Stories

Thanks go out to certified music therapist, Suzanne Caron, B.Sc., MBA, MTA. Suzanne is volunteering her time to study the current means of communication and promotion of music therapy across Canada. Using her strong business background, she will afterwards work with professionals to develop a plan that will help us better advocate for music therapy – with the goal of making it accessible and available to more Canadians.

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Des nouvelles excitantes! Un don de 10,000$ a été reçu pour supporter une nouvelle initiative visant à accroître la notoriété de la musicothérapie dans le milieu de la santé et d’autres environnements. Le projet se déroulera au Québec mais les résultats seront utiles à l’échelle du pays.

Merci à la musicothérapeute accréditée Suzanne Caron, B.Sc., MBA, MTA. Suzanne dévouera son temps bénévolement pour d’abord établir un portrait des moyens actuels de communication et de promotion de la musicothérapie à travers le Canada. Misant sur son expérience en gestion, elle travaillera ensuite avec des professionnels pour développer un plan qui nous aidera à mieux promouvoir la musicothérapie – et ainsi la rendre accessible à davantage de canadiens.

Working with the whole person: mind, body and spirit

By Jennifer Buchanan, BMT, MTA, Accredited Music Therapist, Public Speaker, Author of TUNE IN, jbmusictherapy.com

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.”

Working with anyone who has suffered an acquired brain injury knows it is sensitive work. The primary consideration of a music therapist is to address all aspects of the person sitting in front of them:

who they were – what was important to them prior to their injury and how can the music of their past access their best (happy, productive, important) memories. The MTA then uses these music-based anchors to support their client’s ongoing rehabilitation.

who they are – what do they need right now and how can music make them feel successful and motivated to continue their healing journey. When used intentionally to do so, music therapy can improve the many injuries that may result from brain injury including impairment of speech and language processing, impairment of physical abilities, impairment of cognitive processing, loss or disorganization of memory and emotional distress.

who they desire to become – what do they hope to achieve and how can music help them get there. MTAs work closely with their clients to ensure the client’s specific goals are met.

The most important aspect of the music therapist’s work is to ensure the whole person is considered during the music therapy session – that every aspect of the person is addressed – the healing of their mind, body and spirit. Music has the capabilities, and the music therapist has the training to ensure the music is used in a safe and effective manner, using specifically designed treatment plans based on individual need.

Music Therapy at End-of-Life

By Sheila Killoran MA, MTA, FAMI, Accredited Music Therapist, Tertiary Palliative Care Unit, Grey Nuns Community Hospital

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”. With their support, I was able to design, carry out, and evaluate music therapy over a period of six months and demonstrate its effectiveness and value. The hospital was impressed with the impact of music therapy on palliative patients and families, and successfully advocated for permanent funding. From January 2006 until today, music therapy has a place on the interdisciplinary team and in the care of palliative patients.

The Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund allowed the project to “get a foot in the door”. Once the hospital was able to experience music therapy and the specialized programming to support the therapeutic needs of patients, the organization advocated for its continuance.

I am very grateful for the funding I received, and for the Trust Funds’ continued efforts to foster new music therapy programs and music therapy research across Canada. To give back to the organization that supported my new career, I organized a March for Music Therapy in my own city of Edmonton. I believe it is absolutely imperative that we continue to support and fund the development of music therapy programming and research in Canada.

Sheila Killoran MA, MTA, FAMI
Accredited Music Therapist
Tertiary Palliative Care Unit
Grey Nuns Community Hospital
Edmonton, Alberta
Music Therapy Position – permanent, 3-days per week
(2005 – current)

From Singing to Speech

By Stephanie Matthews, Music Therapist in Palliative Care at the Jewish General Hospital and Speech-Language Pathologist at the Centre ambulatoire du CSSS de Laval Montreal, Quebec.

“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. As a result, Joe’s overall cognitive functioning was relatively intact; however he had great difficulty expressing himself verbally. This lack of expressive command frustrated him, as he could no longer verbalize his thoughts, feelings, and emotions clearly. Through the use of therapeutic song choice and other music therapy interventions, Joe became able to express himself through music, and as a result, he was able to sing his hopes, fears, and desires. Working collaboratively, the music therapist provided the musical medium which allowed Joe to express himself fluently, while the speech-language pathologist worked with Joe to help transfer this fluency from singing to speech. Before his death, Joe was not only able to sing his favourite song to his brother, but he was also able to tell him, without struggling or hesitating, that he loved him.

Jim’s Story: Finding his voice

By Erin Connor, BMT, MTA Accredited Music Therapist with the Music Therapy Centre in Toronto.

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.

After a music therapy assessment Jim, his wife and I set goals for his music therapy sessions. These included expressive communication and motor goals. This story focusses on expressive communication, specifically Jim’s goal to verbalize multiple words while singing or speaking.

Familiar music played a key role in his weekly music therapy sessions. Jim remembered lyrics to songs like “You Are My Sunshine”, “My Bonnie” and “Eight Days a Week”. Right from the beginning, he was encouraged to make the correct mouth formation associated with the target word. For example, if the word was “sunshine”, I paused and waited for Jim to imitate the correct mouth movement before continuing.

After two sessions, in addition to making the correct mouth formation, Jim was able to sing one target word within the song. Jim continued to progress as the weeks went by and eventually he was able to sing all of the words to “You Are My Sunshine”. After practicing mouth formations and singing words within the music, Jim began saying more words outside of the session. After four months of working together, we were able to joke and converse together using short sentences of up to 6 words. It was exciting to see Jim’s progress and hear him speak to his wife again.

Friends of Music continues thanks to Paul Stobbs Fund

The Paul Stobbs Fund keeps Friends making their music

By Erin Gross

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. They arrive smiling and immediately begin to catch up with each other on the past week’s events. Soon after that, the music making begins.

The Friends of Music have been gathering at the Music Therapy Centre for over ten years. Some even participated in music therapy as young children under the guidance of music therapy pioneer and the Centre’s founder, Fran Herman.  Currently, the group consists of three women and three men, all of whom have a variety of physical issues as a result of cerebral palsy. In music therapy, each Friend of Music has the opportunity to discover and develop his/her own unique potentials rather than being defined by disability or limitations.  Participants are encouraged to express how they feel, through music and words, and they provide unfaltering support to each other during good and bad times.  The Friends of Music love to explore musical instruments, many of which have been adapted so that they are fully accessible. They have composed original songs, made recordings, and have accumulated a repertoire of memorized songs that constantly keeps the music therapist on her toes.  When describing what this group means to them, members state that this is their “home” and their “lifeline.” “We need it and we need each other.” 

The Friends of Music would not exist without the support of the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund in partnership with some very generous donors who have directed funds toward this group. The Paul Andrew Stobbs Fund was initiated by Paul’s mother Patricia, in loving memory of her son, who passed away in February 1999 at the age of 37. Paul was a young man with a developmental disability, who faced challenges, life, and all those he knew with an infectious enthusiasm. He demonstrated a particular sensitivity for persons with disabilities, especially in his job at the Hugh MacMillan Centre. His family and friends will always remember his laughter, his warm embrace, and his great love of music. Paul’s family felt that supporting the Friends of Music would be a perfect way in which to honour his memory.

The Friends of Music are incredibly grateful for all of the support that they receive. The opportunity to make music together and maintain close friendships is vital to their ongoing quality of life. Please contact the Music Therapy Centre if you would like to support “The Friends of Music.”

La visite des “Arcs-en-ciel”

La visite des “Arcs-en-ciel”

Par Sylvie Boisvert

Sonia, une belle petite fille de quatre ans, participe à des séances en musicothérapie une fois par semaine depuis environ cinq semaines quand sa maman mentionne qu’elle a parlé des bienfaits de la musicothérapie pour Sonia aux éducatrices de la garderie de sa fille. En effet, Sonia 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.

On convient donc d’inviter tout le groupe de Sonia à une séance où elle sera l’hôtesse.  Bientôt les petits « Arcs-en ciel », onze enfants âgés entre trois et quatre ans,  arrivent  au local de musicothérapie.  Sonia agit comme modèle et démontre à ses copains comment frapper le tambour, ou gratter de la guitare en ayant à ses côtés un enfant qui  joue de l’instrument avec elle. Un nouveau lien est établi entre Sonia et ses copains,  qui voient Sonia comme un leader ou une facilitatrice alors que bien souvent elle a besoin d’aide.  Chaque enfant a le sentiment d’être important à ses yeux, par le jeu partagée des divers  instruments. Toute la classe quitte avec regret à la fin de la séance. Mais plusieurs photos prises par la maman de Sonia seront un souvenir pour cette grande rencontre.

Quelques jours  après, les enfants ont envoyé des dessins à la musicothérapeute pour  la remercier de leur visite. Il est apparu plus particulièrement dans un des dessins, comment la musique avait joué un rôle rassembleur dans cette rencontre. Les carillons tubulaires bien placés au centre du dessin et les enfants qui gravitent  tout autour témoignent du vécu des enfants lors de leur visite.

La Fondation de musicothérapie du Canada a approuvé en 1998 un projet de musicothérapie dans la communauté, entre le centre de réadaptation et les garderies respectives des enfants.  Par  la musique, les tout-petits et leurs éducatrices ont exploré  la diversité qui crée  la richesse de leur communauté.  Les enfants, étant à la base de la communauté, porteront  en eux  cette expérience de vie. 

Brian

By Dr. Johanne Brodeur

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. Brian never stopped rocking that first session. 

For the first few sessions there was little change… then, one day Brian came closer and reached out and touched his therapist’s hand, saying in his monotone voice, “We don’t want anyone to see us.” From then on, Brian and the therapist explored the music room together.

In one session, they looked at a celestial map while listening to Holst’s “The Planets”. Another day, they played instruments sitting under a blanket. Later, the therapist developed a game improvising music to letters of the alphabet and adjectives (A is for angry, etc.).

Brian’s parents eventually bought him a small electric piano that he slept with, as if it were a teddy bear. When he had bad dreams, his parents would hear the piano playing quietly in the night.

With time, Brian began to verbally express feelings, thoughts, and concerns. He graduated from elementary school reading, writing, and most importantly, having made one friend. Music not only gave Brian the bridge to communication, but also the strength to take on challenges and try novel experiences.