A new Northwestern University study provides the first direct evidence that a community music program for at-risk youth has a biological effect on children’s developing nervous systems.
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Showing posts with label healing power of music. Show all posts
I think that the only thing that can combat that feeling of isolation and aloneness and depression is hope - Rob (a participant in Carnegie Hall's music program for inmates)
Carnegie Hall brings musical performances and workshops into
correctional facilities to contribute to inmates’ rehabilitation, preparing
them to return to life outside of prison. Carnegie Hall’s work at Sing Sing Correctional Facility
reaches 1,200 inmates and guards each year. Selected inmates participate in a yearlong composition
workshop led by composer Daniel Levy. These men earn a place in the program by demonstrating a
commitment to education and personal development. Learn more about Carnegie Hall's program here.
Do It For The Love is a nonprofit wish granting foundation, that brings people in advanced stages of life-threatening illness, children with severe challenges, and wounded veterans to live concerts. They draw upon the power of music to provide empowering moments. By bringing together a network of artists dedicated to using music as a transformative experience, they are committed to facilitating a range of personal encounters and live concert moments. Their goal is to offer lasting celebratory memories in the face of severe illness or trauma.
We recently heard about Beats, Rhymes & Relief, a non-profit utilizing the arts to raise awareness and support for worldwide humanitarian relief efforts. Beats, Rhymes & Relief harnesses the power of cultural diplomacy to raise the profile of global issues through high-profile public music concerts. Their first concert in 2013 raised funds to support the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Learn more on their website and follow them on Facebook!
Robert Gupta, violinist with the LA Philharmonic, talks about a violin lesson he once gave to a brilliant, schizophrenic musician — and what he learned in this inspiring TED Talk.
Check out the inspiring project Love Live Forgive from the Fetzer Institute, with over 100 exclusive interviews with a diverse range of artists reveal and explore the transformative power of love, forgiveness, and the creative spirit!
Watch the Book Trailer on YouTube.
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1BlueString is a campaign that asks guitarists to replace 1 of their 6 strings with a blue string to symbolize the 1 in 6 men who have survived childhood sexual abuse. Learn more about the campaign here and follow the campaign on Facebook.
An inspiring piece on the power of music aired on 60 minutes last night. In the Congo, 200 musicians are defying the poverty of the war-torn country and creating some of the most moving music you will ever here. Watch the clip here.
March 27, 2014
. from Dancin Power on Vimeo.
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Dancin Power's mission is to enhance and improve the quality of life of hospitalized children by inspiring self-expression through music, and dance! They bring dance classes free of charge to hospitalized children, including patients facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Watch the video below to see Dancin Power in action! Learn more about Dancin Power on their website and get your daily inspiration by following them on Facebook.
March 25, 2014
A new documentary looks at how music can have a therapeutic effect on those with social anxiety. Learn more and support the Kickstarter! Check out the clip below.
March 18, 2014
After a long day at school, a half-dozen teenage girls, all carrying developmental disabilities, mental illnesses and horrendous childhood emotional baggage, trudge through the snow and cold in Bartlett, lured by the promise that Dalphne Sommario is going to add some joy to their lives.
Embracing the pressure, the 32-year-old Sommario unpacks a powerful force — her laptop with old portable speakers and a diverse library of songs.
"Music," Sommario says, "is amazing."
February 20, 2014
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An interview with Georgetown ethnomusicologist and documentary filmmaker Ben Harbert about his work in Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women and Elayn Hunt Correctional Institute for Women where he explored the power and role music plays in women's' lives. Harbert's documentary "Follow Me Down: Portraits of Louisiana Prison Musicians weaves together interviews and performances of extraordinary inmate musicians.
February 18, 2014
Ronna Kaplan M.A., Music Therapy and the Military, The Huffington Post, Jan. 2, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronna-kaplan-ma/veterans-music-therapy_b_2361076.html.
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The article discusses the recent announcement that a music therapy program would be created at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, which is the first point of care in the U.S. for the wounded, ill and injured from global conflicts. The opinion piece written by Ronna Kaplan M.A., past President of the Music Therapy Association, provides interesting background on the use of music therapy on veterans. The practice "began after World Wars I and II, when community musicians performed in veterans' hospitals and medical professionals noticed patients' positive and emotional responses to music." By 1995, therapists were using drumming with Vietnam veterans diagnosed with PTSD as "[m]usic therapy utilizing improvisation on hand drums helped veterans modulate their 'often misdirected, exaggerated, and unrecognized emotions,' with the goal being generalization of these skills to everyday life. Drumming provided an opportunity for the men to express and control their feelings and helped build a sense of connectedness and group mission." Read the article here.
Ronna Kaplan M.A., Music Therapy and the Military, The Huffington Post, Jan. 2, 2013, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronna-kaplan-ma/veterans-music-therapy_b_2361076.html.
January 28, 2014
Music & Memory is a non-profit helping seniors living in nursing homes get access to the songs of their youth. Experience the power of music to bring back memories in this video with one of Music & Memory's beneficiaries who has advanced Alzheimer's.
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January 15, 2014
Radio Netherlands' My Song showcases the personal stories behind the songs of Africa’s most compelling musicians. Songs featured include one by Rwandan singer Jean Paul Samputu, who fled Rwanda during the genocide in 1994 and his song "Twararutashye" translates as "We returned to our home". Another moving song is by Zimbabwean singer Rutendo Machiridza who turned to music to deal with the sexual abuse she suffered and uses music as a way to reach out to other victims of abuse. Listen to these moving tunes and others at My Song.
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January 14, 2014
"Music can help rewire the brain after a traumatic injury, stroke or accident. In all of us, our own playlist of personal favorites can help to:
Trigger memories. Think of jingles that remind you of a company’s name, or that song that always takes you back to your senior year of high school.
Promote learning. Next time you have a phone number or list of terms to remember, try putting it to music. Elicit emotions. The movie industry has long known how to use background music to heighten terrifying, tragic or exhilarating moments .
Provide motivation. Chores can become an entirely different experience when set to an energetic beat. Improve coordination. If you hear music while you’re walking, you can’t help but to walk to the beat. That’s a biological process called “entraining,” in which a rhythm and melody pull us into synchrony with them.
Reduce stress and pain. Calming music can entrain you to breathe deeply and the memories music elicits can remind you of happier, more peaceful times and places."
Source: Karen Weintraub, Music Can Help Retrain an Injured Brain, USA TODAY, Nov. 28, 2011, article, citing Concetta Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services in New York.
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"Music can help rewire the brain after a traumatic injury, stroke or accident. In all of us, our own playlist of personal favorites can help to:
Trigger memories. Think of jingles that remind you of a company’s name, or that song that always takes you back to your senior year of high school.
Promote learning. Next time you have a phone number or list of terms to remember, try putting it to music. Elicit emotions. The movie industry has long known how to use background music to heighten terrifying, tragic or exhilarating moments .
Provide motivation. Chores can become an entirely different experience when set to an energetic beat. Improve coordination. If you hear music while you’re walking, you can’t help but to walk to the beat. That’s a biological process called “entraining,” in which a rhythm and melody pull us into synchrony with them.
Reduce stress and pain. Calming music can entrain you to breathe deeply and the memories music elicits can remind you of happier, more peaceful times and places."
Source: Karen Weintraub, Music Can Help Retrain an Injured Brain, USA TODAY, Nov. 28, 2011, article, citing Concetta Tomaino, executive director of the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services in New York.
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