Music Therapy in Schools! Why? Pourquoi?

Why is Music Therapy so vital in schools? Well, as an example, the LAUSD school system fails on so many levels, they need all the help they can get. In addition, they are on a cutting rampage. Why do we need to save school music? That makes music sound like an endangered species. Well, it is...in many public schools. What a shame. The majority of junior high and high school students who have  fallen into the pit of the Los Angeles public school system fail...period. They don't just fail once, they fail on multiple occasions. Who is to blame? Parents? Teachers? Friends? Gangs? Drugs? The students themselves? The list can go on. The fact is, there are many factors that contribute. I don't, however, want to dwell on the negative. But....many students are blamed for their own trips and falls. How do we get these students out of the conditioned to failure mode? Music is the answer. Why? Because with music, as I've said before, we all succeed in some shape or form. It's no lie.

Today I am only going to touch on one aspect of the importance of music therapy in schools. So many students come from broken homes, so they seek out their own "family." This is often achieved through joining a gang. Now, I don't have to write down all of the pitfalls of joining a gang. We all know what they are. If you don't, then you must live in a bubble....a very thick bubble. Through, for example, group music experiences, people find a new "family" or "team." People engaging in this sort of behavior are working together to achieve the same goal, whether it be a group performance, writing music, performing as a band, etc.  In working together toward a positive goal, people start learning how to form healthy relationships, through music. They also learn how to trust. They have to trust that their team members will follow through with responsibilities and that they will support each other. They also have to learn to trust that the music therapist will be consistent, caring, and supportive. This is not easy when your trust has been broken on many levels. Through Music Therapy, though, anything is possible. Music Therapy DOES Make A Difference!

Casey Anthony About to be Freeee!

So, Casey Anthony is hours away from being free. What is she going to do now? How will she cope with all of the prison and trial related drama? I suggest Music Therapy. What is Music Therapy, you ask? Put simply, music therapy is like psychotherapy in that it helps people achieve personal goals (i.e. higher self-esteem, better stress or anger management skills, better communication skills, etc.). The difference with music therapy is: it's makes the process FUN! It makes getting healthier and healing FUN! What a concept!

Now, Casey Anthony will undoubtedly be experiencing depression. Why? Wouldn't you if your daughter was dead, you were jailed for nearly three years, and had been through a murder trail? I know I would. Depression is a lack of self-expression. Music therapy increases and teaches healthy self-expression. Those who lack self-expression sublimate their depression in other ways, i.e. drugs, hurting others, hurting themselves, etc. Although Casey Anthony was found innocent of murder, she still hurt several others through her lies and various other poor behaviors.

How can music therapy improve self-expression? Self-expression is improved through singing, song writing, lyrics analysis, etc. People feel comfortable expressing themselves in this type of environment, because it is non-threatening and non-judgmental and NO previous musical experience is required. People feel comfortable expressing themselves regardless of past experience. This is key for Casey Anthony and her depression. She has a poor relationship with her parents, because (in part) of negative past experiences. What better way to heal than through self-expression, i.e. writing a song about your personal experiences, and then feeling validated when you share your song with one or several other people who support you? It makes such a difference.

Music therapy can be helpful in many other ways with Casey Anthony, however I only wanted to touch on one today. For more information about music therapy, please visit www.elizabethjcampbell.com

Thanks for keeping your eyes on my blog. :)

Why Music Therapy?

As a child growing up I was surrounded by music. My mother sang and taught music and my father was an opera expert. So, I basically had no choice but to explore my musical interests. I went to an, for lack of a better word, artsy fartsy elementary school. In addition to all of the regular subjects, we were required to take art, dance, drama, instruments, and voice/choir. Some kids stumbled through, but I knew I had found my niche. I would tell you the rest of the story of my journey to musical stardom(right..), but this is about music therapy, not American Idol or The Voice. News Flash, I am planning on auditioning for The Voice Season 2, however, so wish me luck. :) :)

Let's jump forward to my senior year of high school. I was very fortunate to attend a high school that, for me, was harder than college. In other words, I was well prepared. I will always remember Mr McKinnon. He took me through my first psychology class, where I learned about picking apart people's brains and behaviors.

Any way....I would like to give a shout out to Mr McKinnon, wherever you are, for inspiring me to be the person I am today. To explore the infinite possibilities of the human mind.

On to college. I attended school on the other side of the US (the East Coast). When people first found out I was from California (SoCal), they would ask me why I came all the way to Syracuse and then inquire about how many stars I knew. lol I entered college wanting to major in about eight different subjects, but psychology was always at the top of the list. Music is my first passion, however. But I also love helping people. How could I do both? I was and still am the queen of doing too many things. I figured I would be MFT by day and moonlight as a singer in some dive bar. Because, well, my mind just works that way. And I am convinced I am slightly ADD. Again, a whole other story. Ooooo....squirrel! lol 

As a psychology major/music lover, I took the required courses, but also dabbled in music classes......a lot. Come sophomore year, I was taking Ear Training 2. Ooooo.....second level.......notating chords, rhythms, notes, key signatures, keys, etc. GAAAAAH! I was the only non-music major in the class. Knowing my history and my interests, my professor asked if I had ever heard of MUSIC THERAPY. To which I replied, "no." In my head, however, I replied "no, WTF is that?" I did, however, file it in the back of my mind. So, I graduated.....yeah. Being the typical college graduate with a BA in psychology, I thought, WTH am I gonna do with this? Aha.....logically, I would get my MFT. Well, I am not that logical or practical.

I was still seeking parental approval back then, so I decided to approach my mom with the brilliant idea of applying to one school (Arizona State) and praying that I was accepted into their music therapy graduate program. And.....the rest is history.Why is Music Therapy so important to me? We finally get to the tres important part of the story. I am so lucky to have found a career that combines both of my loves (music and helping people). I feel blessed. I am blessed. People like to use the cliche that music is the "universal language." It IS true. Everyone understands music, everyone feels music, and everyone CAN succeed in some area of music. No matter your ability or disability, you CAN excel at music! Seeing people of all musical abilities learn how to sing, play an instrument, or perform, is one of the most gratifying experiences and they feel good about themselves. Most important! Music Therapy makes achieving a healthy and better life fun. And that is what I am about. :)