What's it like to be a Music Therapist with Children's Music Fund?
Children's Music Fund provides individual music therapy for 16 week cycles for children with life altering and chronic conditions. We asked one of our board certified music therapists to give us her thoughts on one of her most recent clients.
“I’m obviously really good at this.” Jared told me rather matter-of-factly as he finished playing “The Ants Go Marching” on the piano. It took quite a bit of effort not to laugh but to agree with this serious, almost 8 year old. Jared had begun piano lessons while hospitalized for 6 months fighting Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I was sent by The Children’s Music Fund to provide Music Therapy and to continue the piano once Jared was discharged.
When I met Jared's family, they were readjusting to “normalcy” and putting the illness behind them. Although Jared remained the center of attention, the focus and furor at the illness had changed. Jared was struggling to cope.
Jared is a bright, articulate, perceptive, and musical child. Every week we began with drumming, helping to release and redirect anger. We explored and improvised on a different instrument every week: ukuleles, glockenspiel, pan flutes, tone chimes, melodica, kalimba, autoharp, as well as numerous percussion instruments. Being both creative and inquisitive, Jared was delighted to experiment and to create his own music on each instrument. Time at the piano was also structured and unstructured, allowing for self-expression. We ended our sessions by singing / reading a book. At the beginning I sang a page, Jared read a page. However, as weeks passed, Jared began to sing his page happily. Together we sang and played our “Goodbye” song.
Jared finished the 16 weeks of music therapy confirming that he is a very talented and gifted person. With increased self-confidence, he learned the importance of expressing himself through music. At only 8 years old, he has developed a deeper appreciation of music and how it makes him feel. No doubt that music will always be an important aspect in his life.
What a great job I have!
Cathy O'Neil, MT-BC
CMF Music Therapist
(Name of the client has been changed for privacy purposes.)
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