In Harmony: ArtWorks Hosts Its First Music Therapy Event

On March 28, ArtWorks hosted its first music therapy event for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. During the event, participants learned about rhythm, sang and danced to popular songs, and had a fun and relaxing afternoon of music. ArtWorks is an outreach program housed in the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Arizona, Department of Family & Community Medicine. Since its beginning, ArtWorks has been bringing the invigorating power of art to the community. Now, ArtWorks is proud to add music to its repertoire.

In its creation, all kinds of art, including music, can bring people together as they share ideas and support each other's work. In its exhibition, art can elevate perspectives and stories that might otherwise go unheard. Music in particular has many benefits for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities. For those who have difficulty communicating verbally, it provides an opportunity for social interaction and connectedness without the heavy emphasis on words. Music also has positive effects on mood, and research is currently being done on its benefits to cognition and memory. 

Sonoran Center Research Assistant Nadine Chau was instrumental in bringing this event together. In addition to their work at the Center, Chau is also a board member of the Music and Medicine Club at the University of Arizona. They are also a skilled pianist and violinist.  

“What we do is integrate musical therapy into clinical settings,” Chau explained. “We have the students go to hospitals, children’s clinics, senior centers, etc., and we have musical performances and interact with them musically. One of the experiences is, for example, at the children’s rehabilitative clinic we have volunteer musicians who play in the lobby.”

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The idea for this event came about when Chau visited the ArtWorks studio and saw another opportunity to merge two of their passions: music and disability healthcare. 

“I took a tour of ArtWorks with Yumi (Shirai, PhD) just to learn more about what they do, and I thought it was a great place to be,” Chau recalled. “So, I asked her, 'You do a bunch of different types of art, do you happen to do any music?’.” 

Dr. Shirai agreed that it would be a great addition to ArtWorks, so Chau, student musician Ruby Hackenyos, and the rest of the Music and Medicine Club got to work planning the event. Along the way, they enlisted the help of Austin Duncan, Sonoran Center Postdoctoral Scholar and a fellow musician. The event eventually took the form of a music lesson focusing on rhythm. 

“I met up with Ruby and Austin and we planned it out: Ruby and I would lead the rhythm lesson/activities, and Austin would accompany us on the piano and provide support. Ruby and I printed out a bunch of music notes and taught about quarter notes, half notes, rests, that kind of thing. We went through a few different songs,” Chau described. “Austin would play the piano, and we would sing along to the songs and clap along. We also had some rhythm games - we had each person come up with their own rhythm and we would repeat after them, and it was very fun - singing, coming up with rhythms, and just having fun with music.”

Because everyone has their own taste in music and level of musical skill, they chose easy, well-known songs with universal appeal. This ensured that everyone had a chance to fully participate. 

“I was told that they really like to sing, especially popular songs, so we chose some popular 

songs,” Chau said. “We started with really easy ones like ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’, and took suggestions from the artists themselves. We did the ‘Do-Re-Mi’ song from the Sound of Music. We had the ‘Bingo’ song (B-I-N-G-O) because it has a fun rhythm, ‘You Are My Sunshine’, ‘Row Row Row Your Boat’     just popular songs that everyone would know. They sang great! They knew the songs and clapped along. They were amazing.”

As with every musical ensemble, each musician brings their own style. The subtle differences and idiosyncrasies are part of what makes playing music with others such an exhilarating experience. 

“It was fun seeing different peoples’ interests in music, different tastes, creating something fun together,” Chau said.

Even after the event is over, the participants can take some of the skills they learned and continue to reap the benefits of engaging with music. 

“Keeping on beat, on rhythm with something, so that even when they’re listening to music in their everyday lives, they can sing along, clap along, apply what they learned,” Chau said. “I’m sure there’s some way they can incorporate music into their other art and other parts of their lives.”

ArtWorks is planning to make the event a regular feature. According to Chau, “We’re hoping to volunteer at least once a month.” A second session took place on April 18.