Therapist Shares His Gift of Music
Creating melody is part of the treatment plan for patients
Brian Schreck, a music therapist in the Division of Child Life, aids families’ healing experience.
It’s hard to miss Brian Schreck as he makes his way to a patient’s room. He’s the one pushing a cart full of musical instruments down the hallway. Schreck is a music therapist in the Division of Child Life. He and his cache of instruments always attract lots of attention – and lots of smiles. But along with the fun, he serves a very serious purpose.
“Music therapy addresses the physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of the patient,” Schreck says. “It’s nonthreatening and can be nonverbal, so it engages children who may not have the words to express themselves.”
Some of Schreck’s most popular instruments are a half-sized guitar, keyboards and a xylophone. The great thing about music therapy, according to Schreck, is that it’s catered to each child’s needs.
Even the infants in the Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care can benefit from music therapy. “I burn a CD of lullabies or stories for families on the spot,” he explains. “If parents need a break, they can play the CD and feel a little easier about leaving their child’s bedside for a while.”
Schreck also conducts sessions in the activity centers for groups of patients, but he mostly works one-on-one, often with children who are very ill. “It’s amazing when I first go into a room, and the child is lying there, not feeling like doing anything. Then I pull out a drum or a guitar, and before long he’s reaching for it, then sitting up, playing and giggling. When I leave, he’s transformed.”
Currently the only music therapist at the medical center, Schreck puts in long hours, but he says it’s worth every minute. “When I finish a shift here, I may be exhausted, but I feel like I’ve really done something important,” he says.
“Kids don’t know it’s therapy. They’re just doing what they do best – laughing, exploring and living.”
