Where your money goes
Phoebe is a three year old girl with the rare life-threatening haematological disorder HLH. She had her first bone marrow transplant at the age of 18 months and returned to hospital for a second transplant just before her third birthday when signs of the disease returned. The Nordoff Robbins music therapist worked with her on both of her long-term stays in hospital.
There are many painful and challenging effects of Phoebe’s treatment including isolation in a hospital room following her bone marrow transplant. Her family have worked hard to create a normal and positive environment within the confines of this isolation room. Music therapy has played a vital part in this.
Through music, Phoebe has been able to take back some control: leading an improvisation or conducting a musical activity. She can use the instruments to channel her distress and distract her from pain and frustration. Within music sessions, Phoebe is the person who makes creative decisions about what happens to characters in a story. She decides who plays each instrument, what is played, and when. The music therapist listens to what she plays and echoes or responds to her playing, acknowledging and validating her choices and celebrating her creativity. Sometimes her parents join in to create a rousing chorus or a fun-filled activity, or they are able to take a few minutes by themselves. When they see their daughter playing and interacting with someone else in a ‘normal’ way, they are reassured that though she may look different, through hair loss or steroids, she is still Phoebe.
Music therapy can offer an opportunity for a child to experience their healthy self but it can also be a means of expressing difficult feelings. It has contributed towards creating a positive and creative environment within Phoebe’s hospital room, helping to reduce her stress levels, which her parents believe have allowed her life-saving treatment to be more effective.
The Classic FM Foundation is proud to be supporting the work of Nordoff Robbins music therapists.
