Releasing a CD of Original Client Music to the Public as an Aspect of Brain Injury Treatment Rick Soshensky, Northeast Center for Special Care Page 1 of 5

Multimedia

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  "Speechless" written by George P. From the original CD Together We Dream, Together We Heal. All songs written and performed by the Resident-Neighbors at Northeast Center for Special Care. From the Fine Arts Program at the Northeast Center for Special Care. Used with permission. All rights reserved. www.northeastcenter.com.
• "Speechless"
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  Rhythms of Hope is led by Dr. Marianne Talbot and is based in the Washington DC area. Through the use of dance, Dr. Talbot works with survivors of traumatic brain injuries to make new connections in their brain and aid in the road to recovery. National Rehabilitation and Rediscovery Foundation's Rhythms of Hope Dance Company. www.nrrf.us
   
• Rhythms of Hope Dance Therapy
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  Rehabilitation comes in many forms. Watch here to learn more about the power of creative arts therapy and TBI. The Fine Arts Program at the Northeast Center for Special Care. Used with permission. All rights reserved  http://www.northeastcenter.com. Transcript of this Video.
• Community Transition and the Fine and Performing Arts
• 
  This is the story of a girl named Logan who persevered through her brain injury to create a magazine for other kids with disabilities and inspire them to achieve their dreams and goals. As featured on Bizkids. Transcript of this video.
• How to Succeed in Biz-Ness by Really Trying (Logan's Story)

Introduction

In modern times, the CD has taken its place as the primary music 'product' in a multi-billion dollar entertainment industry but the belief that music is basically entertainment to be enjoyed separately from more serious pursuits of life is a relatively recent concept. For most of human history, music was essential to the communication and sense of connection within a tribe or village. Everyone participated in music that was deeply integrated into the rituals, ceremonies, and celebrations that related to the deepest needs of the community. Although this view of music has largely disappeared from industrial society, it is not entirely gone from the face of the Earth as the following story illustrates:

Felipe Herrara, a Chilean bank president, tells of a tiny Indian village he'd visited on a feasibility study for a proposed hydroelectric dam. Since the village lacked virtually every modern development, Herrara asked the local chiefs what project the bank could fund as a gift in gratitude for their hospitality and assistance. After some deliberation, the chiefs concluded, 'We need new instruments.' The astonished bank president replied, 'Maybe you don't understand. We would like to help you with improvements like electricity, running water, sewers, telephones.' But the chiefs had understood the offer. 'In our village,' it was explained, 'everyone plays music. After we gather to make music together, we can talk about problems in our community and how to resolve them. But our instruments are old and falling apart. Without music, so will we' (Weisman, 1995).

The dominant perception of music as a form of entertainment, produced by professionals for the purposes of leisure, diversion and relaxation, permeates our society right through to our health and rehabilitation institutions. According to Anthony Salerno, founder of the Northeast Center for Special Care, a long-term rehabilitation center specializing in individuals with traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, neurological disorders and ventilator dependency (personal communication, 2007):

The fact is, the vast majority of people who work in our profession, not to mention the Resident-Neighbors, families, advocates, regulators, policy makers, legislators, elected and appointed officials, and the community at large - too often think of music therapy as only a recreational activity and they regard recreational activity as a method of Residents keeping occupied. The fact that this belief is endemic is disturbing, but factual.

Note: At Northeast Center for Special Care, the individuals served are known as the "Resident-Neighbors."

Neurology

We play music. Music makes us feel good. As such, it appears inconsistent with the principles of serious work. In truth, the effects of music are multi-dimensional, including physiological. Some of these are of particular relevance to those recovering from a brain injury. Negative affect states such as depression, boredom, loneliness and worthlessness have been reported to be the most common post-injury emotional reactions (Gagnon, 2006) and positive self-esteem has been identified as a primary predictor of psychosocial readjustment (Tate and Broe, 1999). Music has been shown to increase dopamine levels that current neuropsychological theories associate with positive affect and feelings of well-being (Menon & Levitin, 2005).

An ever-increasing body of literature indicates a strong and consistent pattern of activity throughout the brain enabling creativity associated with music. Dr. Charles Limb of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, quoted in an article in Medical News Today (2008) said, "It is almost as if the brain ramps up its sensimotor processing in order to be in a creative state." Research is uncovering the fact that music is a "whole brain" phenomenon. Music researcher, Daniel Levitan (2006), relates that music listening, performance, and composition engage nearly every area of the brain that has so far been identified, and involves nearly every neural subsystem.

Neuro-researchers have discovered that the brain's capacity for reorganization following trauma, called neuroplasticity, vastly exceeds what was once thought. This suggests to Levitin, "that regional specificity may be temporary as the processing centers for important mental functions actually move to other regions after brain damage" (p.87). And, a major study recently sponsored by the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium (2008) concluded that an interest in performing arts generates high states of motivation that lead to improvement in other domains of cognition.

Process

Once a client becomes motivated and confident enough to engage in the process, the various stages involved in songwriting and recording — deciding on the content of the lyrics, the emotional quality and style of the music, the group effort involved in its performance — all challenge and strengthen vital personal and community skills essential to community reintegration following brain injury, such as:

*Managing relationships and effective collaboration;
*Self-organization;
*Handling difficult feelings such as frustration, competition, insecurity;
*Expressing one's ideas within an artistic form;
*Maintaining concentration; and
*Executive function.

Generating the musical work, playing it publicly, even potentially marketing the 'product,' is approached from a community arts therapy model, described by music therapist, Dr. Kenneth Aigen (2005), as a holistic understanding of the arts that leads people both inward in exploration of their inner lives as well as outward towards participation and connection within community. Such a framework supports a value system stemming from principles of therapy as opposed to those of the music business, for example:

*Validating and celebrating personal progress, rather than the generation of product;
*Remaining sensitive to personal dignity and privacy issues regarding how a Resident-Neighbor is presented to the public;
*Helping Resident-Neighbors cope with feelings related to the public's response; and
*Developing an ethical plan of how generated revenues, if any, are distributed.

The aim in this approach, according to music therapist, Gary Ansdell (2002), is to assist clients in accessing a variety of situations and to accompany them as they move between traditional therapy approaches and the wider social contexts typically involved in music making.

From the Fine Arts Program at the Northeast Center for Special Care. Used with permission. All rights reserved. www.northeastcenter.com.

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