CHANGSHA, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Deftly fixing sheet music, calibrating the piano, and testing the microphone, Wan Shicheng, 25, looked around the stage, briefly introduced the band members, and began to sing.

The harmonious flow of music made it hard for the audience to imagine that it was a band composed of people with intellectual disabilities.

Wan's intelligence quotient, or IQ, was 40, equivalent to a three or four-year-old child. The guitarist Zhang Mingqiu, keyboardist Chen Tairan and drummer Huang Shi were all people with autism spectrum disorders.

They were from a help center for parents of people with intellectual disabilities in Yueyang City, central China's Hunan Province. On last year's Mother's Day, the band was formed under the guidance of the center's instructor Peng Xiaokang.

Peng became a volunteer at the center in 2019. With a music education background, he was surprised to find that many individuals with intellectual disabilities have artistic talent.

He was particularly impressed by Zhang, who had been playing drums since childhood; Chen, who could play the piano; Huang, who was sensitive to rhythm; and Wan, who loved to imitate the singing of celebrities. He came up with the band idea.

According to Peng, the band practicing itself is a positive "treatment" in correcting their behaviors and preparation for their social integration.

"Usually, it takes five times of practice before one can master the music, but they need at least 50 times. There is no shortcut but patience," Peng said.

Expectedly, the band's initial rehearsals did not go well. The frontman Wan basically didn't listen to the conductor; guitarist Zhang "ran away" several times; drummer Huang had serious communication problems; keyboardist Chen became upset every time the rehearsal went overtime.

"Children with autism strictly follow their own 'rules'," said Peng. Rehearsals are a process of negotiation for them. "Only when they realize that their love for music and performance is more important than their 'rules' will they give in."

Gradually, the four members changed from being resistant to practice to actively practicing and even desiring to play gigs.

But the band's first public performance still ended up a mess. When everything was ready, a dog appeared out of nowhere and the four instantly got nervous and stared straight at the dog. They stopped looking at their instruments and sang out of tune. The audience was confused.

Peng said he was annoyed yet amused at the time, and he drew a lesson -- making sure during a performance that there are no dogs around.

As their performance experience accumulated, the young musicians began to enjoy the stage and gained recognition. They even donated a portion of their income from commercial performances to social welfare organizations.

"Their performance has inspired many families just like theirs," Peng said, adding that many people with intellectual disabilities are "stuck" at home with nothing to do.

On Aug. 19, the band toured Changsha, the capital of Hunan, to perform in front of an audience of charity organizations, volunteers, people with intellectual disabilities, and their families and friends. As the band marked its first anniversary, they hoped to make more people aware of the group.

"We know exactly how much effort they have put in," said Jiang Ying from the neighboring Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, who was on an exchange trip at an organization that helps families and children with Down syndrome.

"We definitely want to come and support them, to learn from such education models, and hope to promote it to my city," she said.