From where do we draw our strength? How do we hold ourselves up and stand tall when life is at its most challenging? A surprising number of people turn to the power of music.
For some, it’s a source of relaxation or stress reduction; for others, it improves focus and concentration. Many others find it to be a very personal pathway to a state of grace. You can find many instances in this world, both formal and informal, where music heightens enlightenment and steels resolve; where it acts as a channel to greater clarity and unlocks answers hidden to us by our everyday tunnel vision. We’ve all experienced it - music conjuring up a memory, or calming a case of late night insomnia, or helping you “rev up” for a sensitive or demanding undertaking. Music provides for many of us the frame in which we place cherished or unforgettable moments. Whose heart doesn’t beat a little faster at the opening notes of a favorite song from years ago, or smile doesn’t broaden when hearing a young person’s first recital? For many of us, it is now impossible to hear Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings and not be reminded of the comfort and solemnity it provided following the terrible events of September 11th, 2001. I’m sure that each of you could add hundreds of examples to this list because, in one way or another, music frames the experiences of our lives.
This week, I wanted to share a story from one of our staff members that speaks to this issue in a very personal and moving way. It is a story that can be difficult to tell and difficult to read but, like the strains of Adagio for Strings, there is also great comfort amidst the pain.
The Department of Music Therapy here at The Music Settlement is staffed by an awesome group of individuals doing very important work in our community. We bring our programs to people through two main methods – in one-on-one or small group sessions at our Magnolia Drive campus, or more broadly-oriented outreach programs at a diverse group of partner agencies and locations throughout the region. We currently boast a staff of 13 therapists from a variety of backgrounds and areas of expertise who serve client needs ranging from post-stroke rehabilitation to autism spectrum diagnosis. Our therapists are involved in clinical research and publishing, medical, social, educational, and family services, and they develop and lead professional development efforts within the field of music therapy. But most of all, they are “angels” who provide critical help for people at all levels of need. Just such an angel is one of our newer therapists, Sarah Paczak Chappell.
Sarah actually rejoined us this year. She interned with us in 2008-09 during her last year of college, and when a position recently opened up in our department, we welcomed her to our professional staff with open arms. Like all of our therapists, her workload is made up of a combination of in-house clients and offsite agency assignments. Her story today concerns an agency assignment, Malachi House, which is a place that cares for patients with terminal illness and with limited family resources. Her story involves a resident client and the grace that music brought to both of them. But I’ll let her tell the story. The following is reprinted with permission from the Malachi House online newsletter.
As the music therapist for Malachi House, I have the privilege of sharing music with residents who are terminally ill. Music truly brings a sense of comfort, support and peace to those who are nearing the end of life. Nevertheless, I have come to realize that the residents at Malachi House bring the same types of feelings to my life, and Elizabeth was truly one of those residents.
When I first met Elizabeth, I knew she was coming to Malachi House with feelings of fear and anxiety. She was extremely tearful when I first met her but upon seeing my keyboard her tears quickly dried and an instant bond was created. She loved music, especially religious hymns. Elizabeth made an immediate request to hear the song, “Whatsoever You Do.” I knew the song well and was happy to sing it for her. Elizabeth expressed thankfulness for the song, as she felt that the song’s lyrics spoke to her in a special way.
As weeks and months passed, the song “Whatsoever You Do” became our theme song. It was played during every session along with Elizabeth’s other favorite hymns. Then, during one particular session, Elizabeth made a special request after the playing of her song. She reached out, held my hand and said, “When I die and have left his world, will you come back to my room, close the door and play me my song? Although you will not see me, I will be here listening to your music.” I immediately agreed to this request.
I continued seeing Elizabeth for several weeks after her request was made, and during each session we would sing “Whatsoever You Do” and she would remind me of her request. The day before she went to heaven, Elizabeth and I were able to sing her song together one last time. However, the following morning after her passing, I realized that Elizabeth and I still had one more song to sing. So I went into her room, closed the door and sang. As I sang and looked around the room, I felt such a sense of calmness and peace. Elizabeth was there. I kept my promise, and she kept hers.
By: Sarah Paczak Chappell,
Board Certified Music Therapist contracted from The Music Settlement to serve Malachi House through the generous support of the Kulas Foundation
Whatsoever You Do
Willard F. Jabusch
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me
When I was hungry, you gave me to eat
When I was thirsty, you gave me to drink
Now enter into the home of my father
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me
When I was homeless, you opened your door
When I was naked, you gave me your coat
Now enter into the home of my father
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me
When I was weary, you helped me find rest
When I was anxious, you calmed all my fears
Now enter into the home of my father
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me
When in a prison, you came to my cell
When on a sick-bed, you cared for my needs
Now enter into the home of my father
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me
When I was laughed at, you stood by my side
When I was happy you shared in my joy
Now enter into the home of my father
Whatsoever you do to the least of my people that you do unto me
Amen. Have a great week!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth
“Without this playing with fantasy no creative work has ever yet come to birth. The debt we owe to the play of imagination is incalculable.” Carl Jung
As summer is ending, a new school year is beginning at The Music Settlement, and we are excited about all the great things that come with that. We have added new depth to our list of offerings in each department, including a Chinese language curriculum in the Early Childhood Department’s day school and preschool, World Music studies in the Department of Music, and expanded outreach and group opportunities in the Music Therapy Department, to name a few. We welcome new and returning faculty to upgraded facilities, including a new 10-station computer lab, a renovated room dedicated for Music and Movement classes, as well as a refurbished faculty lounge and expanded multipurpose studio in Music therapy, and brand new signage to help folks find their way around our Magnolia Drive campus. One look will tell returning students that we are dedicated to constant improvement in the on-campus experience, and that new students need not be concerned that their experience will be anything less than exceptional while they are with us.
Our faculty and therapists are returning after some much needed R & R during our brief slow period at the end of the summer, but we never really stop working to make things the very best they can be. Many of our teaching staff spent their time away in educational or performance pursuits, seeking to recharge their batteries and constantly grow in their ability to engage and involve their students and clients. Yes, you read that correctly - many of our music instructors went off to play music during their time away from the campus! In truth, so many of our instructors and therapists find themselves limited in their actual performance time during the year that they head off on vacation to play in a festival orchestra, to have an intensive study with a favorite teacher or take in a seminar or lecture, or just listen to live performances in as many places as possible.
A great example of this is Linda Miller, a Music and Movement specialist in the Early Childhood Department. She spent much of the last part of this summer preparing for a performance of a lifetime. She said to me the other day that, after years of teaching and performing music, “I finally am playing Severance Hall!” You can catch her special performance with the Ensemble du Monde in Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance this Friday, September 10th at 8pm. They will be performing instrumental and vocal works by Mozart, Mahler, Dvořák, and Saint-Georges. Tickets are still available as of this writing.
That to me this is one of the things that make working in the arts so unique and special: you don’t necessarily want or need to get away from “the office” when your work is over. I also know that the same can be said for many of our students and clients, who spend significant portions of their summers in intensive education programs, camps, or continuing study. The arts truly feed the soul, to which anyone who has sat on the lawn at Blossom or Cain Park or numerous bandstands around the area can attest. At The Music Settlement we recognize that creative experiences should never be taken for granted and that a child given an opportunity to develop in a creative environment will more often than not carry that experience forward in life to their benefit.
Experts in the field of childhood development agree with this point of view as well. Here’s a brief excerpt from an online newsletter on the website ChildCareExchange.com that addresses the importance of a creative environment for childraising; I think you’ll agree that it presents reinforcement of the value of the environment we work so hard to provide to your family.
The Creativity Crisis
A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 “leadership competency of the future," reveals Po Branson in her Newsweek (July 16, 2010) article, “The Creativity Crisis”. However, she also reported research that revealed that "...creativity scores [for American children] had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward." Branson notes that one likely culprit to the declining creativity of our children "...is the number of hours kids now spend in front of TV and playing video games rather than engaging in creative activities. Another is the lack of creativity development in our schools. In effect, it’s left to the luck of the draw who becomes creative: there's no concerted effort to nurture the creativity of children." Other interesting insights in the article:
"Preschool children, on average ask their parents about 100 questions a day. Why, why, why — sometimes parents just wish it'd stop. Tragically it does stop. By middle school they pretty much stopped asking. It's no coincidence that this same time is when student motivation and engagement plummet. They didn't stop asking questions because they lost interest: it's the other way around. They lost interest because they stopped asking questions."
At The Music Settlement, our core mission is to engage all ages through a life enriched by the joy of music and the arts. We focus on helping each individual find their own joy, in whatever method they identify it. As our 98th year of service to this community begins, we know that that the enrichment we offer makes a lifetime of difference to so many. Please join us for the fun of it!
Have a great week!
As summer is ending, a new school year is beginning at The Music Settlement, and we are excited about all the great things that come with that. We have added new depth to our list of offerings in each department, including a Chinese language curriculum in the Early Childhood Department’s day school and preschool, World Music studies in the Department of Music, and expanded outreach and group opportunities in the Music Therapy Department, to name a few. We welcome new and returning faculty to upgraded facilities, including a new 10-station computer lab, a renovated room dedicated for Music and Movement classes, as well as a refurbished faculty lounge and expanded multipurpose studio in Music therapy, and brand new signage to help folks find their way around our Magnolia Drive campus. One look will tell returning students that we are dedicated to constant improvement in the on-campus experience, and that new students need not be concerned that their experience will be anything less than exceptional while they are with us.
Our faculty and therapists are returning after some much needed R & R during our brief slow period at the end of the summer, but we never really stop working to make things the very best they can be. Many of our teaching staff spent their time away in educational or performance pursuits, seeking to recharge their batteries and constantly grow in their ability to engage and involve their students and clients. Yes, you read that correctly - many of our music instructors went off to play music during their time away from the campus! In truth, so many of our instructors and therapists find themselves limited in their actual performance time during the year that they head off on vacation to play in a festival orchestra, to have an intensive study with a favorite teacher or take in a seminar or lecture, or just listen to live performances in as many places as possible.
A great example of this is Linda Miller, a Music and Movement specialist in the Early Childhood Department. She spent much of the last part of this summer preparing for a performance of a lifetime. She said to me the other day that, after years of teaching and performing music, “I finally am playing Severance Hall!” You can catch her special performance with the Ensemble du Monde in Reinberger Chamber Hall at Severance this Friday, September 10th at 8pm. They will be performing instrumental and vocal works by Mozart, Mahler, Dvořák, and Saint-Georges. Tickets are still available as of this writing.
That to me this is one of the things that make working in the arts so unique and special: you don’t necessarily want or need to get away from “the office” when your work is over. I also know that the same can be said for many of our students and clients, who spend significant portions of their summers in intensive education programs, camps, or continuing study. The arts truly feed the soul, to which anyone who has sat on the lawn at Blossom or Cain Park or numerous bandstands around the area can attest. At The Music Settlement we recognize that creative experiences should never be taken for granted and that a child given an opportunity to develop in a creative environment will more often than not carry that experience forward in life to their benefit.
Experts in the field of childhood development agree with this point of view as well. Here’s a brief excerpt from an online newsletter on the website ChildCareExchange.com that addresses the importance of a creative environment for childraising; I think you’ll agree that it presents reinforcement of the value of the environment we work so hard to provide to your family.
The Creativity Crisis
A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 “leadership competency of the future," reveals Po Branson in her Newsweek (July 16, 2010) article, “The Creativity Crisis”. However, she also reported research that revealed that "...creativity scores [for American children] had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward." Branson notes that one likely culprit to the declining creativity of our children "...is the number of hours kids now spend in front of TV and playing video games rather than engaging in creative activities. Another is the lack of creativity development in our schools. In effect, it’s left to the luck of the draw who becomes creative: there's no concerted effort to nurture the creativity of children." Other interesting insights in the article:
"Preschool children, on average ask their parents about 100 questions a day. Why, why, why — sometimes parents just wish it'd stop. Tragically it does stop. By middle school they pretty much stopped asking. It's no coincidence that this same time is when student motivation and engagement plummet. They didn't stop asking questions because they lost interest: it's the other way around. They lost interest because they stopped asking questions."
At The Music Settlement, our core mission is to engage all ages through a life enriched by the joy of music and the arts. We focus on helping each individual find their own joy, in whatever method they identify it. As our 98th year of service to this community begins, we know that that the enrichment we offer makes a lifetime of difference to so many. Please join us for the fun of it!
Have a great week!
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