Healing in harmony
By Hannah Larking
Lance Writer
March 26, 2008
Healing does not have to come from a pill bottle thanks to music therapy. This modern form of treatment uses its musical powers to marry a unique blend of art and science and continues to be met with increasing success.
Dr. Sandi Curtis, head of music therapy at the University of Windsor’s School of Music, understands that the question of what exactly music therapy is isn’t an uncommon one. “It’s the use of music and music-making experiences in the hands of a professionally trained music therapist to achieve specific therapeutic goals,” she explains.
“[We use music] to help an individual remove some kind of barrier in the quality of their life,” adds the president of the Music Therapy Student Association, Lyndsy Adamson.
Candidates for the therapy come from a wide range of backgrounds. “It is not necessarily a person that is disabled—it could be anyone from a pregnant mother to someone having difficulties balancing their budget. It’s very open,” says Adamson.
Aksana Kavaliova, a music therapy intern at the university, has had several opportunities to experience just how diverse the clientele for music therapy is. “We work with children with many different physical and mental difficulties,” says Kavaliova.
“I have worked with pregnant teenage girls and helped them use music to relax themselves and their fetuses, because it is scientifically proven that the music you use while you are pregnant can positively affect a child after birth. For example, if a child gets fussy, putting on the CD or the piece that was played before they were born can promote better sleep, better eating, etcetera,” Kavaliova explains.
The profession has only been around since 1970, but the field is rapidly expanding. Recently, the first Music Therapy Satellite Site in the city was opened at the Hospice of Windsor.
“[In helping] people with life-threatening illnesses, we might be using music therapy to increase their pain management, increase their relaxation, help them with their coping skills with the illness and help those around them in dealing with that,” says Curtis.
Of course, music therapy is not limited to any illness.
“On the other hand, a music therapist might be in a school setting, helping people learn, helping kids with learning disabilities. It’s really because music has such powers that we can work with any person from any walk of life who needs something to help them improve their quality of life,” Curtis adds.
The therapy itself makes use of music in a variety of ways. “I might play music for them, I might play music with them, I might help them write a song—if they’re facing their death they might want to write a song as a gift for their family members—and we use all sorts of instruments,” says Curtis.
The therapy doesn’t require any previous experience with music, either. “Our qualifications as music therapists are to work with somebody who has never made music and help them be able to use music and make a beautiful experience,” Curtis explains.
With the recently opened satellite site at the Hospice, Curtis hopes for expansion.
“Our hope is to have maybe three or four more satellite sites in the future, and then an actual, not a virtual, stand alone music therapy wellness centre in the new music building,” says Curtis.
As for the future, aside from their ambitions for new programs and locations, the music therapy program will be hosting a music therapy event on April 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the School of Music. “Each year our graduate students are required to give a professional presentation on the clinical work that they’ve done that year. Within that event, we will also have our annual awards where we recognized the students who excelled,” Curtis explains.
For more information on the music therapy program, visit www.uwindsor.ca/musictherapy.
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