recipients for 2007 can be viewed at the Youth in Motion website.