Um espaço para partilha de ideias relacionadas com as práticas artísticas
e os seus efeitos terapêuticos, com destaque para a vertente musical

sexta-feira, 28 de dezembro de 2012

Art Therapy helps kids cope with grief

based on this article by DAVID SORTINO

One of the many problems counselors and psychologists face is the different emotional and cognitive developmental levels of children they counsel. Children have different ways of expressing themselves, particularly in how they deal with grief and death: some are more verbal and feel comfortable speaking to adults about grief, while others are non-verbal and will internalize it. 

The key factor is the approach the counselor uses to address the children's pain or grief. Most experienced counselors understand these differences and use different modes of therapy to reach individuals, especially young children dealing with death. Fortunately, many grief counselors use the expressive arts, such as art therapy, as their main strategy for helping children deal with often-unspeakable thoughts and emotions associated with death.
Art therapy is to draw, paint, sculpt or use any other medium to express emotion without words. "It's always been a powerful way to express emotions without words,” said art therapist Mary Gambarony of the Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, N.J. “It allows children to take the pain and to take the sadness, take the frustration, take the questions and put it outside of themselves and that's very healing in itself to get it out of you ... put it on something objective in front of you and be able to look at it.”


When a counselor attempts to help a child speak about a tragedy, he often focuses on the verbal or linguistic areas of the brain, which can negate children whose cognitive processes are more non-verbal. Conversely, forcing only the non-verbal expression does not address the needs of children who can be verbally expressive. Even for the verbal child, discussion does not lead to expressing the depth of grief, while an artistic expression can often allow the experience.
The effectiveness of art therapy is that it addresses both sides of the brain or the child's verbal or non-verbal intelligences and emotions. This is particularly true with the right side of the brain, considered our visual and more emotional side. Although we use both sides simultaneously, some children, especially girls, have an edge because the corpus collossum, a strip that runs down the center of the brain and allows the two halves of the brain to cross talk is larger in girls, an indication of why art therapy can be so effective for girls.
For boys, whose corpus collossum is smaller, they do not have the luxury of being able to cross talk as effectively. However, art therapy can specifically stimulate the right side or visual-emotional side of the boy's brain, which allows for the grief to be looked at openly.
Whatever expressive arts a counselor chooses in dealing with a child's grief, the key is to understand that beyond the different developmental levels of a child's grieving emotions, there are major factors involved in the healing process that go beyond simply talking about a tragic experience. The brain is far more complex and, as such, needs expressive forms of therapy for healing.

sábado, 22 de dezembro de 2012

Jovem autista expressa-se através da música


Kyle Coleman, 26 anos, de Gwithian, Cornwall, foi diagnosticado com autismo aos três anos de idade e sempre se expressou apenas através de algumas palavras. O seu talento musical foi descoberto quando a sua mãe, Caroline, o levou para uma sessão de musicoterapia em 2009.


A musicoterapeuta Carine Kelley descobriu que a música constitui um meio instintivo e eficaz através do qual Kyle consegue expressar suas emoções e, desde então, visita-o duas vezes por semana. 
"Tornou-se quase imediatamente claro que Kyle tinha uma afinidade natural com elementos musicais e poderia recriar suas canções favoritas no teclado sem um conhecimento musical prévio", disse ela.

"A sua personalidade e emoções brilham através de seu canto e desta forma foi-nos possível desenvolver uma relação especial e explorar as capacidades do Kyle."

Depois de se aperceber do dom do seu filho, Caroline levou-o a um estúdio de gravação em Plymouth, para ver como ele reagia neste contexto. Revelando-de destemido perante a nova experiência, Kyle gravou sua canção favorita, "Monday, Monday" do grupo "The Mamas and Papas". O proprietário do estúdio ficou tão impressionado com o talento de Kyle que sugeriu a gravação de um álbum de caridade. E assim foi!

A sua mãe disse: "Nunca houve um álbum gravado e lançado por um indivíduo autista que tem uma linguagem muito limitada e uma incapacidade para se comunicar com os outros." 
"O seu pai era músico e morreu há dois anos Num acidente de moto. Eu acho que o talento musical de Kyle vem do pai."

O albúm é constituído por várias covers de Robbie Williams, Cat Stevens e Razorlight e inclui também uma música que foi escrita especialmente para ele, relativa ao autismo. O álbum foi apoiado pela National Autistic Society (NAS) e  lançado no dia 2 de Abril de 2012 (Dia Mundial do Autismo).

Notícia [em inglês] acedida em DailyMail



terça-feira, 18 de dezembro de 2012

Musical Strategies help preschoolers with communication disorders - part II

Part I here

Snippets & Songs
Though preschool is a time when many children learn nursery rhymes, chants and songs, starting with song snippets works well for children with speech difficulties. A snippet is simply a short, repetitive phrase from a given song. Examples might include "e-i-e-i-o" from Old MacDonald, "perhaps she'll die" from There was an old lady who swallowed a fly or "hi-ho the der-ry-o" from The Farmer in the Dell.


Though each snippet has a different melodic contour, requiring some vocal manipulation, children are not challenged with remembering all the song's lyrics which may pose problems with pronunciation, as well as producing the entire melody. To keep students engaged when using snippets (or entire songs), reinforcing both language and song sequence can be achieved through use of song picture books. These are tradebooks of well-known children's songs, with illustrations (and sometimes recordings), that provide children a visual reference to enhance the auditory experience.

Articles by Jalongo & Ribblett and Routier suggest many language and/or reading applications for these resources; a partial listing of representative books follows this article. A particularly effective snippet from the song, Goin to the Zoo by Tom Paxton, would have children chime in on the underlined rhyming words: "We're goin to the zoo, zoo, zoo, How about you, you, you, You can come too, too, too, We're goin to the zoo, zoo, zoo."

These words are sung on the same pitch so little pitch sense is needed plus the musical lead-in flows naturally to the target pitch. Both a song picture book and recording (by the composer) are available to supplement instruction.

Reinforcing Speech Skills
Regarding actual songs, Mary Zoller, MS, CCC-SLP, advises the purpose of using songs in therapy is not to teach [children] how to sing but to use songs to teach. She adds enunciation, articulation and sequencing of sounds and words within songs can facilitate, stimulate or refine speech.

If you are working on a particular phoneme, say "m," try using the first verse of Miss Mary Mack, a children's hand-clapping song. A soft "p" can be reinforced through Pawpaw patch or a hissy "s" using Sally go round the sun. These songs have a minimal range of pitches plus they are short and very repetitive.

When a song doesn't exist, just create one using a familiar tune. Rain, rain go away is especially adaptable!

When singing, the use of recordings affords the speech professional some musical support and often establishes a key conducive to young voices. Contemporary singers of children's songs include Raffi, Julie Berkner and Joni Bartels. Earlier performers include Hap Palmer and Ella Jenkins. Public libraries and the internet are excellent sources for locating these materials.

Rachel Arnston, MS, CCC-SLP, a speech-language pathologist and author of Kids Express Train teaching tools, highlights the positive use of music in speech-language therapy, and emphasizes that interventions extend beyond the therapy session.

Using vocal play and songs, children can reinforce speech skills on the playground, at home and riding in the car.

References 
- Lindeman, C. (2011). Musical children: engaging children in music experiences. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, p. 2. 
- Jalongo, M. & D. Ribblett. (1997). Using song picture books to support emergent literacy. Childhood Education, 74(1), 15-22. 
- Routier, W.J. (2003). Read me a song: Teaching reading using picture song books. Paper presented at the 48th International Reading Association Annual Meeting. ERIC ED479645. 
- Zoller, M. (1991). Use of Music Activities in Speech-Language Therapy. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 22, 272-276. 
- Arnston, R. (2006). Music integrated with speech and language therapy. Poster presentation, Miami: American Speech & Hearing Association. 

sexta-feira, 30 de novembro de 2012

Must-read book on Music, Emotion and the brain

In 2008, New Yorker music critic Alex Ross published The Rest Is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century — a remarkable historical and social context for contemporary music, which went on to become one of the most influential music history books ever written. 
Last fall, Ross released his highly anticipated sequel: Listen to This — an outstanding effort to explain and understand the world through its musical proclivities, from European opera to Chinese classical music to Bjork. 
Though the book, an anthology of the author’s most acclaimed essays with a deeper focus on classical music, Ross’s astute observations on the emotional and social experience of music make it an indispensable addition nonetheless.


quarta-feira, 28 de novembro de 2012

Hydraulophone - let's make music with water!

A hydraulophone or poseidophone  is a tonal acoustic musical instrument played by direct physical contact with water (sometimes other fluids) where sound is generated or affected hydraulically. In the first sense, it was invented and named by Steve Mann.


The hydraulophone combines the simplicity of the piano with the interface of the tin flute or recorder. You play it by stopping the jets of water with your fingers or hands. By blocking multiple jets you can even play chords. 
In other words, it works like a woodwind instrument, except the wind is replaced by water. Can you imagine it's potencial in the music therapy field?


More info at FUNtain

terça-feira, 13 de novembro de 2012

Musical Strategies help preschoolers with communication disorders - part I

Music and preschoolers just naturally go together. As noted music educator Carolyn Lindeman exclaims, "Music and young children are the best of friends. They're almost inseparable!"

Add to that equation youngsters with special needs in the areas of communication and speech disorders, and music strategies that utilize the voice seem ideal for encouraging vocalization, aiding with inflection and articulation and providing venues for communication and socialization with peers. 

Though federal legislation guarantees all children receive educational opportunities that are both equal and appropriate to their learning needs, it is rare music educators service publically funded preschool programs, and even rarer music therapists - those individuals trained to use music to achieve non-musical goals such as speech-language skill development - are available to work with special needs preschoolers.


Therefore, how might the speech therapist and/or pathologist select and engage preschoolers using musical strategies within a therapy setting?

Vocal play
In music, prior to singing, youngsters are encouraged to experiment with their voices. Imitations work well, especially animal sounds, because children can "hear" these sounds in their heads. Assorted animals from Old MacDonald's farm might yield the duck, cow, horse, sheep (lamb) and pig plus a token dog and cat. Rather than mimic the contrived sounds in the song, a quick analysis of the actual "sound" each animal makes provides a strong basis for use.

For example, a cow's "moo" has an archlike melodic contour, starting low, gently rising and then falling back down. Conversely, the "baa" of a sheep has a descending contour. Each imitation has a good frontal sound, i.e., 'm' and 'b', and requires vocal/pitch inflection.

Certain animals' sounds are confined to either a high or low register and are good for children with a monotonic speech delivery. For example, a large dog would have a lower "ruff," which the therapist could encourage the student to initiate. Then, by introducing a smaller dog, it would necessitate raising the pitch register of the "ruff."

Often using puppets or pictures of these animals helps the children to see the association between size and sound/register. Another animal sound that works well with minimal range speakers is the "whoo" of an owl. Similar in contour to "baa," it requires the child to "project the voice into the head," creating a siren-like tone with more resonance.

Part II here

terça-feira, 30 de outubro de 2012

The music never stopped, o filme

Cerca de um ano e meio após ter descoberto "The music never stopped" - sobre o qual fiz um post aqui - finalmente tive a oportunidade de ver o filme. Aproveito para fazer uma breve descrição em português, já que no outro post escrevi em inglês.

Baseado num caso real estudado por Dr. Oliver Sacks (retratado no seu livro "The last Hippie"), o filme retrata a história de Gabriel Sawyer, um músico que perde a capacidade de guardar novas memórias devido a um tumor cerebral. 



O pai de Gabriel esforça-se por lutar contra o tumor cerebral do filho, o que o leva a procurar uma musicoterapeuta com o objectivo de utilizar a música como elemento conector entre o filho e a realidade. A profissional de musicoterapia descobre que a música rock que Gabriel escutava na sua juventude o ajuda a  recuperar algumas das capacidades cognitivas que os médicos consideraram irreversivelmente perdidas.

Apesar da distância física e emocional entre pai e filho nos últimos 20 anos, a dedicação do pai permite fortalecer a relação outrora esquecida, renunciando à suas próprias crenças para abraçar as peculiaridades e divergências do filho.

Saliento o ênfase que o filme deposita na musicoterapia, abordando especificamente a importância da música numa situação neurológica delicada. No caso do Gabriel (o qual recordo que apresenta uma base verídica), a música permitiu a estimulação de circuitos cerebrais, a recuperação de memórias e a reaprendizagem de funções cognitivas que, de outro modo, teriam sido negligenciadas, esquecidas, abandonadas.  Imperdível.

terça-feira, 25 de setembro de 2012

"Effeitos da musica sobre as molestias" in "A Mãi de Familia" (Janeiro de 1882)

"Effeitos da musica sobre as molestias"
Pág.4-5, A Mãi de Familia (jornal scientifico, litterario e illustrado), 4 anno, nº1
Janeiro de 1882, Rio de Janeiro



Imagens em tamanho maior aqui (o conteúdo consta nas páginas 4 e 5 da publicação)


quarta-feira, 15 de agosto de 2012

How music triggers the same reward systems that drive our desires for food and sex

The profound connection between music and the brain has long fascinated scientists and philosophers alike, and has even shaped the course of our evolution. The wonderful duo Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown, better known as AsapSCIENCE, breaks down music’s ability to create a state of arousal by inducing the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which also regulates the neurochemistry of love, and offsetting a reward circuit similar to the one drugs exploit — something I can certainly attest to as a hopeless music addict.


Info from Brain Pickings 

domingo, 5 de agosto de 2012

Music relieves stress of assisted breathing

Patients who need assistance to breathe through mechanical ventilation may benefit from listening to music, a new review published in The Cochrane Library shows. The researchers found that music listening may relax patients, potentially resulting in fewer complications. 

Mechanical ventilation often causes major distress and anxiety in patients. The sensation of breathlessness, frequent suctioning, inability to talk, uncertainty regarding surroundings or condition, discomfort, isolation from others, and fear all contribute to high levels of anxiety. Medications administered to reduce anxiety may lead to increased hospital stays and medical costs. 

"With all these factors making mechanical ventilation a highly stressful experience, it is exciting that music may provide a way to reduce anxiety in these patients without costly side effects," said lead researcher Joke Bradt of the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University in Philadelphia and former researcher at Temple University's Arts and Quality of Life Research Center. 


The researchers reviewed data from eight trials involving 213 patients in total. Patients, who had various conditions, including lung disease, cardiac disease and trauma injuries, all received mechanical breathing support via mouth, nose, or tracheotomy (artificial opening in the neck). 

In seven trials, patients listened to pre-recorded music and in the remaining trial a trained music therapist provided live music with a tempo matched to the respiratory rate of the patient. On average, listening to music reduced anxiety compared to standard care. It also reduced heart and breathing rates, although not blood pressure. 

"These results look promising, but we need more trials to strengthen the evidence and we would certainly be interested in seeing more research on live music interventions provided by trained music therapists," said Bradt. "However, because music listening is an easy treatment to provide, we do recommend that music be offered as a form of stress management for critically ill patients." 

Little information was available about the specific kinds of music that produced beneficial effects. "Except for mentioning general styles, such as classical and easy listening, most of the trials made no mention of the music selections used," said Bradt. "In future trials, recording more detailed information about the music would help clinicians make better informed decisions about music selections. We recommend that medical personnel providing music to patients consult with a music therapist to understand what type of music may be best for a particular patient. Likewise, music therapists need to collaborate with medical personnel to carefully monitor the patients' physiological responses to the music."

Info at Phys.Org

sexta-feira, 20 de julho de 2012

Surgery with Music Benefits

Surgeons believe playing a little knife music might benefit patients so much that they recover sooner from their operations.
Mozart was not actually one of the composers that those in the study got to hear. However, they were offered equally soothing pieces by Beethoven, Vivaldi and Bach.
Frank Sinatra was also on hand for those who preferred some easy listening during the operations, which included washing out major wounds.
Hazim Sadideen, the plastic surgeon who led the project at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said: "Undergoing surgery can be a stressful experience for patients and finding ways of making them more comfortable should be our goal as clinicians.
"There are also good medical reasons – calmer patients may cope better with pain and recover quicker.
"This small scale work is the first time an attempt has been made to measure the impact music has in this specific group of patients and hints at the need for bigger multi-centre research to establish whether this should become part of standard practice."
In the study, published in the journal Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons, 96 patients undergoing minor surgery were randomly assigned either music or silence. All were awake during their procedures, which included routine removal of skin lesions and cleansing of upper limb wounds after accidents.
The half played music reported lower anxiety levels and lower breathing rates than the others.

sexta-feira, 6 de julho de 2012

Babies' Brains Benefit from Music Lessons, Even Before They Can Walk and Talk

After completing the first study of its kind, researchers at McMaster University have discovered that very early musical training benefits children even before they can walk or talk. 

They found that one-year-old babies who participate in interactive music classes with their parents smile more, communicate better and show earlier and more sophisticated brain responses to music. 

The findings were published recently in the scientific journalsDevelopmental Science and Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 


"Many past studies of musical training have focused on older children," says Laurel Trainor, director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind. "Our results suggest that the infant brain might be particularly plastic with regard to musical exposure." 

Trainor, together with David Gerry, a music educator and graduate student, received an award from the Grammy Foundation in 2008 to study the effects of musical training in infancy. In the recent study, groups of babies and their parents spent six months participating in one of two types of weekly music instruction. 

One music class involved interactive music-making and learning a small set of lullabies, nursery rhymes and songs with actions. Parents and infants worked together to learn to play percussion instruments, take turns and sing specific songs. 

In the other music class, infants and parents played at various toy stations while recordings from the popular "Baby Einstein" series played in the background. 

Before the classes began, all the babies had shown similar communication and social development and none had previously participated in other baby music classes. 

"Babies who participated in the interactive music classes with their parents showed earlier sensitivity to the pitch structure in music," says Trainor. "Specifically, they preferred to listen to a version of a piano piece that stayed in key, versus a version that included out-of-key notes. Infants who participated in the passive listening classes did not show the same preferences. Even their brains responded to music differently. Infants from the interactive music classes showed larger and/or earlier brain responses to musical tones." 

The non-musical differences between the two groups of babies were even more surprising, say researchers. 

Babies from the interactive classes showed better early communication skills, like pointing at objects that are out of reach, or waving goodbye. Socially, these babies also smiled more, were easier to soothe, and showed less distress when things were unfamiliar or didn't go their way. 

While both class types included listening to music and all the infants heard a similar amount of music at home, a big difference between the classes was the interactive exposure to music. 

"There are many ways that parents can connect with their babies," says study coordinator Andrea Unrau. "The great thing about music is, everyone loves it and everyone can learn simple interactive musical games together." 


Info from Science Daily 





sábado, 9 de junho de 2012

When words fail, art transforms

An advertising campaign that brings awareness to the growing number of Americans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Dementia. The campaigns focuses on how art therapy can improve the overall quality of patients diagnosed with the disease.


"When words fail, art transforms."

It is based on the head is how Alzheimer’s changes the way patients think, the heart represents emotions, and the eye is how their perception of the world changes.



Info at Behance

quarta-feira, 6 de junho de 2012

Makey Makey: turn everyday objects into touchpads

It seems to me that this tool can be promising in the field music therapy!
Take a look at this video!




"What is Makey Makey? MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It's a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything inbetween. 

How Does it Work? Alligator Clip two objects to the MaKey MaKey board. For example, you and an apple.


When you touch the apple, you make a connection, and MaKey MaKey sends the computer a keyboard message. The computer just thinks MaKey MaKey is a regular keyboard (or mouse). Therefore it works with all programs and webpages, because all programs and webpages take keyboard and mouse input. 

Who is MaKey MaKey For? 
Artists, Kids, Educators, Engineers, Designers, Inventors, Makers... Really it is for everyone." 



More info at KickStart Makey Makey 

domingo, 3 de junho de 2012

Rivista di Arti Terapie e Neuroscienze On Line - Anno III num. 5 Maggio 2012

Ho scoperto questa rivista - Arti Terapie e Neuroscienze online - Rivista Mensile della telematica sui temi musicoterapia, danzaterapia, arteterapia, plastico pittorica, Neuroscienze e Scienze Umane. 


Nata nel gennaio 2010 ad opera dell'Istituto di Arti Terapie e Scienze Creative di Carmiano, in italiano, con accesso gratuito. Una risorsa preziosa aqui!

sábado, 2 de junho de 2012

Mental illness through art in the next See Me, Hear Me

MACARTHUR region residents are challenging attitudes towards mental illness through art in the next See Me, Hear Me exhibition opening 2nd June.


The Benevolent Society’s annual Campbelltown Arts Centre exhibition will feature until June 12 the artwork of 25 local artists, including Sandi Dennis, living with mental illness. The works will then be on show at local Narellan, Campbelltown, Eagle Vale, Ingleburn and Glenquarie libraries until mid-July.


The Benevolent Society’s Wies Schuiringa said the exhibition gave people living with illness a chance to showcase their skills and step into the limelight.

“We often hear from people living with mental illness that they feel isolated and hidden away, so See Me, Hear Me provides people who live with mental illness an opportunity to have a voice,” Ms Schuiringa said.

“The exhibition not only gives artists an opportunity to show their work and skills, it also gives visitors a chance to see some wonderful local artworks and gain a greater understanding of what’s it’s like to live with mental illness.”

Ms Schuiringa said mental illness was not understood well in the community, but over the past years the exhibition had run, it had proven a powerful way to break down the stigma.

Info accessed at Macarthur Chronicle

quinta-feira, 24 de maio de 2012

Art Helps People Live With Mental Illness


At HAI Art Studio, all of the artists have mental illness, and the studio is funded as a mental health program designed to facilitate rehabilitation. 
"Because of the stigma about mental illness, I get treated like I am not functional in society. Here we are treated like artists, and I feel like an artist, not a mental patient.", says one of the artists. She is working on a fairly large canvas. She has painted a background in shades of blue and has just added a flower in vibrant purple. "I have a cocktail of anxiety and depression," she says. "Blue is healing. It helps me slow down and be in the moment. I hope it helps others too."
Everyone at the studio is working from his or her own artistic vision. The creative director of the program and a working artist says that the individuality of the artistic experience is at the heart of the studio's philosophy. "We do not have a single standard." Sometimes the director offers suggestions to help the artists realize their personal vision or to experiment doing something different and challenging for them, but the goal is for each artist to be engaged in the effort to create images that speak to them personally. However, he adds, "Artistic work at the studio is not just a private experience. We mount our own shows, curated by the artists, so that they can have the experience of public presentation of their work. We also have group critiques for artists who want focused review of their work by their peers."
The artists speak about the studio in glowing terms: 
"People with mental illness need an outlet"
"The studio gives people a chance to create, to experiment, and to show their work."
"It's very inspiring here. You pick up the energy, ideas, and creativity of everyone else."

Being with so many like-minded people and having a sense of camaraderie are clearly important dimensions of the experience for these artists. But there's much more to it. It's being in a place without stigma, where people believe in themselves and their abilities. It's having a source of pride. It's having the opportunity to be totally engaged in work they care about. It's having a sense of accomplishment.
Positive psychologists, such as Martin Seligman, tell us that these are among the primary components of psychological well-being. In our society it is not easy for people with mental illness to find opportunities to engage (to immerse themselves) in activities they find meaningful, to experience a sense of accomplishment, and to be part of a community of shared interest and mutual concern. Art can make it possible.
"We need more programs like this," tells the creative director. "We need people to advocate for more funding so that more and more people with mental illness can have art in their lives and a reason to get out of bed in the morning."
Info accessed at Huffington Post
Image at http://dbprng00ikc2j.cloudfront.net/work/image/309144/qg7swq/Rogers_TheFool.jpg

quinta-feira, 10 de maio de 2012

Autistic Students Shine at Creative Arts Studio

Exceptional Minds Studio is a vocational school for young to middle-aged autistic adults. Students are instructed in the fields of animation, visual effects and computer graphics, in hopes of transforming lives of low expectations into stories of success.

At Exceptional Minds Studio, students are given the opportunity to build their portfolios, as well as receive certification in the use of Adobe software, which qualifies them for entry-level jobs in the computer graphics and animation fields. In addition, while enrolled at Exceptional Minds, students have the opportunity to work on several professional projects, such as the credits for the children’s movie Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer

“When they leave here, not only will they have a portfolio to show people the kind of work they can do, they will already have credits from a few movies, and they’re going to have the knowledge of how to use all of these programs,” said Merlan, program director at Exceptional Minds Studio .

In the Exceptional Minds program, students have 20-minute classes on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays where they learn the basics of specific computer programs. They then spend two weeks developing a project based on those particular lessons. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students take in work from the outside, such as title work or the animation technique called rotoscoping, which they are paid for. 

Currently, nine students are in the class. Tuition for each year is $30,000, of which students are asked to pay one-third. The rest is raised through donations.

Yudi Bennett, the director of administration for Exceptional Minds and one of the founding mothers, maintains that all children, regardless of learning disabilities, should have an opportunity to chase their dreams. “What happens with kids with autism is they’re fairly well taken care of from preschool to grade 12, but then they graduate high school and there is nothing out there for them,” Bennett said. 

90 percent of adults with autism are unemployed, and most live with their families their entire lives. Some qualify for Social Security, receiving between $600 and $800 a month beginning at age 18 and never get off of it. “As a parent, that’s not the future you want for your kid,” Bennett said. “Typical kids get to live their dream and envision what they want to do. Growing up, I got to do that. Autistic kids don’t get to do that. When they do work, they are pretty much put into a mold.”

Autistic adults that do find work, Bennett said, usually end up with low-level jobs such as cleaning at fast food restaurants or at big chain stores.

“The public perception of people with autism is of limitations,” Bennett said. “What we need to do is show the public is with these kids, it’s not that they have limitations, it’s that they’re wildly creative and wildly imaginative. We need to get people to think outside the box.”

“There is a need for programs like this everywhere and in a lot of fields.”


Info acceed at StudioCityPatch
Image at http://www.exceptionalmindsstudio.org/Web_Assets/web_pics/site_pics_april24/IMG_0131.JPG

sexta-feira, 4 de maio de 2012

Music: the key to wellbeing

Earlier this year a hospital in Slovakia found a unique way to comfort newborns who had been separated from their mothers for treatment – playing music to them. 
Babies in the maternity ward at Kosice-Saca hospital listened to music by Mozart and Vivaldi several times a day to help soothe them. Dr Slavka Viragová, who launched the project, says music therapy also "helps a baby to gain weight, get rid of stress and handle pain better".

This is just one example of the many ways in which music therapy is being used by healthcare professionals to provide comfort and promote healing in patients.

A recent Canadian study led by Sandi Curtis, a music therapy professor at the Concordia University Department of Creative Arts Therapies, found that 
a project involving musicians from a professional symphony orchestra resulted in a wide range of benefits for hospital patients. "Our study showed how music therapy was effective in enhancing pain relief, comfort, relaxation, mood, confidence, resilience, life quality and wellbeing in patients," Curtis explains.

Another study in the US found music helped decrease blood pressure, heart rate and levels of anxiety in patients suffering from heart disease.


HOW DOES IT WORK?

It helps reduce stress and anxiety, which exacerbate pain. Therefore, anything we do to encourage relaxation helps alleviate pain. 
Dr Jeanette Bicknell, author of Why Music Moves Us (Palgrave Macmillan), says that while music can relax us and provide a distraction from pain, some types of music appear to be more effective than others.

In a recent article for the journal Psychology Today, she explains that music chosen by patients themselves is more effective in relieving pain. "Researchers have found significant correlations between certain sonic features of music chosen by patients for pain management, and measurements of pain tolerance and perceived pain intensity," Bicknell says.

The sentiment behind the lyrics counts, too. Regardless of the genre, music expressing contentment was found to be most effective in reducing pain. Bickell says music that listeners find emotionally engaging seems to affect the opioid system, which controls physical pain. Bicknell adds that while further research is needed, she hopes music therapy will become more widely recognised as a low-risk way to promote healing. 

Australian singer Olivia Newton-John knows better than most how music can benefit wellbeing. "Writing and listening to music is very healing for me," she explains. "I wrote one album, Gaia, when I had breast cancer and the music was a way for me to heal."
Her recent album Grace and Gratitude Renewed was created to promote "healing, relaxation and meditation". 

Newton-John is also on the cusp of opening a Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, and hopes music therapy will play a role alongside yoga, massage and art therapy.

Info acceed at News.Com.Aud
Image at https://encrypted-tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRe5wlxTqOgBkZJNCQ8MKOiujOlpDotdwmLZguzVx6sR1HSHO6f


quinta-feira, 26 de abril de 2012

Helping Children Heal Through Art Therapy

Custom-made Stuffed Toys "Stuffies" Help Children Express Their Emotions -- and Bring Their Creations to Life. Child's Own Studio began with a simple gift for a 4-year-old boy and bloomed into a full-fledged craft business, which has made hundreds of unique “softies” – stuffed toys for children based on their own drawings.

Child’s Own works to celebrate a child’s imagination by building handcrafted one-of-a-kind soft toys, each created by the individual imagination of a child. Several craft businesses around the country have developed to create similar collaborative art with children.

Although softies (sometimes also called “stuffies”) can be made for a number of reasons – encouraging creativity, sparking imagination, offering comfort, building a keepsake – the craft has great potential to help children cope with life-threatening illnesses, or to heal through grief. Art therapy can be a fantastic way for young children to express how they are feeling when dealing with the stress and pain of illness or loss, and softies take that therapy a step further – by creating a comforting toy or keepsake out of a child’s therapeutic artwork.

Since softies are one hundred percent unique – each one custom-made for a single child – you can let your imagination take charge, including elements that help your child best. Softies can be made from the fabric of the old clothes of a loved one, or perhaps a comforting blanket that your child has grown out of. They can include materials that have special meaning to your child, to create something that will comfort them in hard times, while bringing their unique creation to life.




Info by Dana Sitar at Seven Ponds

segunda-feira, 16 de abril de 2012

Stress Relief Using Art Therapy


In recent years there has been much written about the healing benefits of art therapy, and serious illnesses involving stress. Once considered a useless waste of time, art therapy is making headlines with its undeniable success rates among individuals suffering from various disorders. However, anyone dealing with varying degrees of stress can benefit from art therapy.

How does art therapy work?

  • Experimenting with art in all its different forms allows you to express your feelings. For some people this is an easy project, but for those who keep their feelings suppressed, and hidden from everyone including themselves, it is far more difficult. Re-establishing connections to the inner workings of your heart is essential to living a low stress existence.
  • Releasing pent up anger can change your mood and lower stress levels. Using art is a wonderful way to pour out your feelings without the burden of finding words to represent them.
  • Art allows you to rediscover your inner child. Remember what it was like to not have to colour inside the lines? Or when the sky could be green and pigs purple? No? Well you are not alone. Most adults feel compelled to follow a list of rules that only undermine the essential components of creativity. Maturing and settling into responsibility may be a necessary part of growing up, but there are certain privileges children have that we could all benefit from. The freedom to express ourselves using art is one of them. Toss aside the rules and simply create. You might be surprised with what you see.
  • Working with clay and other physical, hands on art mediums maximizes the pressure points of the hands that naturally aide in the release of stress.
  • You can lose yourself in art projects. Let the troubles of the world fall away as your mind refocuses on the beauty and wonder of colour and texture. Art allows to us let go of the constraints that bind us to the conformity of the world for a moment in time.
  • It is easy to allow the pressures of our day consume us. Art allows us to reflect inward and relearn something about ourselves we might have forgotten. Even if you are the kind of person who feels intimidated by creativity it is worth the personal stretch of trying something new. Pick up a paintbrush and start dabbling with colour. What do you see? Take a pottery class and immerse yourself in the mess and chaos. Try your hand at abstract. Sculpt and design using scraps and materials lying around the house.

Remember: There are no rules! Art therapists believe that art triggers an internal activity within us helping to heal emotional, spiritual, and even physical scars. It is a language without words, and a form of communication open to interpretation. “Art therapy is considered a mind-body intervention that can influence physiological and psychological symptoms. The experience of expressing oneself creatively can reawaken positive emotions and address symptoms of emotional numbing in individuals with PTSD.” – Josée Leclerc, a professor in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies

Article by Karen Pasqualucci @ Ezine Articles


segunda-feira, 26 de março de 2012

How art benefits the brain

by Grant Eckert

Many people question the purpose of art. They acknowledge an aesthetic approach but ignore any possible positive benefits of a more practical nature. Contrary to popular belief, art is not purely aesthetic. It is not a product with no possible effects outside of the obvious - an "artistic" product. Art is not of less use than science in preparing individuals for the "real" world. In fact, the contrary is true. Art is very important in helping the brain reach its full potential.

How does art accomplish this? It introduces the brain to diverse cognitive skills that help us unravel intricate problems. Art activates the creative part of our brain - the part that works without words and can only express itself non-verbally. Art, in thought and through the creative processes, activates the imaginative and creative side, the spatial and intuitive side of our brain. Art jumps over the process of linear and logical thinking. It trains the brain to shift into thinking differently, of broaching old problems in new ways. This is what makes art so important. It benefits the brain by training it to think outside the box. It helps children understand concepts with greater ease. It aids children in getting better grades. In the real world, the artistic side of the brain helps engineers solve problems. It guides individuals to create solutions. Art is the property of fine artists; it is also the product of engineers, technicians and computer designers. Art, in many different ways, helps people make the world a better place.

There have been copious studies on the relationship between art and its benefits to the brain. Semir Zeki, a former professor of neurobiology at the University College, London and co-head of the Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, published an article, "Artistic Creativity and the Brain," in Science Magazine, in July 2001. Zeki detailed the relationship between the development of cognitive abilities and the creative process. He stated artistic expression is the key to comprehending ourselves. He also considered art and its expression as an expansion of brain function. In other words, art helps the brain in its search for knowledge.

Teachers apply this in the classroom, helping children improve their cognitive capabilities and stretch their ability to solve difficult problems. Professional therapists have also embraced art as another tool in their arsenal of leading the brain-weary back to health. In fact, several psychiatrists and psychologists highly recommend this form of treatment. Furthermore, training is now in place to ensure the standards remain high in this developing field.

Art therapy is now a common means of helping individuals to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being. It bases its approach on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people in a number of different positive ways. It facilitates them in ending or finding a solution to various conflicts and problems. Art also aids them to manage their behavior, develop interpersonal skills, increase self-esteem and self-awareness, lessen stress and attain insight.

Professionals use art therapy with children, adults and teens, individuals and groups. It is employed regardless of age or gender. Combining the areas of human development, visual arts such as painting, drawing and sculpture, and the creative process with the various models of counseling and psychotherapy, art therapy assesses and treats the following mental problems and disorders: anxiety, depression, mental illness, substance abuse and other addictions. Art therapists address family and relationship issues, abuse and domestic violence and social and emotional difficulties related to disability and illness. Art therapy is applicable in situations of trauma and loss, physical, cognitive, and neurological problems and psychosocial difficulties related to medical illness.

So what are the benefits of art on the brain? When individuals create art and reflect on it, the processes, increase self-awareness, initiate awareness of others and help people cope with stress, and traumatic experiences. Art enhances cognitive abilities and provides individuals with the ability to enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art. This is what makes art so important.


sexta-feira, 9 de março de 2012

The Healing Power of Music

"An unconventional approach to recovery and coping, music therapy is a field of medicine capturing new attention due to its role in helping Gabrielle Giffords recover from a gunshot. Correspondent Spencer Michels reports on the versatility of music in a medical setting, but the difficulty of quantifying its effectiveness."




Watch The Healing Power of Music on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.


Info acceed at PBS NewsHour
Image at http://ingridking.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/kliban_music_cat.jpg



quinta-feira, 8 de março de 2012

3º Encontro Internacional Saúde com Arte

O EISA, Encontro Internacional Saúde com Arte, é um espaço de reflexão e formação em torno do papel terapêutico que a Arte em geral, e a Música muito em particular, têm para o Ser Humano.

Promovido pela SAMP – Sociedade Artística Musical dos Pousos, coloca o ambiente hospitalar e a primeira infância como eixos prioritários de intervenção, abrindo-se contudo a outras populações alvo dos programas SAMP, como os idosos, doentes mentais e reclusos.

Depois de abordagens aos projetos Europeus mais significativos de música em ambiente hospitalar nas edições anteriores, em 2012 a SAMP abre as portas às experiências mais consolidadas nos Estados Unidos, com a presença do Serviço de Música e Medicina do Departamento de Cirurgia do Hospital de Massachusetts em Boston. Também dos EUA, da Northwestern University, estará representado o trabalho de um dos mais prestigiados laboratórios de Neurociência auditiva. O encontro decorrerá a 29 e 30 Março, em Leiria (Pousos) e terá como temática Sinapses e Emoções do Som. Porquê a música?

O EISA é dirigido a todos os profissionais com interesse pela relação Arte e Saúde. Inicialmente concebido para os profissionais SAMP envolvidos em programas de âmbito terapêutico, o EISA tem hoje como destinatários artistas e profissionais de saúde, educadores e professores de ensino especial, médicos, músicos, enfermeiros, assistentes sociais e animadores socioculturais. Está igualmente aberto a estudantes de qualquer uma das áreas anteriores.