Tag: CONFIDENCE

C O N F I D E N T

Posted on by Escape Global

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!

3 Things I have gained from being a part of PATIENTS DAY

Posted on by Escape Global

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!

Lots of Love!