How music therapy soothes childhood pain

Some children with specific mental health problems seldom open their mouths. Their parents do not have any clue how to make them talk, but Kwok Chun-ling, 29, founder of Nature Symphony Music Therapy, could. 

Kwok started a session with simple greetings, then sat in front of the children, grabbed her guitar, and started to play a cheerful self-composed song related to the child’s description.

If the child does not want to speak, she will invite them to pick up any musical instrument that can represent their emotions, play any notes, and jam with the child. 

Similar to any other mental health therapist, Kwok needed to develop treatment plans for patients. But she doesn’t ask patients to put on instruments or take medications that may have side effects.

During one of her music therapy sessions, two people sit and communicate through music.

“Music is not intrusive and it does not force people to speak if they have difficulty expressing themselves due to emotional issues, especially children with mental health issues who are spending their childhood in the COVID-19 period,” she explained.

Siu Man-hei, a nine-year-old girl studying at Po Yan Oblate Primary School in Wong Tai Sin, was diagnosed with autism and selective mutism. She has been receiving therapies from Kwok for more than a year.

Siu’s mother, Cathy Leung, 46, said Siu has always been afraid to speak to strangers or in front of other people. Her refusal to speak was affecting her academic results. But music therapy boosted her confidence.

"In the past, she would speak very softly, but now, every time she comes back from school, she will bring back the gifts she made and talk with us after attending the music therapy group," the mother said.

“She also speaks naturally at school now, using a normal tone of voice,” she added.

"Music therapy has helped build up her self-confidence By keeping the beat and following the rhythm – these tiny steps can help her start to believe that she is capable," she said.

Siu has tried other therapies, but didn’t enjoy most of them.

"They often force her to speak; for instance, in play therapy, she often needed to speak out,” she said. “But music therapy is, in my opinion, one of the best therapies she's tried, as it has helped her relax and feel no pressure."

Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based application of music interventions to achieve the treatment goals within a therapeutic relationship by a trained professional who has completed an accredited music therapy programme, according to the American Music Therapy Association.

Through engaging activities such as songwriting, improvisation, and group music-making, therapists help children articulate their feelings and develop coping strategies in a safe and nurturing environment.

Kwok added that music therapy helps children in four aspects–emotional expression, stress and anxiety reduction, cognitive and behavioral benefits, and social skills development.

Music therapy not only has a soothing effect, but it also encourages mindfulness through functional children songs that have interactive lyrics, rhythmic activities, and lively beats, which canhelp children with anxiety disorders stay present and calm.

Ho Pan, 35, a Canadian registered music therapist, said engaging with music can also enhance cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and problem-solving skills by stimulating the cranial nerves.

“This is particularly beneficial for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or learning disabilities,” he said.

Pan said social isolation is causing more and more children's developmental health problems.

“During the pandemic, preschool children had attended online classes for three years, which made them feel very uncomfortable adjusting back to physical elementary school classes,” he said.

Pan said that children didn’t know how to deal with their feelings when they encountered social and academic difficulties, causing serious mental health problems.

Despite the heavy demand for music therapy, there are limited resources in Hong Kong.

HKU Space is currently the only school where one can study music therapy courses, and it is connected to the master's degree in music therapy from the University of Melbourne.

“There are short-term music therapy courses in Hong Kong, but becoming a registered practitioner requires a bachelor's degree or above, while Hong Kong has no bachelor's degree in music therapy,” said Pan.

Cheung Kit-yang Carol, 37, president of the Hong Kong Music Therapy Association, said the association was established in 1995, as a non-profit organization that represented the interests of all music therapists in Hong Kong.

“There is no certified local training programme or comprehensive regulations for music therapy in Hong Kong,” said Cheung.

She said that Hong Kong lacks a professional framework that connects music therapy with the medical field, whereas some other locations have developed music therapy services in their medical systems, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

‘Currently, most of the in-patient services in hospitals are funded through an NGO, rather than directly through the Hospital Authority, so we have to put on a voluntary label when working on hospital cases,” said Cheung.

Cheung suggested that music therapy should be introduced in schools, where teachers and social workers can make a referral when students present with mental health needs.

She added that cultivating tart as a form of expression is also a good prevention against mental health issues in children.