Impact Report 2023

When James was born prematurely at 28 weeks and 2 days, due to IUGR intrauterine growth restriction), he faced a lengthy and complicated stay at the NICU that included James being intubated for months, then CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) and being tube fed. During the 233 days that James was in the NICU, James and his family spent many hours in music therapy, nurturing his environment, and focusing on his development.

“The music therapy sessions provided James with stimulation and also helped to calm him” his mom, Joanne, shared. “As a parent, we appreciated the very early exposure to music, and how the music therapy sessions settled him during times of duress. They settled us too! James was on mechanical ventilation for many months, and during the music therapy sessions we would see James’ oxygen levels and vital signs stabilize. It was beautiful and reassuring as a parent to witness.”

When his two doting sisters were able to come visit him, music therapy provided an avenue for his sisters to feel included in his care. They saw the benefit James experienced from the music therapy sessions, and were given permission to have his older sister bring her violin into the NICU to play for him.

“Those were such special times. His music therapist, Carol, introduced the remarkable power of music to James. We are a passionate, musical family, so it was inevitable that we would continue to expose James to music and share our love of music after we returned home.”

His parents are thrilled to report that today, James is an incredibly healthy, energetic, and social boy. He is very active, loves to laugh, and has a real appreciation for music!

“James’ sisters continue to play the violin for him at home, and James is learning to play instruments too. Music is a huge part of his life today. He loves to sing, and we often find him keeping the beat and finding a good rhythm in most songs at any given opportunity. We are so grateful for the gift that music therapy has been not only to James, but to our whole family.”

The Music Therapy Program at Broadway Lodge offers a harmonious blend of both group and individual music therapy sessions, crafting moments of healing and joy. The Hand Chime Choir, introduced last year, has successfully created joyful and positive experiences for residents. Playing hand chimes and creating harmonious sounds uplift residents' spirits and provide residents with an outlet for self-expression. The program also promotes social interaction among residents while they are working toward a collaborative musical goal fostering connections, encouraging teamwork, and cultivating a sense of belonging within the group. Regular participants in the program enjoy the advantage of preserving their fine motor skills and range of motion, as using hand chimes engages their motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

"Playing music makes me feel young again!" - Resident at Broadway Lodge

"Our music time brought back memories I thought were lost." - Resident at Broadway Lodge

“Thank you for bringing my dad back to the great love of his life!” - Family Member of Resident at Broadway Lodge

“He has consistently mentioned it (1:1 music therapy time) as a highlight of his time here.” - Family Member of Resident at Broadway Lodge

"Your music sessions always put a smile on her (my mom’s) face. I can’t thank you enough" - Family Member of Resident at Broadway Lodge

The music therapy program at Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School (KGMS) uniquely reaches students and gives them an opportunity for expression and intrapersonal growth. Classes are small but 1:1 music therapy fills a need for these students that cannot be met through classroom musical experiences. Music therapy also helps students learn to regulate their emotions and provides them with important skills to excel academically and socially.

Interventions addressing goals around self-regulation, emotional expression, social interactions, attention and focus can include:

• Music-listening
• Improvisation
• Songwriting
• Musical activities
• Musical games

The group objective is to provide students with multi-modal means of expression, both verbal and non-verbal. A source of intrinsic motivation for children and adolescents to engage with other students and adults

• Opportunities for fun and positive interaction
• A trauma-informed and wellness-based model of care
• Work on individualized goals on the students IEP

With the help of funding received from Music Heals, Jessica, the Music Therapist at Louis Brier Home and Hospital was able to provide more support through 1:1 sessions with residents, assessments to better cater to their diverse needs, increase the frequency of group programs, and focus on enhancing engagement for those residents who are most socially isolated.

The Music Therapy Program included more musical instruments in 2023, such as the lap harp, boom whackers, and floor drums. Language barriers can be challenging however, the use of musical instruments in music therapy sessions can overcome these barriers by encouraging community building, social engagement and most importantly, joy and fun!

A strong sense of group identity and a feeling of belonging can be created when participants actively make music together and the sustained repetition of a steady beat connects people together. The drum can be used as a tool to express oneself when words cannot.

“He loves the drumming. I cannot believe he is able to follow along. This is so good for him. Please let me know when the next drum circle is so I can join in with him.” – Wife of Resident

“I just want to say, what an amazing program. You did a fantastic job. They were all drumming along to the beat and able to follow along. And then you add on those old tunes… It was very well done!” –Wife of Resident

“Did you see the way he just calmed down and sang along? Unbelievable!” – Companion of Resident

The Music Therapy program at Saint James Music Academy (SJMA) helps support at-risk children living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, many of whom have had experiences with trauma, mental health challenges, behavioural issues, developmental delays, or learning differences. These children greatly benefit from individual sessions and personalized support that caters to the specific needs of each individual child. Participation in the Music Therapy program offers children opportunities to discover tools for coping with anxiety and depression, emotional regulation, expression and exploration, building social connections, and forming positive attachments through success-oriented musical experiences.

Music therapy in Palliative Care is offered mainly at the patient’s bedside which enables the music to have the greatest impact during 1-1 sessions. Music therapy sessions are completely patient-centred and directed by the patient - Josh plays their requested songs and patients choose how they want to engage with music therapy. The length of time a patient engages in music therapy is also patient-led; some patients would like to hear one song while other sessions could last 75 minutes. However, sessions on average are 45 minutes long.

In 2023, St. Paul’s Hospital Palliative Care also offered Health Arts Society’s ‘Concerts in Care’ program on one Saturday per month. When the Concerts in Care was a single performer or a more mobile duo, such as guitar and violin, Josh would take them from room to room, enabling patients to hear other types of instruments and musical style. When there were multiple instrumentalists, or musicians with bulkier instruments (keyboard, for example), the Concerts in Care performers were set up across from the 10D nursing station. In these instances, the music could be heard in both ends of the unit, and was truly appreciated by the staff as well as patients and families. These sessions offer a wider range of instrumentation than can be offered by our music therapist, and the variety of music styles and levels of expertise helps to connect with a larger portion the patients on the unit, and patients regularly remarked how much they enjoyed these sessions. An additional benefit of the Concerts in Care program is that it reached patients who were not previously interested in music therapy sessions, but were left wanting to hear more after hearing the music from the Health Arts performers at the nurses station, and they then requested individual music therapy sessions.

“This was an emotional workout, full spectrum of tears, joy, laughter, loss – I feel like I’m going in the right Direction.” - Patient in Palliative Care at St. Paul’s Hospital

“Simply made my day and the performance memorable forever.” - Patient in Palliative Care at St. Paul’s Hospital

“We need this more often! My mother is terminally ill w/cancer and Joshua’s beautiful music got her moving her toes and hands, like at a concert! Seeing her enjoy this is priceless.” - Family Member of Patient in Palliative Care at St. Paul’s Hospital

“Not only is Josh incredibly talented but his calm manner is comforting too. We loved it! It makes me so happy to see how much my dad enjoyed listening to [him].” - Family Member of Patient in Palliative Care at St. Paul’s Hospital

“Music therapy is an essential part of the holistic approach to care that Providence strives for. Not only does it address spiritual, psychological, and emotional needs of the patient, it has an important impact on physical symptoms and can bring incredible relief to patients. It is healing for patients, families, and staff and best practice would be incorporating this into all areas of medicine.” – Charisse Knowlan, Social Work on 10D Palliative Care Unit

The music therapy program at Victoria Hospice includes individual and family sessions for patients and their loved ones. In addition to working directly with patients, the Music Therapist works closely with the interdisciplinary team attending patient rounds, contributing a unique perspective about the music therapy work with patients to the doctors, nurses and psychosocial team.

“I was a musician in my previous life and working with Maryann [Music Therapist] brings me back to myself.” - 88-year-old patient

“My mother had such a beautiful death. She died while Maryann was playing her favourite music. It was so peaceful.” - Hospice Patient’s Daughter

It is evident that children learn though music, and the children at the YMCA look forward to their music sessions funded by Music Heals. Educators and Parents alike have seen improvements in communication, social and emotional development as well as cognitive and fine motor skills. Many of the children at YMCA have experienced trauma, and it is clear that these sessions help them learn to regulate their emotions.

The funds provided by Music Heals ensure YMCA can provide the additional support needed to manage trauma, anxiety, stress, and emotional dysregulation. This includes 5 weekly sessions for children ages 9 months-5 years old at Nanook, Woodwards and Waterview. With the small group approach that the funding from Music Heals offers, the Music Therapist can focus on the daily emotions and interests of the children who are participating, allowing her to tailor classes to specific learning objectives.

"Music class helps the children who experience big emotions regulate their anxieties. Music class is a powerful way for the children to express themselves. It promotes cooperation and positive interaction. " - Tracy, YMCA EC