Last week was World Cerebral Palsy day and I thought to do a post that will be helpful to caregivers of Cerebral Palsy patients, children especially.
Cerebral palsy is a motor disorder that is caused by damage to the developing brain. It primarily affects an individual’s movements, balance, and posture. I want to show you practical ways to help a child who has cerebral palsy;
👉 Teach the child to play a musical instrument, this is what it’ll do, it will enhance flexibility and dexterity, which will in turn help refine gross and fine motor skills. A small drum with sticks for example or a small tambourine or a maracas. If you can not teach the child to play a musical instrument, you can employ a tutor if possible who is patient and capable of teaching the child.
👉 Encourage and model walking, dancing and doing exercises while listening to music, it will help strengthen the child’s muscles. It’s technically called Rhythmic auditory stimulation in music therapy, it is the synchronisation of sound and movement to facilitate improvements in biologically rhythmical functions. This rhythmic nature of music also helps to organize the child’s gait, it will teach movements timing to the beat of the music. For example modelling synchronisation of steps to lively music to improve walking speed, you can begin on a slow tempo and increase speed gradually if you are playing a live music and not a recorded one.
👉 The last but the most important is to engage in repetitions, when the results of the first try is pleasing, do not give in to the temptation of relaxing but keep on and on because the human brain is incredibly adaptable, but needs repetitive activities or exercise to become familiar with new functions.
I really looked forward to putting up a video that demonstrates what I have shared here but somehow I can not, please look out for it on my Instagram pages next week; @mercykaynimi or @escape_global. Don’t stop being grateful, I’m rooting for you always!
Kindly let me know in the comment box if this post was helpful.
Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.
Children who have speech disorder may not learn or master language milestones as other children.
Few years ago I had a patient who had speech disorder, on first meeting he was quite curious to know how the guitar is being played, he also wanted to know how to accompany his voice with it so I gave him the guitar and taught him the placement of the G Major chord, he was able to try it out though his hands were not firm on it, I also taught him the placement of his hands to make the E Minor. He was able to interchange both chords but not conveniently. He sang and played though it felt like noise to everyone around but he enjoyed it and did not feel like returning home with his parents. In the atmosphere of music, he could vocalize. This experience made me realize the need to teach few simple and helpful ways of working on a speech disorder.
👉 First is to allow your young one listen to music, it helps boosts cognitive functioning, put it on at different times of the day. A particular study done in 2010 revealed that Children who listened to music closed the developmental gap faster than those who had no music therapy. Those with speech delays moved faster toward correcting speech or improving communication skills at all ages, from toddlers with speech delays to older children. The balanced rhythm of the music helps the child match the words to the beat, providing more measure than normal speech, and therefore helping the child learn how language works trouble-free.
👉 Possibly get a mouth organ to help in breath production and by mouth organ I mean the harmonica or a recorder.
👉 Engage in vocalization of vow and consonant sounds alike, I did a video exemplifying this on my Instagram page, be sure to check it out @mercykaynimi or @escape_global
👉 Engage in the turn-taking technique singing simple and familiar songs with short lyrics. For example, Twinkle Twinkle Little star. I exemplified that too in the video I made on my Instagram page. The child will be able to pick the words of the shorter song better and will more readily repeat them to the beat.
👉Playing an instrument, such as an acoustic guitar, it also helps the cognitive development of children just like the story of the patient I shared earlier in this post.
👉 Make sure also that everything you are teaching is age appropriate and more importantly be grateful for every process, don’t compare your journey with another.
You are doing very well and I’m rooting for you!
Do let me know in the comment box if this post was helpful.
Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.
One time I had an autistic patient who came to a session I was to have with her crying, I went on to ask her mother the reason for the tears, she told me that she raised her voice at her because immediately they stepped into the hospital, she covered her face. If you are familiar with children who live with autism, you will know that they have very poor social skills, they can hardly make an eye contact.
The major reason why I’m doing this post is to help you as a caregiver teach a/your child social skills using Music. non-musical pathway may seem forceful and tiring for you and your child.
Children with poor social skills are often seen as preoccupied in their own world and may be highly passive or unresponsive in social situations. In this post, I’ll share with you steps to take and five social skills to target for intervention.
The first is to be grateful for your journey again and again, there is an air that gratitude brings, it dispels toxicity and comparison.
Next is to enrol your child in a music school if you might not be available due to work schedule or other things. The music school attendance may be an extra-curricular or full-time activity, either way is perfect. The goal is to be in an environment that is musical and increases curiosity first.
Getting a musical instrument of their choice will not be a bad idea, take note of choice because you don’t want to buy one that your child will not like or end up making use of. What musical instrument does is that it builds a level of self-awareness in them and improves relationships with others. It encourages a level of communicative behavior and interaction with others, which is something that autistic children have great difficulty with. An illustration of a band was given by someone, if we look closely at the way that a band works, it is obvious that the instruments must all interact with one another, but the player only needs to interact with the instrument at first. interacting with others can be troubling for children living with autism, but through the introduction of a musical instrument, there are possibilities that they will connect first with the object and then open up to others interacting with their musical instruments also. The autistic child whose story I shared earlier on was able to bond with music and myself through the use of musical instrument (The Guitar).
Proper interpretation of music both in lyrics and in sound, this can go a long way to help in teaching us to converse. For children with autism, it could mean learning a new word from a song, or better understanding on the way to act in a social situation based on the messages that a song expresses. We know that autism can create barriers for children in social settings, but small groups of children listening to music together may feel confident and comfortable enough to comment or sing along with others.
Using musical parody to teach them this social skills that are targeted for intervention: eye-contact, vocalization, imitation, initiation and turn-taking. For example, the popular twinkle, twinkle little star can be sung using other lyrics but same tune. That’s parody, different lyrics but same or popular tune.
While you do this try to make eye-contact with them, let them look you in the eye and make sure to do same.
Ask them to vocalize the song you just taught them.
Sing and ask that they imitate you, try to make it funny and creative.
Initiate the song and allow them continue, you can sing the first line and allow them continue
Take turns in singing, use words likes “whoever sings first gets a bowl of ice cream”. This is to motivate them.
Finally, be sure to go over what they have learnt in the music school with them even if you are not available. Don’t just leave the entire responsibility to the music teacher.
Be sure to check my Instagram pages for a video showing you an example of social skills you can teach your child with special need using music; @mercykaynimi, @escape_global.
You are doing so well and I am rooting for you!
Do let me know in the comment box if this post was helpful.
Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.
I have no background in music and I want to teach a/my child with special need. I know the previous post may have got you wondering how you can teach your child music with no music inclination. I will be sharing few simple steps on how to teach your young one in such a way that it is beneficial to both you and them.
The first thing I’ll like to mention which I mentioned in my previous post is to OWN YOUR JOURNEY, I apologize for reiterating it but if you must make the most of this journey then you will part ways with impatience, comparison, ingratitude and be companions of gratitude any day any moment.
Focus on knowing your CHILD(REN): When preparing to teach music to your child(ren), focus on knowing them, understanding their personalities, what they love and will tend to. Knowing them means you will have to recall the times when they engaged in music, what their response was like, if they love calm or fast music, if they enjoy rhythm, whether they have ever been fascinated by a musical instrument, if there is any genre of music that makes them aggressive or feel frustrated. All these are to let you know that you must be a keen observer, it will help you know which to tone down on and which to elevate. Ask them questions and don’t feel bad if they don’t like what you envisaged them liking.
Focus on learning a musical instrument, be it Voice, Piano, Guitar and so on. Do not dabble into too many musical instruments, you can download videos online to learn, explore yourself and all other spontaneous ideas that might come in the process and as you learn, try engaging your child with it. The goal is to learn while they learn.
Keep things simple with your child. your child isn’t an adult that you would want to please by being prim and proper, you can say things like “Honey you know mummy or daddy is just learning to figure this out so let’s just go with the flow”. Your child will appreciate the commitment, vulnerability and simplicity you put into it. I remember when I just started playing the guitar and was visiting the hospital, because I didn’t know much I always wanted to cringe, then I realized from my interactions with each kid that they didn’t care, they just wanted the simple thing I could play then.
As you grow in teaching them, avoid being rigid, kids love to play and explore a lot and sometimes you might have a bucket list of how you want to teach music but they are just concentrating on one. I used to ‘overprepare’ and then when I begin sessions, they just always have something else they love to do. Do not rush them, give grace and watch how they explore just the one you’ve taught them. the joy is not in how many lessons you can pump down their brain but in the journey that is moving steadily. Be grateful!
Watch sessions on YouTube where children with special needs are engaged in Music Therapy, it will boost your confidence and you’ll have lot of innovative ideas on how to utilize music in helping your young one.
Paste colourful postcards containing illustrative affirmations in your music space. Affirmations like; I am smart, I am well-behaved, I sing well, I play my musical instruments well and so on. Just be creative about it.
Finally, as you teach them the little you’ve learnt, don’t stop learning also. It’s never bad to learn on the job, some days might seem frustrating but please do not give up, give grace. You are doing so well and I am rooting for you!
Do let me know in the comment box if this post was helpful. Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com. Thank You.
I have worked with a couple of autistic children and one common thing I have noticed is that caregivers wish children will just respond using force. Force has never guaranteed response from anyone, it might work when you are present with them but when you are not with them, they will follow what they feel is cool. Here are ways to utilize the gift of music;
Own your journey; this is the most important point in everything I’ll be sharing with you today. Many caregivers, parents especially have a pattern in their mind of how things ought to be based on a number of information they have read, seen or heard. They are quick to forget that every child is unique and how they are related with is key in healing. Owning your journey means taking it a step at a time and being thankful all the way. Be thankful for your child, be thankful that you are their parent and above all be thankful that Jesus has beautiful plans for them no matter the disability.
Engage them in music at every instance: Studies show that children with autism can understand both simple and complex emotions in music and are more responsive to sensory stimulation compared with other children especially in music, even over speech or noise. Music can positively impact children with autism in diverse ways. You can use songs to emphasize speech in children with autism who struggle with language. One technique is to sing with vocabulary cards in order to teach vocabulary skills, you can also play music videos like COCOMELON that teach all these using music. Singing can considerably enhance language skills in students with a type of autism that has language delays. Music can be used to help a child with autism recollect important information when it is linked with a musical sound, like a melody or rhythm. One critical study found that music can be used to focus students’ attention, keep those with disabilities on track and decrease their anxiety from stress. I once had an autistic patient who could hardly focus but would pause at the sound of a rhythm made, master it and give you the exact way he heard it.
If you are musically inclined, try engaging them using music elements in the simplest form. Music elements such as pitch, melody, harmony, rhythm and so on. When children listen to a piece of music, the combination of musical elements are in it. However, some children with autism are auditory sensitive and it makes them experience a lack of forbearance for sounds. You can help them by using separate musical elements to simplify their music. For example; start with a song, you as the caregiver can try teaching in stages by isolating pitches on the piano first. As they get comfortable with it, you can slowly introduce the other elements one at a time. be sensitive to know when they are not interested in one element and when they are interested in another.
Compose songs with the child’s name as song title, it has a way of building self-confidence. For example, in this part of the world, many people have native names. If your child has a native name, you can make use of the name interpretation to compose a song and still mention his or her name in it. It gives a feeling of being loved, being known and all the god feeling.
Employ music to help the aggression they feel. Autistic children are most times frustrated because of the difficulty they experience in expressing themselves but music can help as it can keep them calm by lessening their feelings of anger. Try different genres of calming and sensory music, see what works best for your young one.
This is not an exhaustive list on how to utilize music in helping children living with autism and like I mentioned earlier, it’s a journey you should take at your own pace encouraging yourself and your child as you walk through it. This journey will be both beneficial to you and your child. You are doing a great job and I’m rooting for you always.
Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.
Olubunmi Onadipe (I’ve always known her as Amoke) is an amazing and professional Singer who majored in Music performance. I mean she’s so good (No hype), she was my senior colleague in the University. This particular podcast makes me extra glad, because it’s the first I’ll be having with someone beyond the shores of Nigeria 💃💃💃
Her background in music according to her is simple, she was simply around music, a family of music and this seemingly ‘simple background in music’ inspired her to study it as a course. She studied Music first at the Polytechnic of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria where she had an Ordinary Diploma (OND), she then crossed to Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Osun state, Nigeria to further in Music. It’s been an amazing journey for her.
She’s very passionate about Music Therapy and she shares how Music has healed her in the past and how she’s continually healed by it Everytime.
She shares how much she fell in love with a particular piece written by the delectable Johann Sebastian Bach popularly known as J.S Bach. In my conversation with her, she shared that this piano piece of his gets her whether she’s happy or sad.
She has listened to this piece for years but she can’t just explain why something in her just comes alive anytime she listens to it, she has never been bored listening to this. My conversation with her opened my eyes to the fact that there are certain persons who could have this one song or piece of music on repeat forever because it makes them come alive and they never get bored.
This conversation is worth your time I must acknowledge, kindly click the link below to listen 👇
Thank You for always reading and listening 💜
Song recommendation for you; Mai Taimako na (My Helper) by Solomon Lange, kindly click link below to listen 👇https://youtu.be/4lPZlJ5fZZ8
Compliments of the season are in order because I’ve not been here since last year. I trust your year has been nothing short of beautiful.
This week I had the privilege of doing an interview with a one-time colleague and friend while I was in the University, Oluwaseyi Olusegun, he is a very skillful and talented drummer and he is also an excellent Music Producer who runs his own brand, Samsol Productions. In this podcast I asked him few of the questions I always like to ask everyone I interview but a little different in some ways.
Oluwaseyi’s music life was majorly influenced by his family, at age 3 his dad who is also a music guru got him a drum which meant the whole world to him, he constantly played with it as a form of unconscious practice. This act helped his musicality grow. He spoke of how his church was also a major influence in his music life especially in the excellence of delivery of music, sight-singing and so on. From my conversation with him, it’s clear again that the family and environment is a major influence in the likes and dislikes of a child.
Of recent I had a conversation with someone who spoke of how easy it is to get a child to learn music and sports at a tender age and how it can improve other areas of learning. I found Seyi’s childhood story one that further emphasized that in this podcast.
Not to dwell long on this, he shared with me how the music activities he engages in has healed him at different times, ranging from playing the drums to song writing to Music production and one thing that stood out for me in this conversation is the fact that In our healing lies the healing of others and in the healing of others lies our own healing. It simply means that everyone must definitely find themselves giving and receiving music in one way or the other whether you see yourself as a professional or an amateur.
My conversation with Sunday Asipa is one of the most lifting conversations I’ve had on my podcast. He just gave a lot of lifting punchlines and the stories he shared too… Sunday Asipa shared with me how his instructor who was more like a mentor to him influenced his love for music and was a guide for him as he journeyed the path.
For him Music can heal because according to him, he experienced it first-hand when he was seriously down with typhoid and Malaria, he could barely walk or do anything. This very day he had choir rehearsals, he told himself he was going to be at the church regardless of how he felt.
Of course every of the reasons as to why he shouldn’t have gone was glaring but he went anyway. While at rehearsals, he almost fell because of how weak he felt, the game changer was when the choir began to sing a song that they had learnt, it felt like the song began to inject health into his body. It was healing and immediately he stood strong. According to him, he couldn’t just explain what happened but that particular song worked an immediate miracle in him.
This is one conversation I’ll encourage you to listen to as he scared more than one story. Please click the link below to listen 👇https://anchor.fm/mercy-kay/episodes/L-I-F-T-E-D-Sunday-Asipa-emb0e4
You need friends who remind you of who you are with songs especially at your lowest moments. Oreoluwa Awolesi is a dear friend of more than 15 years, I had a discussion with her last week on #ShareyourMusicMiracle series.
She spoke of how she finished National Youth Service Corps (N.Y.S.C) over a year ago and was in the wait for job, to top it all up she went through a break up of a relationship that had lasted 3 years or more.
She felt life and God were unfair to her to have brought her through pitfall moments, first she knew she was smart and productive, she felt with that she should have gotten a job but all to no avail.
She decided to let go of everything, her faith in God and all. She was done! This friend calls to check on her and she rants about how devastating everything had been, her friend says to her that she’s going to send a song that would help her up. She goes like ahn ahn in her mind because she wasn’t expecting that, she needed solution and not a song to listen to. Her friend sends the song and for sometime she didn’t listen to it, one day she decided to listen to it and boy! It was just what she needed. It encouraged, picked her up from where she had left herself and renewed hope in her heart.
Best part is she’s got a job now! You see why we need friends who understand when it’s not just words that would do it but music…
Click here to listen to this rich conversation 👇https://anchor.fm/mercy-kay/episodes/L-O-V-E-DOreoluwa-Awolesi-em0fg9
I remember reading Deforia Lane’s account of her patient who was about to have a bone marrow transplant and because of loneliness and anxiety had trouble sleeping. The suggestion was made to try Music Therapy and she did, she found out that he loved hymns so he decided to sing ‘Oh, how I love Jesus’.
He had his oxygen mask on earlier but because he needed to sing, he removed it. The nurse stepped in and was taken aback by this sight, she noticed the atmosphere had changed and there was something different about the way music made the kid feel, she took his blood pressure and exclaimed that it was the lowest she had seen in him. To help his insomnia, Dr Deforia had him listen to music on a cassette player and in 20 minutes he slept soundly, first time in a long while…
I had to share this story because I didn’t understand the gravity of what Esther Odeyemi, my guest on this week’s Podcast went through when she had an accident. Her legs were going to be amputated due to the effect of the accident. She shared with me how she found it hard to sleep many times because she was depressed and couldn’t explain why she was in such pain. She found a light in her questioning season, it was music. It was music that gave her feet strength to walk again, it was music that helped her sleep soundly, it was music that gave her wings to fly despite the obstacles, it was music that lifted her head high when all she could see around was shame.
Her legs weren’t amputated, call it a miracle but till date she still limps while walking, she shared how she was able to overcome the depression that came with people jesting using music. She’s a warrior in every sense and I’m thankful she’s walking.
You can listen to the full episode here👇https://anchor.fm/mercy-kay/episodes/W-A-L-K-I-N-G-Esther-Odeyemi-el0sse
PS: It’s been one year since I started sharing everything Music Therapy and it’s been a rewarding and stretching journey. If you’ve learnt something from this blog, please share in the comment section. It would mean a lot.
Some years ago I had this patient who had seizure, truth be told you could hardly get him to converse but they say where conversations do not work, try Music and voila music was set to do the miracle.
I found out from his caregiver that he loved drumming so we started with allowing him drum, he drummed on anything and it just made him hyper active the more but trust me the sight was so beautiful to behold, he was fourteen years so talk about ‘teenage shyness’, he didn’t have it. He was just a free-spirited teen.
After series of drumming everywhere and admiration of my guitar for a long time we now needed to work. Talking about admiration of the guitar, he pulled it very well and I was so careful so he’d not distune it because at that time I wasn’t perfect at tuning a guitar, I knew it’d take me time to get it tuned. I helped myself by pleading with him in a friendly manner to take it easy. Lol
He calmed down a bit and we were getting started on the next phase of the Music Therapy Administration, this time I was going to make simple melodies on the guitar and he was going to replicate it. It was my first time trying such so I sang a simple melodious song and in 2 minutes this hyper active teen had picked everything and was eager to replicate, I had this look of what??😲 This kid didn’t disappoint at all,he replicated it so well and this time around he took the guitar to try it, I allowed him and it was beautiful even though he didn’t know how to play but it was beautiful in my ears.
This experience taught me two things people who are ill are not looking for anything complex, they already feel the sickness is complicated and they want something simple to brighten them up, this is majorly why I do very simple songs.
It also taught me that Music helps with easy retention no matter the kind of ailment or personality a person has, when it comes to music they’ll remember more than they remember words.
I am certain you learnt something from this story, do leave a comment below.
Jesusson shared with us his journey into therapeutic music, how he played the guitar at an annual event tagged ‘PATIENTS’ DAY’, seeing patients in the hospital regain their confidence and joy just by doing music opened his heart to the aspect of Music and he’s been on it.
He’s one of the few people I know who sensed a call into music and told themselves since this is what I’ve been called to do, let me just study it and boom! He went in for music. He shares Music on his YouTube channel Friday for Originals every week, you can check his music.
The highlight of my conversation with Jesusson Awotu-Ukiri was when he sang the song titled ‘ We shall Overcome’. I have always known this song since I was in secondary school and there’s this nostalgic feeling I had listening to him sing again. That’s not even his story, he used to be a victim of depression, he was broke and so many other things were happening to him. Jesusson took to music in that season of His life as a companion, I find that music keeps us company when life’s journey feels too lonely a path to tread on, music is a place to find solace but not just any kind of music will do that. Jesusson and I shared how important it is to discern songs that are for us, some songs make us sink back into depression while certain songs awaken us and pull us from the pit of darkness we find ourself in.
Olayemi Afees Akanni has a strong Muslim background so the possibility of being immersed in music was quite slim, his background in music is one from learning lots of songs by listening to the radio. The radio and his school assembly ground was a major influence in his music life, then when he eventually went to church.
He shared how he felt cheated being the last born of the family for over 10 years until he was displaced😅, he always felt unloved because he wasn’t pampered. He started having thoughts of death in such moments, he’d somehow begin to hum a tune when those thoughts surged in, it helped him bounce back from such state. He didn’t understand how music was helping him walk through dark questioning seasons until he got into the Tertiary institution.
In His words ‘I used to fear calls from home’, things weren’t okay at home and he tried to avoid receiving calls except if it came from his Father and this was because he knew that his Father had the ability to manage conveying a critical situation in speech.
His sister and Father were challenged health wise, His father had issues at work and his sister’s marriage was close to falling apart. Everything came falling like a pack of cards, he had to skip tests, was thinking of committing suicide at the thought of everything happening but thankfully he didn’t.
It was first his elder sister who died on New Year’s day and it felt like everything came crashing, he was numb and just couldn’t understand what was happening. You’d think that was just it, his father was ill and his leg was about to be amputated, his father didn’t want it, he backed his Father who once carried him, such painful sight to behold and that was the last he saw him. He died! Olayemi had to walk through the season of losing two loved ones, he grieved with hope with music that reassured him and made him see the bigger picture.
He also shared with us how Songwriting helped him through tough seasons.
I think his story is one worth listening especially if you are walking through grief. Kindly click the link below to listen 👇👇
Owonikoko Imisioluwa Olalekan my friend and dear colleague, we studied Music at Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife same year and if there’s anything I’ve always known him for it’s his ability to explore what you call abnormal and use this gift of music he has to influence culture.
I will say I learnt a lot from my conversation with him and it was so real, no airs, just two persons laughing and sharing deep stuffs on the power that music has to heal.
My friend, Koko runs an organization called Music for Development that is committed to driving positive social change through music, I have known his passion to communicate healing through music to the girl child for four years and it’s been such a joy to behold his becoming amidst the many ups and down that life throws at us.
Koko shared his music miracle with me and I found it humbling because I never knew he had been through something that painful that almost became an addiction. When he was in secondary school, he lived with a family and what he was subjected to daily caused a damage to his tender heart, we know how life throws us stuffs but it’s always different with a child or teenager, it could leave them broken if not salvaged. Everytime he’d inflict injury on himself using a razor blade, because of the emotional trauma he was subjected to growing up, he’d weep uncontrollably.
One of those injury-infliction days, he listened to the song He saved me by R Kelly and it felt like someone could finally understand what he was going through. It felt like R Kelly was counseling him through his music and so he made it a habit to constantly listen to his song, this helped him to overcome the habit of inflicting injury on himself with razor blade. The flip part is that he was able to bring healing to others.
He also shared something that is worthy of note, not every music will heal you, some will make you sink into depression and it’s left to you to choose wisely.
I believe Koko’s life story in general is very inspiring especially for those who have struggled with acceptance, he’s someone you should listen to. Here’s the link to the akara song he shared with us on the podcast, it is worth listening to 👇 https://fanlink.to/the-akara-song
Do share with me one or two things you learnt from this blog. Full story on my podcast, kindly click here to listen 👇https://anchor.fm/mercy-kay/episodes/S-A-L-V-A-G-E-D-ejmhkl
I had the honour of having a beautiful podcast session with my dear friend Sarah Olayinka, we’ve known each other for 15 years or more and I think she’s so skilled in music that you can hardly know except you know her. I literally pulled her out of her safe space to do this interview. One of the things that you’d constantly read here are stories of persons who have experienced the miracle of Music so that as you walk through life’s confrontation you can make it a habit to sing or listen to a song that brings you healing in every area you need one.
Sarah shared about four different personal stories where she experienced healing through, two of which were major Music Miracle.
She had just resumed the Predegree programme at the Obafemi Awolowo University Centre for Distant Learning and was always falling ill everyday in predegree and had this growth on her waist, it was protruding and it was painful so she’d cry often because of the pain. Prior to that time, getting the tuition fees was a challenge and her parents went through a lot just to get the fees. For some persons, the tuition fee was just a walk in park but for her it wasn’t.
To make matters worse, everytime she was at the hospital, the report she always got was that there was nothing wrong, this sort of made her travel home every weekend, bear in mind that there was really no money like that at home. She at some point thought it was Appendicitis but was told it wasn’t so, you know it’s easy when you know what you are trying to get rid of but when you do not know, it can be very frustrating. This was the case with Sarah as the pain persevered, it made her travel from Ile-ife to Lagos every weekend.
One week after she attended her church’s Bible Study, she laid on her bed close to tears and in pain again singing; The Great Physician now is near, The sympathizing Jesus; He speaks the drooping heart to cheer, Oh, hear the voice of Jesus. That song resonated deeply within her and she sang it everytime like everytime and slowly the miracle was happening in her body. Not long after the nine month programme, she was miraculously healed and till date she is doing very well.
This is just one out of a number of experiences she shared with me. I’d implore you to listen to the podcast, kindly click the link below👇👇https://anchor.fm/mercy-kay/episodes/D-O-N-O-T-S-T-O-P-ejb2oh
If there’s anything Sarah’s many experiences taught me it is the power of consistently singing or listening to a song to birth the miracle you desire in your life. Every of the time she was ill, she took time to sing it over herself or listen to the song wash her pain away. It is the power of not stopping till you see your miracle.
I’d implore you to make this a habit, thankfully I’ll be putting up a song that’d help you through your day and beyond. Do listen and as always Its always a joy reading from you.💜
Three years ago I had a patient, in fact the first patient I administered music to as an undergraduate which I think was wishy-washy because I had just little knowledge on the guitar. This patient was a beautiful woman from the south western part of Nigeria who was already a grandmother at the time I think, she had Diabetes and other ailments I can’t remember now. I somehow took special interest in this woman because she was friendly and welcoming despite the pain. At first sight you would tag her happy woman with less worries, at the time her leg was to be amputated due to the ailment. That’s not even where I’m headed to, lots of persons who look happy, post stuffs on their status and other social media handles encouraging others are 80% of the time dealing with one fear or the other yet putting up a façade.
Back to my story, I visited this hospital weekly, encouraging her with music that gave her hope and helped her faith in God because she was Christian and somehow I saw her loosen up, she began to confide in me with tears in her eyes. I mean this is a woman you would tag strong because she seemed so welcoming but from conversations with her I realized it isn’t what it is. She had lots of fears especially the fear of her leg being amputated; the money that had been spent and would still be spent was also a major fear. All these happened in an atmosphere of music, as we sang short spontaneous songs together, she would loosen up and tell me very personal things that I didn’t feel worthy to be privy to but I noticed one thing, it freed her from all her fears as she spoke while I sang or after I sang whilst communing with her creator, she realized she was better, hopeful and guess what in a couple of weeks she was well and about to be discharged. Greater news was that her leg wasn’t amputated, call it a miracle! Fear kills faster than the ailment or issue a person might be experiencing. It is said from research that music has the ability to alleviate pain, anxiety and free anyone from fears. Call it a miracle again!
Fear weakens the immune system. When a person is happy it makes their immune system strengthened to function better. If fear weakens the immune system faster than the ailment or issues, that means we probably should not be hosting a pity party around it. I believe that one of the major things that has killed so many persons who were diagnosed with Coronavirus is the fear that they’ve been told that it kills or probably they have read that its a deadly virus, it simply means If we get fear out of the way we would have more recoveries.
I believe that Fear can be cured with music. When a person isn’t fearful, his spirit can still sustain his infirmity till he jerks back to life and wellness.
Have you ever been fearful? Did Music help you? Kindly share with me how music was of help to you.
One experience that stood out for me in a mental health hospital was that of an autistic child who I would love to give the fictional name, Amina. Amina was a child of 10 years who had lived with autism since she was a year old. Week-in, week-out, she came with her mum to the Hospital to see the doctor, get medications , attend educational therapy and what have you.
So this day, she came in sobbing and I had so much empathy on her that I would have shed a tear. Her mum said to me, “She likes covering her face whenever she steps into a room filled with people but I discouraged her from doing this which led to an outburst of tears”. This scenario is common with children with this disorder because of their poor social skills.
I’m sure you might be curious as to what happened next, how I was able to manage an autistic child who was sobbing, knowing the struggles of children who live with this ailment…
Research on music therapy shows that listening to music engages sub-cortical and cortical areas of the brain. Music has been shown to stimulate the brains’ primary engine of human capacity, exercises attention, evokes emotional response and stimulates the central nervous system. It also appears to activate the human mirror-neuron system, supporting the coupling between perceptual events (visual or auditory) and motor actions (leg, hand, or vocal or articulatory actions).
At one time, theories of human brain development argued that there was little or no growth of brain cells after age 30 but recent studies of music and the brain have shown this view to be erroneous. The brain is a plastic organ and music has the power to shape the brain’s development into later life. The implication of these findings is huge. Providing opportunities for people to experience music in many settings can have a profound impact on their healthy development.
Music has long been recognized as a powerful force in rehabilitative treatment, used clinically to address impairments in motor function, language, cognition, sensory processing, and emotional disturbances that can result from brain injury. It has been used successfully to induce cognitive repair in patients with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, or traumatic brain injury. Indeed, music has the potential to “fix” the brain, by providing an alternative entry point into a “broken” brain system to remediate impaired neural processes or neural connections.
Back to my story, I went on to administer music therapy to this young girl. I switched on the music on my phone and she began loosening up, then I picked up my guitar and started singing. Before I could say jack, her eyes were dried and she reached for a pen and began writing. For autistic children, writing is usually a challenge so you can imagine how much my heart leaped with joy when she began writing herself.
You can imagine that her mum tried using non-musical tones to communicate what she wanted her to do and it turned sour but at the sound of music she not only did what she wanted her to do but she did more by writing.
Amina returned home happy and I returned curious about this aspect of Therapy and eager to raise an awareness of it’s potency.
This is #TheDiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist, Episode 10
In view of what has been happening in recent weeks across the nations of the earth and the instruction to stay indoors to avoid the spread of the coronavirus, #TheDiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist will be on hold. We strongly believe this will end soon.
Please remain obedient to every rule given by our individual government authorities.
I look forward to reading from you and catch you soon!
I was at the hospital last week and it was closed down because the management thought to fumigate the hospital. Every disappointment is truly a blessing, I have been wanting to share with you one of my experiences in the hospital where I had a patient who almost dislocated my arm.
I have this strong love for autistic children. I remember feeling the warmth of the embrace of a particular autistic child in my church, I must tell you I loved her immediately. There was this aura of peace she carried.
Well that’s not even the gist, I had a session with an autistic child in the hospital and honestly I was lost for songs or activities. He was one child that had a very strong grip, you couldn’t just beat him to getting his body calm, he’d struggle with you.
If you know children living with autism, you’ll know that this comes with aggression that is common with the mental disability. He also had difficulty in concentrating, so I could hardly get him to focus because it felt like something else needed his attention.
I figured out that I was not going to get his attention easily so I started by beating a rhythm because I was told he loved drumming, I did this repeatedly and honestly you will think he wasn’t listening or paying attention until he played the exact rhythm back to me without me asking and that was the bonding point for us. He did the rhythm repeatedly and we transited into singing.
I did a song in his name letting him know that He is a gift from God and it was beautiful, he slowly calmed down and gave me his full attention. His mum was with him and she was so impressed, the song sent a message to her thatsaid regardless of the health challenge of her son, it doesn’t change the truth that he is a gift from God to the family and the world.
One thing I learnt from this session is this; producing a simple rhythm and hoping for him to reproduce it helped him concentrate. If this is continuous and consistent, he would be able to concentrate always and learn concentration in other aspects. Asides from the administration of Music Therapy helping patients calm down, it helps focus and concentration.
I am committed to doing this anytime and any day because the transformation I see always is priceless.
This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist, Episode 9
Heaviness is what I’d have loved to title this ‘cos I could literally touch this in the hearts of caregivers this past week. From the mothers whose kids had difficulty in breathing and were battling with issues at home to the mother who looked clueless not knowing whether to cry or just do something else to the mother who could still manage the occurrence to the Father who was pissed off with his wife to the parents who did not know where the money for the next medication will come from but experienced a miracle right there in my presence.
You are probably wondering how I knew all of these case scenarios? Well let’s just say I administered music for a longer time this very day so I could see deeper, I could see unhappy and happy homes, confused and hopeful people but let’s just say the negatives were more. They were caged with a lot of worries that had kept them mute, I knew they needed to release whether by speaking or sighing or nodding to the truth that all was going to be well.
Under my breath I asked God to heal hearts, homes and their children because I could barely bring them to a point of singing talk less of talking, everyone’s head was bent deep in their problems. The only thing I knew to do was to administer music without expecting any response, I serenaded the atmosphere with music for a long time. I sang these words; I no go fear I no go worry This too will pass and It won’t be long.
While I sang I saw some nod, I saw others rest their heads to sleep over everything bothering them, I saw babies sleep soundly and a baby grin widely at me❤ Right in my presence, a good Samaritan walked in and gifted two out of the mothers with money, these mothers were having a hard time containing the fact that their kids were ill but somehow this kindness shown by the Good Samaritan made them hopeful. What a miracle! I thought to myself
I learnt a vital lesson from this session is that sometimes the only way to release in the atmosphere of music might be through a smile, nod, sigh and rest. Sometimes it’s okay not to have them voice out their concerns but to allow it die a deep death within them such that it never resurrects again.
This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist, Episode 8
You know when they say your words are weapon and you can either use it to your favour or use it to the detriment of yourself. I was yet again in the company of parents who we normally care givers at the Emergency Paediatric Ward of the hospital. They were a mix of tribe, largely Igbo and few northerners. I wasn’t nervous per say doing this with them even though I didn’t envision it while leaving for the hospital. I think one of the things this journey is teaching me is to expect the unexpected and be prepared to deliver value at anytime.
I sat in the middle of the ward, strumming my guitar so the lyrics could pour forth, gradually the lyrics were on my lips and I had their attention. If you’ve been following me, you’d know that I love short spontaneous music and I use it a lot in the hospital because I know it’s easy to remember few lines than lengthy lines and since one of my target is memory, having them remember the music when they hit despair then I know doing spontaneous music will work.
So the first song I did was on Peace and Health because lately I’ve been so endeared to the importance of always being at peace, I decided to gift them with a spontaneous music on Peace. These were the lyrics; Peace to your body Peace to your soul Peace to your mind.
It initially took a while for them to learn this because they didn’t feel good enough to sing so I encouraged them by singing one line then patiently wait for them to sing the next. They were doing so well and at each point they did, I made statements like Fantastic! Awesome! Just so they’d be encouraged. I made sure they declared these lyrics over their kids.
They finally perfected this and then I thought to do another spontaneous that had the fusion of Nigerian Pidgin, Igbo and Hausa language so I asked for the meaning of peace in both languages and I got them. Here is the Lyrics; You no go beg! You no go borrow Zaman Lafia, Udo!
This was really the most interesting for them because they felt like someone could do a song in their language, there was this sense of belonging. I made them declare this over themselves and family, making them realize that there’s life in the words they speak and situations should not determine what they speak, little did I know that there was a mother among them who had been declaring very negative words. One of the mothers pointed to her saying ‘You see what we were saying! Just try not to speak negative when things go bad’.
We sang these words again deliberately and the joy! So pure. I feel this moment with these parents changed me more than it changed them because I have become so conscious of what proceeds from my mouth.
I’m thankful that I do this, I leave wards feeling very fulfilled each week and the fact that I bring light, hope, joy, peace to lives humbles me.
This is #TheDiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 7
I’m sure you know by now that reading from you gives me much joy and I always look forward to it!
Transitions are beautiful yet they come with new challenges that are surmountable. Last week when I wrote about sharing music with caregivers, I sort of knew deep within me that it was going to be my last time in the Paediatric ward of the hospital but didn’t know how it was going to happen.
The next time following the period that I did my last post on Caregivers (by the way if you’ve not read it, it’d be good to ‘cos it’s an enriching read). To my story, the matron on duty gave me a warm welcome and took me to this new ward which was also Paediatric but this time for Emergency cases, there were a number of babies and as she introduced me to the nurse on duty, I was all there smiling and thinking of how to engage babies in Music but nothing was coming. In that moment, the only thing I knew to do was to jump into the waves.
I walked up to the bedside of this baby boy who was 4 months old, his mum was obviously perturbed and worse of all you could tell that having her baby in the hospital was not just her only problem, she seemed to shoulder a lot yet trying to be sane through it. For some minutes I engaged her in a discussion, she told me of how her baby started teething, had been coughing, running temperature and hasn’t been eating. I was really emotional in this moment, I was on my feet still thinking of what to do when the nurse on duty came to tell the mother that she should get her baby milk so he could eat that was when I knew that her breasts hadn’t been bringing forth milk. I felt for her deeply, she was up and about leaving the baby and his sister with me, so I was left alone to share music with them.
Hmmmm I began singing because of course I couldn’t engage the baby, I just sang while he cried and was yet in pain. I sang these words I shared today in my video, you can watch the video on Instagram: @escape_global. These were the lyrics; Peace through it all Joy through it all Hope through it all You are never alone. Peace through it all.
I sang this song repetitively for about 30 minutes or more and I couldn’t see visible improvement, maybe only the fact that it lessened his tears. I yet continued singing it over him.
I’m not one to easily give up when it comes to this but I came to a conclusion that the music I did lightened the burden that was in the atmosphere and it also made me accept the challenge of thinking unique approach to be used in administering music to babies in the hospital.
Over the next few weeks, I’d be in this ward so I’d unearth golden lessons that would be useful in Music Therapy administration with babies.
This is the #DiaryofanAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 6
This past week was eventful for me, it challenged my mental capacity and ability to be creative on the spot.
I was in the Paediatric ward again with my musical instruments and I met what I didn’t prepare for. I had just stepped into the ward only to find that a nurse whom I had promised to do music for some weeks back was on duty. When she spotted me, she reminded me of my promise to share the joy of music with her, this time around adding that I share with everyone in the ward, she said to me “You know they didn’t have valentine with their family”.
I thought through this and decided I was going to do it, I have been so used to bedside music that this was sort of a challenge that I needed to surmount. When administering Bedside Music I could engage a patient in a conversation while trying to figure out his or her interest or the ailment thereby creating music of hope, joy and love but this was a lot different, it meant that I had to address every parent in the ward.
For some minutes, I was just running through chords on my guitar and thinking of Music that will suite the atmosphere, how to address them and so on. I finally got my balance and stood up to address them like a Choir Director (lol), told them of the song we were going to sing and of course taught them. They learnt so fast and in few minutes, I was on my guitar accompanying the music. For me this was so beautiful because initially the ward was echoing with cries from the babies but I noticed that as we sang together there was this calm from the babies.
We were soon done with the first song, Yes you saw that right, first song! They requested for another song because they felt it really lifted their spirits, so I taught them another song and boom! they were singing it so well. I again accompanied the singing with the guitar, it was everything refreshing.
In that moment, it became more real to me that the families of patients need the therapeutic effect of Music also, many of them are walking through very depressing season watching someone dear to them fade away due to an illness, It would interest you to know that some have seen their loved ones die in the space of 1 year, few months and weeks, I mean in succession yet they still spend their earnings and income to make sure this very one’s life is battled for.
I dedicate this post to them and I hope for opportunities to bring soothing relief to what they feel via Music.
This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 5. Kindly drop your comments and feedback, I always love reading from you!
This time around they were two girls who were sisters and I can tell you they stole my heart from the very minute I stepped to their bedside; One because they are actually beautiful and two because they had the best smiles that was therapeutic for me. For me, there is a way smile speaks of acceptance even before saying or doing anything.
Just before I continue with the tale of my time with these lovelies, I had earlier entered into the Paediatrics Ward and it felt like I had become extra popular because all i was hearing was ‘Aunty Welcome’, ‘Aunty Welldone, you are here again’. I could read the thoughts of those whose kids were newly admitted, they had this face that said who is this lady with the guitar, what is she here to do. To further confirm that I was no strange face in the ward, the nurse on duty who I am very familiar with was so glad to see me. I legit felt like a regular customer but it was really heart-warming because it was beginning to make sense to them that what I do is so needed in the healthcare.
Back to my tale, the girls were staring at me with a blush that said we are so shy to talk with this aunty but we’ll love it if she talks with us. I took my seat and began conversing with them, the eldest amongst them was the one who was ill and her sister had been with her to keep her company. They were my first Muslim patients so I initially cringed because I understand their general belief system about Music.
Well this didn’t stop me; I had beautiful conversation with them about Health, life, school, Music and so on. I listened more than I talked; we conversed as if we had known each other for long. During the course of our conversation, I picked one thing and it’s the fact that their hearts were so simple, no airs and worries just living life as it comes. I think the conversation changed me more because here was I worried about their would be response to music but here they just loved it that they can converse with someone other than their family members.
Close to the end of my session with them, these girls sang their best nursery rhymes, I learnt their native dialect, we sang together on the guitar and it was so beautiful. This taught me two things, one you do not assume for a patient until you have made the bold step to ask or try.
Two, prioritize care over cure when administering music to patients, sometimes we are so concerned about the outcome than what happens in the process. It is not always about fixing the problem and seeing a desired outcome, it is sometimes about bonding, the memory that lingers via conversation. Remember, this is a compendium of lessons learnt, miracles of music in the hospital as an Aspiring Music Therapist.
This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 4. Kindly drop your comments and feedback, I always love reading from you!❤️
Not again was what I’d have said if I could express my heart to the patient. You remember a patient of mine that I shared with you about that was so timid and suffered a fractured arm. She was the one again this time, the doctors had complained about her not refusing to take a step towards moving her arm, they had cajoled and finally resolved that an Occupational Therapist was the one to come to the rescue.
I met her gloomy and struck a conversation with her, of course she was familiar with my face. Her brother said he had been doing his best to persuade her towards moving her hands a bit. At this point, all my I was thinking were creative ways to make her move her arm.
Boom! An idea came, I brought out my children’s drum and I said to her you are simply going to sing and move your hands to the rhythm of this drum. Of course she was really scared, it sounded crazy but I encouraged her saying she could support the arm with her right arm and slowly move it.
The exact drum I used
My people we began this journey, I playing the drum and singing;
He has done great things,
He has done great things
Bless His holy name.
While we did this, I noticed she was still focused on the pain,so I said to her I want you to sing and forget that you are moving your arm. She took that and gradually she was courageously moving her arm with ease, we did a number of exercises with her arm and I quickly picked that we had been able to conquer the fear of feeling pain.
We moved on and she requested that she wanted to play the guitar, here is someone who had earlier on been scared of even moving hands saying she wanted to hold the guitar and try something out. I consented and she did try to play something, in that moment I said to myself sometimes all you’ve got to do is sing healing over yourself.
The guitar moved back to my hand and I sang to her a spontaneous song filled with much hope. She was the only patient I attended to, I decided I was going to take extra extra time with her and in the end I wasn’t wishing it was someone else I had administered music to. I was glad she was the one! It was such a fulfilling moment for me when the nurse told me she enjoyed the session I had with the girl and would love that next time she’d be a full recipient of it.
This is the #DiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 3
Please feel free to drop your questions and feedback. It’s always beautiful reading from you!
Ujunwa is the name I will like to give her, I walked in to see her and realized that the ward was a little crowded. The smile of the nurse on duty was heart-warming and welcoming that it made me extra joyful that I had come again to the hospital.
Uju was totally numb emotionally when I got to her bedside even though she was actively using her mum’s phone, I could tell that she cared less about anyone and she was the last child from what I could infer. She was obviously a well-pampered child in her pre-teen.
Having observed Uju’s personality, I helped myself by starting a conversation with her mum and she told me about the circumstances around her daughter’s birth. For me it was an interesting one and helped me calm a bit before administering music to her daughter.
The conversation switched and I was conversing with Ujunwa, she was really open as she told me in details of the ailment that brought her to the hospital. About a week ago, she experienced a very sharp pain at her abdomen, she was told it was appendicitis and needed to be operated on. The operation was carried out, she felt better but still felt pain a bit.
I asked a number of questions about her school and she was still very open with me. I decided it was time to engage her musically and like I try to do with my patients, I always love to have a feel of their musicality so I ask questions like “are you in your school choir?”, “What’s your best song?”, “Do you play any musical instrument?” and so on.
I found out from our conversation that she didn’t really have a musical sense but she tried to sing a song on her dream, trust me I joined in singing. When she was done, I did a very simple and spontaneous song. These were the lyrics;
God’s plans for you,
They are beautiful
and are good!
When we sang this together, we switched and translated the lyrics in Igbo and sang it together. It was such a beautiful time as she loosened up totally. Her smile was bright and she wasn’t the emotionally numb person I met at first. Her mum said to me when I was about leaving “Thank you for putting smiles on our children’s faces”. These words were honestly priceless, I realized again that the little things matter and people aren’t seeking for things that complicate matters.
At the Hospital last week
There are myriads of cases like this that I see in the hospital and many a times I truly wish I could share all ranging from the child who steals your heart with endless smiles at the sight of your musical instrument to the one who doesn’t want you in her space but suddenly opens up to the eyes that are obviously scared of what tomorrow holds for them to those who are evidently drained of cash to the depressed to those who grieve yet try to put up a facade. In all of these I have learnt and I am still learning not to put up a pity face or organize another pity party that they already dread, I realize always that it’s the little things that matters, they all just want an adrenaline push in their emotions, they don’t want to hear the next discovery in their bodies, they want the simple things of life.
This is the #DIARYOFANASPIRINGMUSICTHERAPIST Episode 2
Kindly drop your questions and feedback. It is always a Joy reading from You!
You know when they say you never understand the value of what you have or what you do until you are in the very place it is needed.
The Hospital is one of the places I enjoy being and this past week I had the privilege of meeting patients again. I entered the hospital in a very nervous state because it was my first time of doing music fully this year in the actual hospital. I like always wondered if this would make sense to the patients, if I won’t get that look of ‘You are wasting your time’. Well I was right, I had those stares of what are you coming to do with musical instruments but it really didn’t matter ‘cos I was prepared for it.
This was me at the Hospital last week
I walked into the Paediatric ward of the Hospital, I scanned through the ward and saw two patients, two parents and a hospital nurse, then there was this joy and nervousness that welled up in my heart immediately I saw them because I knew I would spend quality time with them and have effective results.
My music administration started with a girl in Junior Secondary School who had an accident that almost cost her an arm. From first contact I could tell she was timid, had successfully walked transited the pain of being in the hospital and had found such contentment in solitude since the ward was almost empty.
In my conversation with her, I found out she had been in the condition since the previous festive season, she had missed classes and bills were constantly pumped in just to see that she gets well.
I figured out also that her confidence had been crushed even though she tried to hide it with an innocent smile on her face, so I said to her “Do you know you are beautiful?” and I got that smile again, this time nodding as though she wasn’t sure of it. So I said You sound like you have a good singing voice, are you in your school choir? She replied Yes and I asked her to sing me a song and there we were singing together, this made her loosen up a bit to get her groove after a long while of solitude and what I call loneliness.
We moved and I said “What Kind of musical instrument do you like?” She said “I like this one with you” (referring to my guitar), she added that she’d love if I give it to her. Fam I made her a promise to get her one. Smiles!
Now I knew the atmosphere had lightened up and it was time to do music that restores confidence, so I picked up my guitar and as you might know I love spontaneous songs. I had these short three-line lyrics;
You are beautiful,
You are Special!
You are Light!
That was it fam, the effect of this music on her was palpable that the parent of the next patient had to do a video recording of the session, he asked me to do it again and this time around I was intentional about this girl of mine singing it, this girl was so confident that we went on to exchange contacts. One minute the air was gloomy and she was timid, the next minute she had brightened up and was extra confident.
Fulfillment is an understatement for what I felt, I live for these moments and I love that I live for these moments!
This is the #DIARYOFANASPIRINGMUSICTHERAPIST Episode 1
Kindly drop your questions and feedback. It is always a Joy reading from You!
I think Amazing is my best word, I use it always and I enjoy using it. Anyway that is not even the gist! I’m so excited it’s a new year and a new decade at that. I have honestly looked forward to this year for a very long time and I am excited that we get to see it together.
I ended 2019 with reading a book by an all time favourite Music Therapist, Dr Deforia Lane and it has spurred me like never before to take conscious leaps in the field of Music Therapy.
This year I am committing myself to sharing my journey in the hospital with you as an Aspiring Music Therapist, it is tagged #TheDiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist.
Every moment in the hospital ward is filled with stories of pain, hope, much thinking and joy to patients and families of patients at the sound of music. You don’t want to miss these stories.
For every moment I get to administer music as a form of therapy to Patients in the hospital, I promise to share with you which is inclusive of the ugly moments too.
This year I joined the Arts in Medicine Fellowship which is targeted at encouraging the use of arts in Healthcare, I love this fellowship because I am constantly inspired to be better!
This post is dedicated to Adullam Vision Initiative’s project tagged PATIENTS’ DAY and just in case you do not know what it is all about, here it is; Patients Day is a special day in the Nigerian calendar set aside to foster the love, care and commitment of the nation to the mental and emotional wellbeing of patients in Hospitals, Internally Displaced People camps, orphanage homes with the aim of seeing them recuperate.
Music is an integral part of this which has made me actively involved for the past 2 years and in each year I have gained what I could term as lessons that has added value to me. In today’s post, I will like to streamline what I have gained from being part of this event to 3.
Two years ago when I joined in this movement, I was a very timid fellow even though on the outside I looked like someone who was never shy. Being timid was quite challenging for me because it meant I had to go from ward to ward singing to patients in the hospital. I thought to myself what would be the reaction of Health Personnels and patients in the Hospital. Alas! While we went about doing this, It turned out that a lot of persons were encouraged and I had built confidence. Last year, I didn’t have trouble singing to patients despite the fact that the location I was in was the North Eastern part of Nigeria where music is not regarded. I have built CONFIDENCE!
This picture was taken in Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. Ile-Ife, Osun State. Nigeria and it was my first time of being part of the event in 2017
Another thing I have gained is being able to sing spontaneously without any prior thinking of the lyrics. I think of a line in my head and I’m adding melody to it on the spot and they are songs that stick easily, patients remember easily and sing along with confidence and hope for the future. I have improved musically especially with spontaneous songs.
This was the team that performed in the same hospital in 2018 and it was massive! I was in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria doing same and it was mind-blowing!
I have become more COMPASSIONATE! I used to be someone who was hardly moved by issues that people go through in the hospital and I knew it wasn’t going to be good because one important thing about doing music is that you must connect with people deeply and it can’t be faked because people always know.
Being able to do music at PATIENTS’ DAY every year is always a privilege for me and I’d do it again and again because it keeps adding value to me.
This year’s edition will hold on the 7th of December 2019 by 9am at the following locations; Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital. Ile-Ife, Osun State. Nigeria Seventh Day Adventist Hospital. Ile-Ife, Osun State. Nigeria Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Lagos State. Nigeria.
You can also visit the social media handles of Adullam Vision Initiative to see how previous PATIENTS’ DAY have been. Facebook: Adullam Vision Initiative Instagram: @adullamvision
It’d be so good to have you around!
Let me know what you think about this post. I love reading from you!
In this post, i’d be using the term “persons” more than “patients” because I know that a lot persons who are traumatized have in one way or the other convinced themselves that there isn’t any need to see for a form of therapy as Music. You get words like “I’ll handle it” or “I’ll be fine” yet there are still lingering memories in their minds. I’ll begin with a story of what happened a long time ago.
After the Second World War, soldiers returned with head wounds and traumatic brain injuries or call it battle fatigue or shell shock as it was called during the First World War which is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
With many of these soldiers, it was discovered that the pain and misery they experienced could only be helped by music. Medical practitioners in many veteran hospitals made it a call of duty to invite musicians to come and play for these soldiers who were patients, musicians were so excited to bring music to these broken, distressed and wounded people.
It was said of a lady by the name Kitty who had an immense intuitive gift that endeared her to the patients however terrible the issue was. Working with this individual patients called for empathy and personal interaction as much as any formal therapy and Kitty was very skilled at this, she was also an audacious improviser and was very playful both on the keyboard and in life; She helped a lot of person through this art accept what had happened and look to the future with renewed hope.
The recovery process of a person or a patient who is a victim of a traumatic experience is painful and takes time, some persons carry the memories of it for the rest of their lives. Trauma can come in form of rape, war, seeing a loved one die and lots more. Memories can be hard to go off a person’s mind, there is always a replay of the fear or the pain.
However, Music Therapy plays a major role in seeing that persons who are experiencing trauma, accept whatever happened, express emotions, enhance security and most importantly gain self confidence.
Music Therapy reduces stress and anxiety that must have been caused by the event. It brings about positive change in mood. It also brings about positive and active participation during the cause of treatment. It increases or enhances the level of a person’s control, confidence and empowerment. Physiologically it lowers blood pressure, reduces heart rate and relaxes the tension in muscles.
Music Therapy gives traumatized persons the permission to feel while healing takes place so a person begins to let out.
Below is a video that gives a practical side to what this post is all about
More often I get the question “What Kind of Music is administered to Patients in the Hospital?” This question comes especially from people who have difficulty believing that Music can restore a person back to his or her original state and even much better.
I have personally worked with patients who were choosy in the kind of music that should be administered to them, this happened in my days as an undergraduate of Music while writing my final year project.
One of the patients who I tried administering Music to as a form of Therapy was an Igbo girl who suffered Isolation and made it a habit to always talk to herself, she had poor relational skills, she also had tendency of moping.
As always I was seated a particular office in the Hospital, while waiting for an outpatient who would be kind enough to allow me carry out the practical side of my project.
This particular girl walked in at this time and in my excited state I welcomed her into the clinic. I conversed with her mother present in the office and she obliged to my offer, I got to know the genesis of the ailment and the length of time she had been battling with this.
From conversation I noticed this girl was so in love with Igbo Music that was Christian and so I sang quite a number of it with her, she sang a number that I myself did not know which made it more interesting as I did my best to catch up with the song lyrics.
I tried singing the songs and styles she wasn’t familiar with and in a space of seconds I could literally pick the turn off, her focus was off what I was singing. I tried again and again but I lost her attention because I wasn’t singing what she was familiar with.
I came to a conclusion, that the uniqueness of every human being is so important so is also what we love, she was able to flow because I sang songs that took her to the core of her real self, where she is from and who she is.
I learnt from this experience that it is expedient to know who a patient is by connecting deeply with them and not to be in a hurry to sing what I know off my heart.
I also learnt that It is important that we understand that a person or rather a patient is influenced by either the music of culture or environment or personal interest. They are likely to respond to one of these in ways that will blow your mind. One of the things that happen in Music Therapy is that Music is never forced on anyone, there is a freedom of choice because we must achieve the goal of connection and ultimately, wellness.
Can they sing other styles aside the ones they enjoy? Yes very well but it might take time based on patients personality to bring them to that point. It is usually a gradual process and as I always love to let lots of persons know, the administration of Music Therapy has a procedure but then it is so dynamic in nature. You might sometimes have to bend to make the patient satisfied.
I hope you learnt one or two things from my experience with my Igbo Patient as an undergraduate.
Let me know what you think in the comment section.
Every moment in a Music Therapy session is a miracle, why because you see life jerk dead cases, you see impossible cases bring hope.
Tinuola a FIRST class graduate of a prestigious university in Nigeria had a fatal accident on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, this accident was meant to end her life but somehow she survived as some good Samaritans came to her rescue right in time.
She was rushed to a nearby hospital, because of the state of the hospital she was unattended to for some few minutes even though it was glaring that it was an emergency case. This complicated issues as she bled a lot and was in pain.
Alas! She was attended to and a lot of checks, tests, drips and treatment was administered. After the doctor carried out the test, he discovered that she might not be able to walk with her legs again because it had been badly damaged by the accident which meant she had to be on a wheel chair for as long as…
Tinuola wept bitterly knowing this was the time she had to be there for her parents who were doing averagely well, she knew there were lots of responsibilities on her and she there wasn’t enough fund to even take care of her bills. Thinking of this day in day out was both depressing for herself and her family.
She got lots of job offers but she couldn’t walk and work because of the condition she was in. This day a music therapist who earlier volunteered to work at the hospital took note of her and patiently listened to her story, this welled up empathy in him and thought to himself, I need to work on this.
Work started and then this Music Therapist played calming music that would make her mind wander away from the pain, he would also put the stereo on while he was away just to help her express emotions through music. She expressed her fears in tears, the pain of never having to fulfill her dreams and the feeling of what her condition might be causing the family and as days rolled by, she find herself jerking away from all of the fears.
The Music Therapist taught to himself, this might be a good time to work on your mobility, so everyday he made use of his violin to play marching rhythms and on other occasions, he used his guitar in playing marching rhythms, encouraging her with support from the Physiotherapist to move step by step.
This happened for about a month or thereabout and everyday her legs were gradually strengthened, she could stand 2 minutes and could move a short while.
In a month’s time, she found herself moving so well and of
course was later discharged.
I shared this story to let you know that the miracle in Music Therapy does happen in an instant and also happens in a process, it is most times a process, a Music Therapist sees the need to first begin working on the mind of the patient, ripping him or her of the fears and the walls that have been put up due to the accident or an ailment. The Miracle of seeing a patient jerk away from their fears might be so instant, in say maybe 4 or 5 hours thereabout or may even be more.
Let me make it more practical, flash your mind back to probably a time you were so down emotionally and a lot of things made you so fearful about life, putting on this music just all of a sudden brought you succor, making hope come alive in your heart. Can I get a witness on this? That moment when music jerked you off your fears, made you see better and hope again was a miracle produced by music.
However, many a times it is a long process (Had an experience like this in the hospital that I might probably share one of these days). Most times the miracle is in following through step by step.
A number of persons say to me, so patients just get healed like that with one strum on the guitar and I’m like No most times it is a process, sometimes tiring for the Music Therapist and might require them being there every time but always fulfilling at every stance of a miracle.
I hope you got something from this post. Below is a link to a video that helps you understand this better, kindly watch to the end.
Let me know what you think about this post and I love reading from you
Death has always been proud for it seems like no one is
capable of overcoming it. Many are scared of it.
Mrs Chinwe, an important personality in the Federal Ministry
of Works who just rose to the position of the Minister of Works in Nigeria had
just returned from an official trip in the United States.
Having figured that it was already late in the night when
they arrived, she decided she was just going to rest in her home. She told her
Personal Assistant to let her entourage know that she was headed to the house.
The information got to everyone of them and excitement filled the air as many had not seen their family members in 2 months due to series of meetings, trainings and dinners.
As Madam Chinwe headed home, she was having a chit-chat with her Personal Assistant. As she discussed her vision for the Ministry of Works, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest region and before Jack, she collapsed.
For some seconds, everyone was confused. They did not know what to do. Someone among them then screamed “HOSPITAL!!!”.
As they journeyed to the Hospital, everyone had different
thoughts going on in their heads. While some thought it was because of the
stress, others thought she had offended someone in the government who had sworn
to deal with her.
In the midst of all that, they were interrupted by the security man at Alpha Clinic – “Why una plenty laidis? Who una dey find for this kind time of the night?” which simply meant “Why are you guys plenty like this and who are you looking for at this time of the night?” (for my non-Nigerian followers).
Immediately someone responded from the car saying it’s the
Minister of Works, they were eagerly allowed to go through.
When they got into the clinic, a series of test was conducted and it was discovered that she had cancer of the colon which had eaten deep into her body.
The Doctor further mentioned that there was little to which chemotherapy could do as she had about 2 months to live.It was a devastating moment. At least for people amongst them who truly cared about her.
Mrs Chinwe’s family was later contacted and informed. It was
a painful, sober and tearful moment for them.
For the first few weeks, it was a pool of tears and pain in the hospital until this very day the Music Therapist, Fiona Akinwunmi walked into the hospital after returning from her leave of absence. She was moved with so much empathy and then decided to begin taking sessions with Mrs Chinwe and her entire family.
She engaged them actively in music as they sang many songs laced with hope.
Day after day, the family got better and Mrs Chinwe’s death
got nearer. On the final week before her death, they sang the song “When
Peace like a river attendeth thy way, when sorrow like sea billows roar,
whatever my lot thou art taught me to say It is well with my soul”.
As they sang this song, there was still pain.
However, with much hope they began talking about their favourite memories. There was this glow on Mrs Chinwe’s face as they sang and listened to music.
There was peace all over her.
The Music Therapist had helped the family deal with the
painful thought of Death by echoing songs of hope over and over again while
helping them bond. She had also helped Mrs Chinwe approach death with
tranquility.
The Choral of death was sang and it healed their hearts, bringing peace as they approached the death occurrence.
While writing this story, it occurred more to me that a lot of patients with terminal illness will have probably been able to come to terms with their present state with tranquility if music therapy was introduced. I understand that Death is terrible and no one wants to watch their loved ones pass on especially when pain torments them.
Here is what I discovered; Music becomes therapeutic for dying patients and families of dying patients as they approach their last days. It also helps them relive memories that have be long forgotten and if recorded can bring the family succor when the person passes on.
Music Therapy might sometimes not improve a dying patient’s prognosis but it could distract them from the pain, the boredom, fear, frustration, anxiety they feel thereby helping them relax.
You will agree with me that the news of death coming soon for a patient is enough to cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, this is where Music Therapy comes in, it lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Patients become less agitated when Music Therapy is administered.
All of these is not to insinuate that Music Therapy does not help terminally ill or dying patients recuperate but to let you know that it can also be administered in a way that it makes them meet death with peace.
Whether Live or recorded music or engaging a patient with song writing, improvisations on a musical instrument, singing, lyrics analysis, guided imagery and so on, Music Therapy works perfectly for dying patients.
I would have loved to keep typing on the benefits of Music to dying patients but I’d not want to make this lengthy, so here is a video and an article below this post that can give a practical side or feel to this subject.
Let me know what you think about this post. I love reading from you.
Having delved into the root of Music Therapy, it is okay for us to see what Music Therapy exactly is. Is it just singing? Does it just have to do with just playing a musical instrument to a patient? Is it just about the therapist doing or about both patient and therapist doing?
Brace Up! This is going to be an amazing ride, Music Therapy is one that has been defined by many but there is a unifying similarity in all of the definitions.
The American Music Therapy Association defines Music Therapy as an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals.
Merriam Webster dictionary defines it as therapy based on engagement in musical activities : the therapeutic use of music (as to reduce anxiety, improve cognitive functioning, promote physical rehabilitation, or enhance interpersonal communication) that typically involves listening to music, singing, playing musical instruments, or composing music.
Simply put, Music therapy is medicine in music; it is music in the healing process of a patient.
Music Therapy does not just happen, Music Therapists makes them happen. Who are Music Therapist? Music therapists are the amazing humans who use music to help individuals of all ages who are experiencing emotional or mental problems, or who have learning or physical disabilities or physical illnesses.
More definitions might just bore you but here is it in all of these definitions, Music is the connecting factor between the Patient, the Music Therapist and possibly the family of the Patient.
You might have been asking yourself, how does a Music Therapy session work? Do they just sing or play instruments as an individual or group? The simple answer to this is that Music Therapy sessions are dynamic, it is tailored to the need of an individual or group so it tells you that a Music Therapist doesn’t work by assumption or generalize even when persons having the exact same ailment come to the clinic for a session 2 days apart. There is a lot of observation that goes on before a music therapy session happens.
However even though the sessions are dynamic, you can expect certain expressions like song writing, improvisation through singing or playing of musical instruments, listening to music, discussion on lyrics and so on. All these is aimed at one thing WELLNESS. Music Therapy helps social skills, motor skills, cognitive skills, speech and lots more.
Beneath this post is the link to a video of one way Music Therapy sessions can be conducted, kindly let me know what you think about it.
Kindly leave your comment below on what you think about this post. I love reading from you.
Today I do a review of a TEDTalk by Dr Deforia Lane that I love so much and don’t think I’ll ever stop loving. Dr Deforia shares on Music Therapy and Medicine being a dynamic Partnership. This Ted Talk was done in 2016.
Honestly, this might not be your kind of perfect review but be sure to gain something, you’d see the synergy that can occur with Music Therapy and Medicine. This review is also meant to be long but I’d pick one or two things to expand on here so it doesn’t get excessively long, I might put up the rest sometimes in the nearest future.
Before I jump right into this let me give you a background knowledge of who Dr Deforia is, she is a Resident Director of Music Therapy at the University Hospitals of Cleveland Ireland Cancer Center and holds a Ph.D. in Music Education from Case Western Reserve University. She has designed and implemented music therapy programs for diverse populations. More importantly is that she is a cancer survivor which I believe must have inspired her to be passionate about the field of Music Therapy. She is the first music therapist to receive a grant to study music’s therapeutic effects on cancer patients.
Music Therapy and Medicine are two separate fields yet have this dynamic partnership that can improve wellness in our society, in this Review I’m not in any way about to bug you with lots of theory.
Music is in itself a connecting factor, it could by connection make a heart pump with blood again and just like the the red and yellow wire coming together to give light, it could light up a place or heart. The synergy of Music Therapy and Medicine makes it even more beautiful.
Dr Deforia tells of the story of a 20 year old lady who was pregnant and was brain-dead, I mean inactive in this case, she was taken to the Intensive Care Unit with the baby in her, if you are a Nigerian you’d understand that one of the most scary statements to hear is that a loved one’s case has deteriorated to the point of being taken to the Intensive Care Unit, you’d understand how expensive it is to have a person here.
Back to my story, Dr Deforia developed cold feet when called upon to administer Music Therapy to the child in this young lady’s womb because they figured out that since this lady was close to death’s door, there was no way she could push forth her child and of course they didn’t want to lose the baby also. Deforia looked at the protruded belly and began singing “He’s got the whole world in His hands” and this baby began to dance under her fingers, so much courage was infused by this happening. She moved to a fast-paced song and the baby danced faster under hands and His heart went up immediately.
Understand that this child was about to die because his mum could not stimulate his coming to the world because she was brain dead and as a matter of fact was on life support. The Doctors and Nurses knew there was a high possibility of losing this child if something wasn’t done. At this point, the drips, tests and injection couldn’t work not because it was or is useless but because it wasn’t in their place to do so.
It is safe to say that human’s heart beat responds quickly to Music Therapy than any other form of therapy. It is also safe to conclude in the words of Dr Deforia that life on the inside responds to music on the outside. Music Therapy acts as stimulant in dead cases.
I strongly believe that for a synergy or a dynamic partnership to happen between this fields in this part of Africa, it must come with appreciating each field’s wiring and knowing where and when to come in to improve human wellness.
I have always been of the opinion that there is so much we can do when we collaborate. So kindly think of this post as a collaboration. In this, we understand that one doesn’t dull the other’s shine or makes the other feel less important. Both fields are equally important, playing its role in the wellness of patients.
I also believe that Music Therapy and Medicine’s partnership will be a major stress reliever in this part of Africa. I mean Doctors and Nurses in this part of Africa are amazing honestly, how they do everything despite the weather sometimes, the many demands on them and lots more.
I’d put the link to the TED Talk at the end of this post so you can see the video yourself, have a practical feel or side to Music Therapy and also let me know what you think.
I am sure in the last one week we have had questions of whether this kind of therapy has any root in Africa as a whole. Whether or not there is a traceable history of Music Therapy in Africa is what is about to be unveiled here.
Goodnews! Music Therapy in Africa is traceable, its as old as tradition itself, it may not have been documented or even given a definite name as we have it now but it has long been existent.
Just a background knowledge of Africa for my non-African followers, Africa is the second largest continent in the world with about 1.2 billion people of the world’s population as of 2016. Africa has a very rich and beautiful cultural heritage, among the many continents in Africa are Nigeria, Egypt, Republic of Benin, Rwanda, Republic of Congo, Kenya and so on.
I’m sure by now you already have a little background knowledge of the continent Africa. There has been a question if Music Therapy has ever existed in Africa. Learning about this, I was thrilled at such rich`history Africa has and in this post I will be sharing a few.
In Africa, music is seen in every stage of life, from birth to death. Every transition or call it change in status calls for the use of music, from birth to adulthood to marriage to death.
The inception of Music Therapy in Africa has been since Ancient times, although there were few written records, most of the information have been by oral transmission which is passed down from one generation to another.
In Ancient Egypt, ancient man used singing and dancing as a part of his rituals to throw out the evil spirits, which were waiting to attack him with several diseases. Abidos Temple was the biggest center of medicine in Ancient Egypt and the priests treated diseases with chant. It was discovered that there was a saint called Abu Terbo who treated epilepsy using pipes chant. Egyptian priests and physicians alluded music as medicine for the soul, chant therapies were also included as part of the medical practice. Below this post is a link to a video of Ancient Egypt healing Music, listen and let me know your thoughts about it.
In some other parts of Africa also, Music Therapy was also instrumental in TRADITIONAL HEALING. For example in Nigeria, it was embedded in culture and was mostly performed by native doctors. For Non-Africans, NATIVE DOCTORS are not the same as HOSPITAL DOCTORS, they are doctors who use traditional prescriptions and carry out rituals also. These Native Doctors had specialty in healing with the use of ritual music.
Traditional healing had a lot to do with SPECIFICS, that is there had to be a SPECIFIC song to be sung, a SPECIFIC time of the day or night and a SPECIFIC traditional instrument had to be used for this purpose, it was not just done without restraints.
Professor Mereni, the foremost forerunner of Music Therapy in Nigeria conducted a research in the town Irigwe in Plateau state of Nigeria. He discovered that the traditional medicine man called Nevo prescribed the “Sa rije” ritual, this is a ritual characterized by music and dance and is used as treatment for women suffering from a syndrome known as “Ci rima”.
A patient with “Ci rima” syndrome had the following symptoms; prolonged abnormal pains, vomiting, persistent diarrhea, hallucination, fever and prolonged loss of appetite. While this happens, the “Nevo” prescribed the music ritual ceremony known as “Sa rije”. It was then used in the treatment of the woman suffering from Ci rima syndrome. It is said that certain patterns of music were used as the Nevo observed the patient and gave traditional treatment.
This sums up the fact that Music Therapy has been long existent and also it wasn’t just administered anyhow, they had to follow traditions and cultures.
Despite the viability of Music Therapy since Ancient times, it is one that is still not recognized in many parts of the continent Africa today.
Let me know what you think about this post also in the comment section below. I love reading from you!
History is needed to understand the field of MUSIC THERAPY. Just like every other thing in life did not just happen but was instigated by some persons, events, situations and so on so also is MUSIC THERAPY.
The History of Music and its affiliation to humanity goes way back to the beginning of time; the more the world becomes civilized, the more it affects people and their use of Music.
The early Native Americans, this was Ancient Civilization, they used music in communicating with their gods and nature, they also used this as a healing tool and a way to have camaraderie within their communities.
They were in the habit of coming together as a tribe to chant, dance and pray for their loved ones who were sick. How sweet you might say!
Still in Ancient civilization, there was Mania and Catharsis, they were popular terms in the ancient Greece. Mania had to do with mental illness while Catharsis had to do with the purging of soul through music.
Music in Ancient Greece was mainly used for purgative effect and to transit into the dreamland in such a way that they could or would return with pleasant dreams (I think this happens to me too). The flute was a major musical instrument used for this purpose.
The Pythagoreans employed a daily routine of music therapy. They enjoyed music before retiring to bed after a long day and it helped them to calm down, it also gave them a good night’s sleep with pleasant dreams. At the dawn of a new day, they performed special compositions on the lyre, which helped them to jiggle the daydreams from the night before and prepare for the intense rhythms of the day. The Pythagoreans probably had knowledge of the relationship between musical rhythm and temperament, and applied musical prescriptions based on their circumstance.
In addition to therapeutic songs from Ancient Greece were Curative songs called Epodes. This was more like a magical spells and it was said to have been instrumental in healing heartbreaks. So you know that songs for heartbreaks didn’t just start today.
At this point Music Therapy had not been defined yet as a professional practice until the end of World War 11.
This is why the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) gives credit to Ancient Civilization for the start of Music Therapy, in their words, “The idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior is as least as old as the writings of Aristotle and Plato”
At the end of World War 11, Music Therapy became a recognized treatment in the United States, between I read a very interesting story on this and I hope to share both the write up I have done on it and the video I was privileged to see.
Back to my story or history as the case may be, Nurses and Doctors recognized how music helped patients who had severe physical and emotional trauma due to the war.
Because of this, they thought to consider the start of an Institute of Education where people who were passionate about the field of Music Therapy could professionally practice music in a medical society.
This became the official start of Music Therapy!
Okay! Let me know what you think about this post as I am looking forward to your questions, contributions and critique. I love reading from you.
I ask myself this question every time, today again I’m still asking myself same question only that I’m taken down memory lane this time around.
In 2013 while seated in a class, we had just resumed into the university and the fire to have an amazing CGPA was burning in us, well maybe not everyone but I was burning with that fire to do better than I have done all my life.
We had this course MUS 101 this very day and it had to do with the introduction to Music, I was so eager to learn because I knew no Jack in music except singing. While my lecturer was lecturing on the different kinds of music, she got to the therapeutic side of music and mentioned that this kind of music can affect the mood of a person, it can make you sober, hyper and can even make a person decide to commit murder.
In my mind I’m like are you for real? Then the interest started, I felt I had found something different that I could do with music other than organise concerts, sing in a choir, go for shows, release an album and what have you but sorry to disappoint you it only took a little while, the fire died😣.
Fast forward to my 300 level 2nd semester I began thinking frantically about what my project topic will be, I wasn’t jelled by the usual and I wanted something that I’d enjoy doing and wouldn’t feel like a burden to me. This day I was in my aunt’s place and for no reason I passed by on a scene they were seeing on African Magic and this guy was just talking about the potency of music in the healing of Psychiatric Patients. Boom! That was it, I found it and went ahead to write my options to the department and fortunately for me I got it.
I was going to be working on the Effect of Music Therapy on Psychiatric Patients using Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba as case study. My story is getting too long, maybe I should leave your mind to wonder what happened next and how I was able to manage Psychiatric Patients…
ESCAPE GLOBAL 