Music Therapy For Every Kind of Patient

From kids with cancer to adults with chronic conditions, every music therapy session that Cambrae Fox leads is unique — something she sees as “one of the beauties” of her job.

Video Transcript

Cambrae: (Singing) …don’t care if I—

Patient: (Singing) …never get back—

Cambrae: (Singing) …so it’s root, root—

Patient: (Singing) …root for the ball game.

Cambrae is a music therapist. Every session is unique.

Cambrae: I was working with a child, we were playing an instrument and using that for coping, getting him to move around, giving him a positive skill, things like that. Whereas the other session, we did a music-assisted relaxation and they do look very different.

(Speaking to patient) There we go.

Patient: Okay.

Cambrae: Do you feel a little more relaxed?

Patient: Sure.

Cambrae: (Laughing) That was convincing.

(Speaking to Grotto) I mean, he made a joke after when I said, “Do you feel more relaxed.” He was like, “Sure.”

Almost every session is successful in its own way. Even when a patient may be cynical, their body language after a session will reveal a change in mood and affect.

Cambrae: But he was tense, he was fidgeting one of his legs. Whereas, after when he was done, his face muscles were relaxed, he was talking at a lower tone of voice. So even though he made a joke, he was displaying signs that his body and his mind were now more calm and relaxed.

So they all look very different. And that’s one of the beauties of it.