Anna*, a young child who was very afraid of the medical staff, would cry whenever anyone would come into her hospital room. She was very fearful and the Child Life Specialists asked Hugworks to perform an individual program for Anna hoping it would provide a positive experience and a needed distraction from the hospital environment.
We found Anna and her mother alone in the playroom and after being introduced, we started playing. Anna immediately clung to her mom, buried her face into her mother and would peek over her shoulder every now and then. We purposefully kept our distance, so as not to intimidate Anna, and played a couple of songs. During the third song, Anna’s body language and facial expressions changed to a more relaxed state and a rhythm shaker was placed where Anna could reach it.
By the end of our session, Anna was standing next to her mother and swaying to the music while shaking the shaker. About an hour later we delivered another performance but this time it was to a group of children in a different part of the hospital. As we started the session, we noticed two more people joining the group...a mother and a small girl with a big smile. Anna wanted to sing some more.
This is one of the many ways we use the power of music to help children relax and to help socialize and normalize their environment.
*Name changed to protect the privacy of the child
