{"id":29497,"date":"2016-08-22T09:24:05","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T13:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=29497"},"modified":"2016-08-22T09:25:47","modified_gmt":"2016-08-22T13:25:47","slug":"music-purpose-prep-music-instructor-kelly-wiedemann-trains-therapeutic-musician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2016\/music-purpose-prep-music-instructor-kelly-wiedemann-trains-therapeutic-musician\/","title":{"rendered":"Music with a purpose: prep music instructor Kelly Wiedemann trains as therapeutic musician"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kelly Wiedemann, a music teacher in the preparatory music department<\/a> at Eastern Mennonite University, was at her grandmother\u2019s bedside at a hospice center with a violin in hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She played slow, soothing Celtic tunes and hymns, which put her grandmother at ease.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cShe was in a lot of pain in the last few months in hospice, but when I would go and play for her, there would be no signs of her pain while we were there,\u201d Wiedemann said. \u201cShe was totally engrossed in the music.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Wiedemann also played music for a friend who was in the intensive care unit.<\/div>\n
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\u201cDoctors and nurses and family members of other patients would stop and be like, \u2018Wow can you come play for my family member? This is so neat.\u2019 It was just a really moving experience,\u201d she said. \u201cIt reminded me of playing for my grandmother, so I said I really want to do this for real.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Music For Healing<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Wiedemann then discovered Music for Healing and Transition, an organization that trains musicians across the U.S. and Canada to play therapeutic music at the bedside of patients in hospitals, nursing homes and hospice. Musicians complete five modules, a final exam and a 45-hour practicum to become certified music practitioners.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Instructors traveled to Harrisonburg between Aug. 7-11 to teach students. A group of six met at Sunnyside Retirement Community to complete the third module. About 14 students from the area have completed the certification in classes in 2012 and 2014. The certification process takes about 2 to 3 years to complete.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Students must have at least basic music skills before starting the modules. They are allowed to play any kind of acoustic, melodic instrument, said Carol Spears, an instructor of Music for Healing and Transition, including harp, violin, guitar, cello, keyboard and even flutes, ukuleles and accordions. The musicians typically play old Irish tunes or improvise. The music isn\u2019t played for entertainment, but rather for therapeutic healing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSound has been used by humans for tens of thousands of years really, for spiritual and healing work,\u201d Spears said. \u201cWhat we use it for right now is the different elements of music, meaning melody, rhythm, different musical intervals and different keys that we know can affect a patient.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Health Benefits<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For example, Spears said, if a patient suffers from a high heart rate, the musicians play \u201cvery even, very slow. \u2026 Research has shown that patients\u2019 heart rate will train to that rhythm and maintain a nice, steady slow resting human heart rate instead of being erratic or too fast.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kerstenn Marrero, a senior at James Madison University, signed up for the Music for Healing and Transition program after volunteering at Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community. Marrero is a music education major with a minor in music in human services. Marrero played her violin for the residents at VMRC once a week last spring. She was moved by the positive feedback from residents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI remember one day, it was me and a fellow student, and one of the residents came up to us and she told us, \u2018You know, I actually felt that my blood pressure was lowering when you guys are playing,\u2019 and we were super shocked, because music does wonders for people,\u201d Marrero said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Relaxation<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The soothing sound of the harp or violin can improve your health, according to Spears.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMusic played in a certain manner will help patients to relax. That might sound just kind of pretty or nice, but actually it has health benefits,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen we relax, it helps our own natural healing, it helps, again, for our heart rate to come down by releasing endorphins into the body, which are natural painkillers. It\u2019s all to provide a healing environment to patients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To get the full healing effect, it\u2019s important that the music is played live rather than a recording on a CD, Spears said. The \u201cloving presence\u201d of a musician in the room makes a difference, as well as being able to change the music depending on the patient\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThirdly, when you listen to music live, you are actually not only listening with your ears, but the rest of your body is receiving the vibrations of the sound itself, the sound waves, and also receiving harmonics, different pitches that are similar to the fundamental or the main tone you\u2019re hearing and that also has it\u2019s own vibration, it\u2019s own sound, it\u2019s own energy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Harmonics can\u2019t be picked up as well in recorded music, Spears said, because it\u2019s impossible for machines to capture the wide variety of harmonics heard in live music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0Certified music practitioners play only for about 20 minutes, the amount of time it takes for the soothing music to take effect, research suggests. For once, Spears said, patients can feel relaxed in the hospital instead of feeling anxious or tense.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe don\u2019t come in and poke at them or make them do something,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just say sit back, relax and listen to music.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Rewarding Experience<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Linda Morrison joined the program after retiring from a 32-year career as a dietitian at Sentara RMH Medical Center. She began taking harp lessons and was inspired to help others through testimonies of people at her church who benefited from the healing music.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Morrison, like the other students who finished module 3 last week, is both excited and nervous to start the practicum in the spring.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt probably won\u2019t be quite as nerve-racking for me because I\u2019m so used to being in a hospital, but it\u2019ll be different,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cI\u2019m used to going in and talking to people about food.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the biggest challenges of the job is staying composed in the emotional, heartbreaking environment. Some patients will be nearing death and their family will be distraught.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe emotional aspect of all that I\u2019m sure will rub off. It\u2019ll be tough,\u201d Morrison said. \u201cI asked the last teacher we had, \u2018What if you start crying?\u2019 He said it\u2019s OK, just keep playing. Wipe your face and keep playing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But the reward that comes with providing a service to those in need takes precedence.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cI love [music] \u2014 it\u2019s my life. … [It\u2019s rewarding] to do something that will bring comfort to people. … [I]t\u2019s fun to be able to go and play for people and try to play whatever styles of music that connect with them and give back to them that way,\u201d Wiedemann said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kelly Wiedemann, a music teacher in the preparatory music department at Eastern Mennonite University, was at her grandmother\u2019s bedside at a hospice center with a violin in hand. 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