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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
ESCAPE GLOBAL 