In this blog VONNE’s Jen Hewitt, Health and Wellbeing Engagement Coordinator, shares her personal reflections on the therapeutic power of music. She speaks about her own experience of music as a good way to connect with her daughter who is disabled and preverbal, and about the transformative power of music for disabled children and those with dementia. She goes on to highlight some of the therapeutic music work taking place in the VCSE sector in our region and to share her hopes for the future.
In January 2024 I started playing the harp. One strong driver for me to learn was my daughter, who is severely disabled and preverbal. When a family member can’t chit chat to you about their day or their likes/dislikes, you have to find other ways to connect. I started off by playing to her (and the guinea pigs) at home and have progressed to performing a mini recital to her class once a term. I love that through music my daughter can show preference; I know she loves classical music, particularly Mozart and Pachelbel’s Canon in D. She clearly sings along to certain melodies and it’s great to learn more about what she enjoys.
There was one piece I was finding a bit repetitive and tiresome to learn. However, when I started playing it to the class, the children fell silent. You could hear a pin drop; they were concentrating so intensely on the lovely melody. One little lad enjoyed it so much, he came and lay by the harp (I wonder if he could feel the reverberations). I can’t help but smile as I practise that piece knowing how much joy it brought him and how connected he was to the music being played.
My daughter has been lucky enough to access regular music therapy at school via Nordoff and Robbins and it’s one of the highlights of her week. This therapy has encouraged her in turn taking, using her voice and enjoying social interaction. She has recently joined a choir at school, which is building on the foundation music therapy has provided and enabling her to enjoy music with her peers. We’ve noticed she now sings with gusto in church, too.
In a previous role, I ran a singalong session with volunteers in a care home. Some residents would tap their feet or get up and dance, and even if someone looked quite miserable at the start, they often left with a smile on their face. I remember one lady regularly walked the halls in confusion and distress but came to dance with us as we sang and sat down calmly afterwards. It’s well documented how music can support people living with dementia, as discussed in this National Academy for Social Prescribing (NASP) blog and there are opportunities to take part nationwide, as part of the Alzheimer’s Society’s Singing for the Brain project, for example.
The transformative power of the music is astounding, and the associated therapeutic benefits can offer real hope in terms of supporting social and communication skill, improving cognition, and providing ways to connect. Moreover, many such therapeutic music opportunities are provided by the VCSE sector. The Power of Music Fund (managed by NASP) has awarded 70 small grants to grassroots organisations offering music and dementia projects across the UK including Age Concern Tyneside South and Dementia Action Teesside in the North East. My hope for the future is that the importance of music therapy and its transformative impact on wellbeing would be recognised and championed by the decision makers within government and the VCSE, health and care sectors, so that more people can experience the benefits it provides.