Many of you are probably a fan of the author Jodi Picoult. I know I have read a few of her books and have found them to be amazing! Monday, March 7th, she will be releasing her latest book “Sing You Home.” The main character of the book is a music therapist! To learn about music therapy, Jodi shadowed several music therapists from Berklee school of Music in Boston. She writes a lot about what she observed, but this paragraph jumped out to me:
The most moving moments for me, though, occurred at a burn hospital in Boston. I shadowed another therapist as she moved through her work day, which consisted of using music to help reduce pain. Our first patient was a two year old from Central America with burns over 70% of his body. As they changed the little boy’s dressing, the therapist sang Spanish lullabies. “Escucho la musica!” she’d say, whenever he began to cry. And as she started playing again, his heart rate monitor would slow. What struck me the most was that music therapy allowed other health professionals to do their jobs more easily. While the nurses were focused on the medical activity, the music therapist was the one focused solely on the emotions of the child.
Music therapy can be used in so many facilities, and I especially like the line where she said: “What struck me the most was that music therapy allowed other health professionals to do their job more easily.” This is very true, and I see it every day especially in my hospice work. From aiding in relaxation so a patient can be catheterized, to playing music for a successful transfer from chair to bed, music therapy helps to mask pain and make everyone’s job a little easier.
See more about Jodi’s book here:
http://www.jodipicoult.com/sing-you-home.html
Happy music therapy week!!!!
