The teacher kept a steady beat on a cowbell as a small group of students banged complementary rhythms on the snare, bass, tom drums, and cymbals.

The students, some of whom had entered the basement room at West Wareham Academy on Tuesday, November 29, with "rough day" all but written across their faces, began drumming their stress away.

The biweekly music therapy program was launched in October after staff and administrators looked for a way to infuse music into the school, which enrolls a small number of students with individual needs who thrive in a therapeutic learning environment. The school offers grades seven through 12.

"I'm always looking for new coping strategies for students to deal with their emotions," said Jennifer Strazdes, the school's adjustment counselor, adding that the music program is "a good outlet for the kids."

The program is run by Berklee College of Music volunteer intern Richard Lynch and will continue until the end of the semester. Lynch is a third-year student majoring in music business and music therapy. Because the school has no instruments, Lynch brings his own.

"I'm pretty lucky to get an opportunity like this," he said.

Strazdes said she can see the positive effect the program is having on the students, which was evident on Tuesday as the students, some expressing nervousness in the beginning of the lesson, gradually loosened up and began cheering on their classmates as Lynch taught them new rhythms and had them participating in a drum circle.

"Beat one I don't do anything, two I do something, three I don't do anything, four I do something," a student explained, talking himself through the exercise on the hi-hat cymbal as classmates shouted words of encouragement.

"You noticed all you had to do was ask questions until you got it right instead of being down on yourself," a proud Strazdes told the student. "Kind of like life."

Names of students have been withheld to protect their privacy.

"The biggest change that I see is in their confidence," Strazdes noted. "We have some students who are surprised that they can play an instrument."

Lynch later assembled the drums into a set and the students took turns coming up with their own drum solos, a clear favorite of the students, who seemed to escape into the beats they were drumming.

"There's no such thing as messing up," Lynch advised. "If you mess up, just do it again! That makes it a beat!"

Another student, who noted that he played drums for a year, said he was excited when he heard that Lynch would be making the biweekly trek to Wareham to bring music to the school.

"It's fun and it's stress relief," he said. "I like music a lot," he continued. His favorite genre? "Rock."

Lynch said the change in the students' attitudes from the beginning of his lessons to the end is a "testament to the tool of music that we're using."

"Even when they're feeling hesitant, they challenge themselves," he said. "And they follow through."

West Wareham Academy staff members said they hoped to build their own collection of instruments for the school to help with the students' music therapy. If you would like to donate to the endeavor, call the school at 508-291-3534.