Lena Cuevas (right) instructs KSEE24 Central Valley Today host Kayla Holt (right) on proper drum technique during a February morning segment. Image courtesy of yourcentralvalley.com

Cuevas Sound Spectrum, a Fresno-based, woman-owned business, offers tailored music lessons for students with autism and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Founded by Lena Cuevas, the business integrates music therapy principles to foster emotional expression, social interaction, and structured instrument training.

Cuevas offers tailored music lessons to students across the autism spectrum and those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Her approach integrates music therapy principles to foster emotional expression and social interaction while providing structured instrument training.

“Whether it’s colors or visuals or some sensory or anything else that they would need to learn music,” she said, “I make sure each lesson meets their specific needs.”

Cuevas’ background as a therapist, working alongside registered behavior technicians (RBTs) and board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs), has shaped her individualized teaching approach. Her curriculum includes a free 30-minute introductory lesson to gauge students’ goals, limitations and other personalized information that can help make lessons as engaging and fulfilling as possible.

Specializing in piano, drum and voice lessons, Cuevas is open to expanding offerings based on need; previously she has also taught string and flute lessons.

 

Cuevas ensures students have access to both practical skill development and theoretical music education, helping balance a specifically-tailored curriculum that students can benefit from outside of the classroom as well.

“A lot of my clients who are non-verbal and do not speak are able to communicate, through music, how they’re feeling,” she said. “It’s a great resource not only for them but for their families and loved ones as well.”

Cuevas partners with several local organizations to provide additional resources for her students. Her collaborations with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) companies, as well as her partnership with Steinway Piano, allow her to offer specialized support for students.

“If they need variability based on their diagnosis, I’m able to team up with my partnerships to provide therapies and other resources on top of music lessons,” cuevas said, adding that her resources can help provide everything from further information on instrument and student needs, to the purchase of instruments through payment plans or other requirements.

“If they need to buy a piano, I have someone I can direct them to,” she said.

Cuevas Sound Spectrum also provides opportunities for students to showcase their progress. Each semester, students are given the opportunity to participate in a recital, a tradition made possible through partnerships with Monarch River Academy and Steinway Piano.

Cuevas’ work has gained recognition through features on ABC30 and KSEE24, and her business has been endorsed through a partnership with Google. She is also affiliated with the International Music Oath Society and is in the process of partnering with the Central Valley Regional Center to broaden her outreach.

For more information on Cuevas Sound Spectrum and its services, visit cuevassoundspectrum.com.