Stories

Although music therapy is gaining recognition both internationally and here in Canada, it is still seldom funded by government programs. This makes our goal of making music therapy more accessible and affordable critically important.
Since 1993, we have helped fund more than 400 music therapy programs across Canada. Our funding supports the growth and availability of music therapy in four ways.

  • Clinical programs: to bring music therapy to more people in more communities across the country.
  • Research programs: to explore and scientifically establish the impact and effectiveness of music therapy.
  • Toronto Music Therapy Centre: an accessible, affordable centre for long-term, ongoing music therapy in the community. With your support, we’d like to open more centres in more locations.
  • Scholarships and fellowships: to support those pursuing academic research of music therapy and careers in the field.
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Be Moved
by Our Stories

Music has been a widely recognized therapeutic method for many years.  Here are just a few of our stories.

You can also view an extended excerpt from the documentary “A Gift of Music” produced for the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund and directed by Scott Rondeau.


Finding Strength at a Women’s Shelter in Montreal

Marie Kane-Benveniste is a music therapist from Montreal who has dedicated her working life to women and their families at the women’s shelter, Auberge Transition.  Now as she is retiring from clinical work, we look back on a career well spent.
Click here to read more about Marie.
Cliquez ici pour l’histoire de Marie.

Exciting News! $10k Gift Supports Music Therapy Advocacy

Exciting news! A gift of $10,000 has been received to support a new initiative to raise awareness for music therapy in healthcare and other environments. The project focus is in Quebec but the results will have applications across the country.

Click here to read more about this amazing gift.

The Conductive Education (CE) Program

The Conductive Education (CE) program helps children with cerebral palsy, and other conditions that impair physical movement, to gain the skills necessary for daily living; sitting up, getting dressed and feeding themselves.

Click here to read more about the CE Program.

Working with the whole person: mind, body and spirit

Alan, a six-time Ironman Triathlete in his 50s had a major stroke that rendered him unable to talk or walk. Still in recovery after 7 years, and still unable to walk unassisted, he is clear to convey that, “Music Therapy helped me find myself when so much of me was taken away – the music therapy helped heal my voice, my hands, and my heart.”

Click here to read more about Alan.

Beyond 21

Beyond 21 is a day program for developmentally disabled 21 years of age and older. Their mission is to offer a structured, meaningful, inclusive and community-based environment where dependent adults with developmental disabilities continue to thrive and grow socially, physically, emotionally, and intellectually.

Click here to read more about Beyond 21.

Music Therapy at End-of-Life

As a new graduate of music therapy, I found that The Grey Nuns hospital in Edmonton was keen on the idea of music therapy but did not have the necessary financial resources. I am grateful to the Trust Fund for providing seed funding for our pilot project “Music Therapy at End-of-Life”.

Click here to read more about Sheila’s project “Music Therapy at End-of-Life”.

Sue Baines

As a Michael Cohl fellowship award winner I was grateful to be able to use the scholarship money to support two of my publications. The funding also supported my presenting at CAMT Conference 2013 and teaching to masters students at NYU and at the University of Limerick about my doctoral research into the links between Anti-Oppressive Practice and clinical music therapy practice and music therapy research practices.

Sue Baines B.Mus BMT MA FAMI MTA

From Singing to Speech

“Let me go home. I wanna go home.” These were words that “Joe,” a 50 year old man, could not say without struggling or hesitating. He was suffering from lung cancer which had spread to his brain. Following an assessment by the cancer unit’s speech-language pathologist, it was discerned that Broca’s area, a language center in the left hemisphere of the brain, had been affected.

Click here to read more about Joe.

Living out loud

One might find it hard to believe that persons affected by cancer would want to sing or that singing could possibly have a positive impact at such a difficult time. Research has shown however, that singing can reduce stress, alter perception of pain, have a positive impact on the immune system, improve mood, increase energy, and serve as an effective emotional outlet.

Click here to read more.

Jim’s story : Finding his voice

Jim was a 60 year old man who was recovering from a stroke when he was referred for music therapy. At that time he was living on a rehabilitation unit of a Toronto hospital. Jim was six-feet tall, sat in a wheelchair and had limited mobility. He had completely lost the ability to speak including the motor skills required to move his mouth in order to form words.

Click here to read more about Jim.

Caryanne

“With Caryanne, she responds very well to music because it’s one of her only ways to connect with the world.  When she touches the instruments and there is a sound coming out of it, then she is an actor in this world instead of being just passive or receptive in her bed.“ Caryanne is a blind infant at the palliative care unit in Montreal.

Click here to watch Caryanne’s story.

Friends of Music

It’s Friday morning and the doorbell at the Music Therapy Centre begins to ring. Each time, a different Wheeltrans driver is at the door, accompanied by one of the six vibrant men and women who gather every Friday morning for music therapy. These are “The Friends of Music” and their enthusiasm is boundless.

Click here to read more.

Chin Injeti

“Music therapy literally saved my life,” Vancouver-based music producer and songwriter Chin Injeti said. “It taught me how to rehabilitate myself.” Injeti, who has won a Grammy for his work with rapper Eminem, had polio as a child. He had to learn how to use wheelchairs and crutches in order to walk again, and music therapy was instrumental in helping him to adapt.

Sonia

Sonia, une belle petite fille de quatre ans, frappe le tambour avec cœur et joue des carillons tubulaires avec grand plaisir tout en écoutant les chansons de la musicothérapeute. Comme elle est atteinte du syndrome de Rett, Sonia  est limitée dans son exploration et ses interactions sociales; par contre, elle s’épanouit par la musique en vivant des expériences centrées sur ses capacités

 
Cliquez ici pour lire l’histoire de Sonia

L’Arche

Music therapy for adults with developmental disabilities provides a sense of purpose and an accessible medium for communication.

Click here to observe their music therapy process.

Brian

At four, Brian demonstrated all the typical symptoms of autism. At his first music therapy session, Brian willingly entered the music room. He turned off the lights and began ritualistic rocking movements under a chair. His therapist went to the piano and began to mirror rhythmically and melodically his body movements. Copying his movements would not only make him aware of himself but would also tell him in a musical sense that his therapist wanted to understand him and to enter his world.

Click here to read more about Brian.

La musicothérapie en soins palliatifs

Je rends visite pour la première fois à une vieille dame alitée. Nous parlons de l’importance de la musique dans sa vie et de ce qui lui procure du sens et du plaisir. Elle parle de sa jeunesse en Hongrie. Elle aimait tellement danser à l’époque ! Bientôt, nous cherchons à ranimer ces bons souvenirs. Elle choisit certaines pièces favorites de musique hongroise d’une collection de musique folklorique et bat le rythme sur un tambourin alors que je joue les mélodies à la flûte.

 
Cliquez ici pour lire l’histoire