I think Miles Davis had it right when he said, “Do not fear mistakes. There are none,” especially when I see someone engaging in music that speaks to them. Many of us, including myself at one time, live with the notion that active music making needs to be learned. At a young age, active music making just needs to be supported and encouraged. Let infants, toddlers, and preschoolers enjoy banging away at a strong rhythm or making their own noises to the melody of a song. As a music therapist, I know that when music making is supported and encouraged, at any age, we all have the capacity to enjoy and engage in music even without prior learning or knowledge about how music is composed.
I have big plans for In Harmony Music of Middle Tennessee. Currently, my plan includes seeing individuals and groups over Zoom while the pandemic continues to keep us distant. This past Sunday, the Star Choir program met once again for 45 minutes of music and movement supporting children and youth with special needs. We had a lot of fun! It was great to see the smiles on everyone’s faces as we sang songs and moved to the beat!
We will meet every Sunday at 2:00 PM Central Time. Children and youth can join in on any given week. No prior experience is needed. Please email me at Carrie@inharmonymusicmidtn.com to sign up and get the Zoom link. I hope you will consider having your child or youth (ages 7 to 21) join us!
The next big plan is to raise funds for ongoing scholarships for the Star Choir program. Even before the pandemic, families were invited into the program free of cost. Many families of children with special needs bear the cost of multiple therapies and programs to help build their child’s growth potential. Music Therapy is a complementary therapy to other important therapies and provides another route into growing cognition to improve movement, communication, and social skills. Music is fun and engaging and music therapy techniques can help with self awareness and attention skills.
Please consider giving to the GoFundMe campaign for In Harmony Music of Middle Tennessee. Any amount, even just $1.00, will help reach the $1,000.00 goal. The actual cost of the six-week program is $180.00 per child. However, families who participate in the In Harmony Music Star Choir program are not required to pay the full cost. I ask them to pay only what they feel the can, with a suggested amount of $60 per child.
Thank you so much for considering donating to the In Harmony Music of Middle Tennessee GoFundMe Campaign! When it comes to music making in my music therapy sessions, I teach not to fear mistakes and truly believe that music promotes the person!
Please visit each of the tabs on the top of this page to learn more about programs and music therapy services through In Harmony Music of Middle Tennessee!
Thank you again for your support!
–Ms. Carrie
