When words fail, music speaks.
-Hans Christian Andersen
In 2013, The Taylor Family Foundation (TTFF) launched Sophie’s Place, a mobile music therapy program, in partnership with Wells Fargo and the Forever Young Foundation, which brings music therapy to camp and children who are homebound or patients in Northern California hospitals and hospice homes.
Sophie’s Place was established in loving memory of singer, songwriter and friend, Sophie Barton, who collapsed while on a hike at camp in Utah in 2010 and passed away. Sophie often sang in hospitals because she understood music’s power to heal.
What is Music Therapy?
Music therapy reaches far beyond the rhythms and harmonies that bring enjoyment to the listener. It brings harmony to the life of a child who is hospitalized. When children are hospitalized, they experience feelings of fear, anxiety, and isolation – along with pain or discomfort. Music therapy can help alleviate these symptoms. An established health service similar to occupational therapy and physical therapy, music therapy addresses physical, psychological, cognitive and/or social functioning for patients of all ages. Music therapy provides emotional support and a safe way to express thoughts and feelings through singing, drumming, song lyric discussion, song writing and playing instruments. Because music is viewed as a fun activity, the therapeutic relationship is built quickly.
Who Can Benefit From It?
Music therapy supports growth and positive changes for people of all abilities. It is effective for children with special needs or conditions such as:
- chronic pain
- physical rehabilitation
- diabetes
- respiratory issues
- headaches
- cardiac conditions
- learning differences
- emotional trauma
- hearing impairments
- surgery, and more
Research results and clinical experiences attest to the viability of music therapy even in those patients resistant to other treatment approaches. Music is a form of sensory stimulation, which provokes responses due to the familiarity, predictability, and feelings of security associated with it.
How It Helps
The music therapist designs the sessions to help the child:
- cope with anxiety and stress
- manage pain and discomfort without medication
- improve their mood and emotional state
- maintain positive involvement in treatment
- work towards a decreased hospital stay
When a child is in the hospital, it affects the entire family. Music therapy helps by:
- allowing for emotional connection between family members
- providing an opportunity for relaxation
- helping families spend time together in a positive and creative way
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.”
-Plato
