Student support for music therapy

Our first-ever Grade One-a-thon was a sponsored activity with proceeds going to charity. The students selected local music therapy charity Key Changes to receive the donation, and this week our intrepid organiser Catherine Underhill received a wonderful letter of thanks from music therapist Beccy Read – shared here for all the students who took part.  Plans are underway already for next year’s edition, as well as the continuation on to grade 3 for this year’s participants, so watch this space!

 

 

 

A huge THANK YOU to you and your fellow students at Southampton Uni. Music Society for generously donating £217.00 – your Grade-on-a-thon proceeds – to Key Changes for the provision of music therapy.

I hope you enjoyed discovering your new instruments (what would life be like without music…??!) and maybe go onto Grade 2 at some point?

I thought you might like to know how we plan to use the funds: we are currently funding therapy with children at Rosewood School, Southampton, whose ability to communicate is severely limited by their profound and multiple disabilities. We have been fortunate to have support from Southampton Philharmonic choir for the past 2 years, and donations collected at their concerts are proving invaluable here. Your funds will be added to this, to help keep this valued work going a bit longer.

For the children who are referred, music therapy provides a life-line, enabling sharing and self-expression, and reducing stress and anxiety. For most children at the school, life revolves around a serious of necessary events which are done to them. However, through each child’s unique musical relationship with the music therapist, the child feels heard and understood – and that is something we all need. And it doesn’t just help that child – everyone around the child indirectly feels the impact of these benefits.

Please pass our grateful thanks to the Southampton students who took part in this – it seems everyone has gained musically in some way.