Musical Ideas for Hospital Stays
- Written by:
- Laurie Smith, BMT, MTA
- President, Music Therapy Association of Ontario
- Queen Street Mental Health Centre
- Toronto, ON, Canada
Posted: May 9, 1997
Updated: May, 2003
Because music can be experienced in so many different ways, activities can be based around the needs and skills of the parent and the child. Activities can be as simple as having a childrens tape playing for your infant child, having a walkman and some favorite tapes available for your school age or teen-aged child, or, if you or your child is a musician, more active such as bringing in your guitar or other instrument and singing some family favorites. Many hospitals will have musical equipment available for patient/family use through music therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or recreation departments.
Passive Activities
The following activities are passive and can be performed with little or no active participation on the part of a child who is required to stay quiet - or a child who is unable to move actively after surgery or procedures.
Listening: Make a tape recorder or walkman available for your child to listen to his/her favorite tapes or radio stations. Many music stores have extensive childrens sections. Older children and teens will most likely want to choose their own music. Often the best hospital listening involves tapes with which a child is already familiar.
Sing to or with your child. Carrying a tune is not as important as your child being able to hear your voice and know that you are there! Again if there are any songs that you sing as part of a bedtime or comforting routine at home, they will be very appropriate for hospital use. However, any song will do if your child likes it. With small children and infants, holding and rocking or touching them while singing may be quite soothing.
Make up some songs for your child! It is not as hard to do as it sounds. Singing the same words over and over or making them up as you go along can be soothing. You can use a tune you already know or make one up. Lyrics can refer to all kinds of details - an illness, family members, favorite activities etc.
Art to Music: Make some basic art supplies (i.e., colored pencils, crayons or markers and paper) available for your child to draw while listening to music. This can easily be done in a hospital bed for children unable move far distances.
Active Musical Activities
The following activities can be geared to be more active for a child that needs to be kept busy, or for an older child that may have already acquired some musical skills.
Songs that require hand or body movement.
(i.e., The Wheels On The Bus, a preschool favorite) can be adapted to various activity levels of children. For all ages, moving to music can provide some gentle exercise. Please remember to check first with your Doctor!
Making musical instruments available for children that show an interest in playing.
Most hospitals have a piano available in their auditorium, chapel, or family center. For children unable to leave their hospital rooms, small hand instruments (hand held drums, tambourines, bells, castanets, maracas etc.) can be played to music or on their own.
Guidelines
It should be remembered that music should never be forced
on anyone - when your child says no more or not now,
leave it for another time.
Often times an ill child (and a parent for that matter) may feel a loss of control over their situation. Providing your child with opportunities to make choices and respecting their choices is a helpful way of providing them with some control. For instance, ask your child which tape they would like to hear. If their answer is Sharon, Lois and Bram Sing A to Z and you've listened to it 20 times already in the past day - put it on again! It is important that your child feel that they have SOME control and choice during what can be a very scary and overwhelming experience.
Be positive! If your child croaks out a song with you and the tune is barely recognizable, tell them how much you love hearing them sing and how glad you are that they are able to sing. This is not a time to correct wrong notes and get the words perfectly.
Monitor the volume levels of tape players. If you can hear what your child is listening to from across the room, it is too loud and can cause hearing damage with prolonged use.
Music Therapy
Music Therapy can be defined as the clinical use of music by a music therapist, as a therapeutic intervention for persons who have special needs. It does not claim to cure or to prolong life in the medical sense, but rather seeks to develop the potential of the individual and to improve the quality of human life. Music Therapy uses music as the basic tool for dialogue in much the same way that traditional therapies use language. Because music has universal appeal and is a form of nonverbal communication, music therapy can benefit persons who might be less responsive to verbal therapies. Benefits of music therapy treatment may include the development and maintenance of motor skills, reduced pain perception, enhanced self-esteem, improved speech and language skills, and alleviation of anxiety and depression (Wilfrid Laurier University, 1991).
A music therapist is an accomplished musician who has received professional training in the field of music therapy and has experience in the use of music as a therapeutic agent. Music therapy training includes study and experience in music, music education, behavioral and biological sciences, research methodology, music therapy techniques, and improvisation. The music therapist must integrate theories and techniques from these related disciplines to prepare therapeutic treatment programs (Wilfrid Laurier University, 1991).
- For additional Information about Music Therapy please see:
- Canadian Association for Music Therapy
- Music Therapy Association of Ontario
- National Association for Music Therapy
This article was reviewed priot to publication by:
Parent Reviewer:
Debbie Lemke
Munroe Falls, OH
Your feedback is very important! Please e-mail us
with any questions or comments about this article.
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