Music Therapy
Music does wonders for sick children and stressed-out families who come to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for treatment. Pushing his cart full of instruments down the corridors, Brian Schreck from the Division of Child Life attracts attention like an ice cream truck on a summer afternoon. But along with the fun, he serves a very serious purpose.
"Music therapy addresses the physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of the patient," says Schreck. "No musical skills or experience are necessary to participate. Through the process and creation of music, the patients access the ability to engage their imagination and playfulness. The families play, too. And even if the patients are unable to play themselves, the families can still reap the benefits."
Tools of the Trade
Schreck has a cache of instruments on hand that easily fit into hospital beds. Some of the most popular include:
- Half-sized guitars and a mandolin -- when the children play, they can feel the wood vibrate against their bellies
- Keyboards
- A tongue drum, which is a shoebox-size block of wood that you strike with a mallet
- Xylophones
- Two large gathering drums that the whole family can play
- Boom whackers, which are plastic tubes you can hit on anything
- Rain sticks and spring drums that sound like wind and thunder
Says Schreck, "The instruments promote storytelling. The child might hear the spring drum and say it sounds like a monster. This leads to a story, sometimes based on the child's illness and hospital stay. It's amazing how children speak in metaphors. The monster is their illness, and depending on how they feel, they might face the monster, or maybe they're stuck in the castle all day."
The great thing about music therapy, according to Schreck, is that "it's 100 percent catered to each child's needs. It's nonthreatening and nonverbal, so it engages children who may not have the words to express themselves."
The very young patients in the Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care would seem to be unlikely candidates for music therapy. But Schreck helps parents record lullabies and stories for their infants. "I burn a CD for them on the spot," he explains, "and if they need a break, they can play the CD for the child and feel a little easier about leaving the bedside for a while."
Schreck also conducts sessions in the activity centers for groups of patients. But he does a lot of work one-on-one, often with children who are very ill and / or dying. "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 suddenly, he's interested. Before long, he's reaching for it, then he's trying to sit up. Finally, he's really sitting up and playing and giggling. When I leave, he's transformed."
For parents of children with terminal illness, recordings of these sessions make a wonderful memory, caught in time. Says Schreck, "Kids don't know it's therapy. They're just doing what they do best - laughing, exploring and living."
A Deeper Appreciation
Although Schreck puts in long days, his work here has helped him appreciate the blessings in his life. "I can still walk to my car, get in and breathe. When I finish a shift here, I may be exhausted, but I feel like I've really done something important."
