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I am very honoured to have shared the stage with Pr. Barbara Hesser- CMT,LCAT, FAMI. Prof. Hesser is the Director of the Music Therapy program at New York University. In this capacity she coordinates the Master’s and Doctoral Degree programs of NYU. She is the program director of the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre and has served as President of the American Association for Music Therapy (AAMT).
Prof. Hesser opened the conference. Her speech was about our “Healthy Potential”. We are all born with a healthy potential- our true nature. As Maslow states, we all need and have creativity and aliveness. If someone has mental, physical, emotional problems- these problems stand blocks to their Healthy Potential. It is those people, with these problems (mental, physical, emotional), that music helps them express their Inner Healthy Potential.
Prof. Hesser talked about the benefits and the life changing effects of the Arts and specifically Music Therapy; using as an example young Joshua. We first saw a short video of a young boy, 5 or 6 years old, in a room with a piano. A young man was playing the piano and another was singing, but the boy did not respond. The boy did not want to be touched and was completely secluded from its environment. The next video, shot some days later, shows Joshua being held by one of the therapists and singing along, even touching the piano and creating sounds. Before we go on, prof. Hesser explains to us that Joshua is a blind autistic child.
Understanding the challenges that an autistic child faces and adding to that the blindness, one can realise the great progress that was achieved in a short period of time through music. Through the videos, you begin to see a response, a vocalisation in tune with the music. Joshua is singing, Joshua is having a good time and Joshua reacts and does what the lyrics say.
In another video we see Joshua having a tantrum. The therapist playing the piano, follows through the music Joshua’s tantrum and gradually guides him to a more serene place, and Joshua follows and collaborates to the music. The music relaxes him. Joshua accepts the music.
Joshua, a blind, autistic kid, feels confident and allows himself to heal through music. He feels safer, accepted, calm and trusts himself and his environment. Joshua found a sense of rhythm, a desire to vocalise, an ability to play the piano, spontaneity, joy, pleasure and the ability to focus. All that through music. He developed a new aspect of himself through Art. A new self concept was developed. He moved from wanting to control his environment to collaborating and improvising.
At the beginning Joshua would describe himself as disabled, unaccepted and unworthy. Now all that has changed; he understands himself as being loved, accepted and able for anything.
Joshua experienced the Expansion of Being through the Arts.
If Joshua can do it, what is stopping you?
