MUSIC FOR SPECIAL NEEDS
Utilizing the Arts to Support and Heal
MUSIC FOR SPECIAL NEEDS has been successfully operating for the last 10 years, providing individuals with disabilities and special needs the opportunity for self expression and personal growth through creative development, while assisting them to integrate with their communities and prevent their isolation.
Working in collaboration with accredited Music Therapists, Physiotherapists and Early Childhood Educators, the workshops for this program are conducted by a wide variety of artists, including musicians, Kodály music instructors, percussionists, dance and movement instructors, theatrical specialists, mime artists, puppeteers, story-tellers, film makers, visual artists and crafts people. Whenever possible, instructors who have disabilities or special needs themselves are hired in order to provide empowering role models for the participants, while personalized programs are designed for each individual based on an assessment of their needs.
MUSIC FOR SPECIAL NEEDS utilizes the following music therapy goals:
- promote socialization and interaction with others
- build self esteem through validation and successful musical experience
- promote communication skills and emotional expression
- develop concentration skills and learning ability
- increase auditory skills
- develop hand-eye coordination, as well as gross and fine motor skills
- provide an opportunity for enjoyment and creative expression
In addition to ongoing group workshops and individual sessions, Ptarmigan also worked childhood cancer survivors from B.C. Children’s Hospital in 2004 to stage a musical theatre production entitled “The Strength Within”. This project was designed to address some of the social, emotional, educational and creative needs of childhood cancer survivors, and participants were involved with all aspects of staging the production, from singing, music, acting, writing, dancing, movement, video production and technical support. The stage production premiered in September, 2005 at the 37th International Pediatric Oncologists Congress in Vancouver, and again at the Vancouver Children’s Festival in May of 2006. Overall, this project was an awe-inspiring success and many participants stated that the project had made very positive impacts on various areas in their lives.
The positive results from this project inspired not only individual participants and audience members, but also had a huge effect on Ptarmigan’s activities, as we have since go on to offer a series of summer camps for childhood cancer survivors. Throughout the years, we have been able to observe the impact that the workshops had on these survivors in terms of their artistic and personal growth. This remarkably unique process of being able to work in a one-on-one basis in an arts and music-based forum has transformed Ptarmigan as a society and we are committed to the ongoing operation of MUSIC FOR SPECIAL NEEDS.