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What it is like growing up in Lavender Hill

It’s not easy growing up in Lavender Hill. Young people in this community are exposed to violence and crime on a daily basis and often don’t have positive role models or a healthy way to express their feelings. Our Music for Life team has been offering marimba and gumboots dance sessions in Lavender Hill for the last three and a half years to help these young people cope with their difficult circumstances. We spoke to some of the teachers, parents, community members and Music for Life participants to find out how the programme is helping the youth in Lavender Hill. A headmaster at a local school told us that the youth of Lavender Hill have “abnormal childhoods” and are “prisoners in their own homes”. They can’t play outside because of the danger of gang violence. They feel frustrated and angry, but don’t have a healthy way of expressing this, so they end up ‘acting out’ at school through bullying and distracting or withdrawn behaviour in class. They see school as a place to play and be children, and the teachers struggle to keep them focused and work. The Music for Life team helps the young people grow in positive ways, by giving them a space… Read More »What it is like growing up in Lavender Hill

Why music is good for children…

Music should be an essential part of every child’s daily life. Music activates all parts of the human brain and this means that listening to and participating in music can be beneficial to children in all areas of their life and their development. Yes, music can make your child smarter! Researchers have found that active and meaningful participation in music actually changes the brain and can even increase IQ levels. Music can make learning fun and can help children remember information more easily. Children who participate in music have been found to have higher levels of school attendance, pay closer attention in class and even get higher marks. Music helps children make friends. Playing music in groups helps them connect with likeminded people. It builds their social skills and offers a sense of belonging. Personal resources, such as self-esteem, self-confidence, persistence and self-discipline, can also be enhanced by participating in music. Music can also have a positive impact on children’s emotional behaviour. It can help them identify their emotions and express them in a healthy way. Songs that are familiar to children help them feel connected to their world and understood. Sometimes children struggle to organise all the information they take in with their senses… Read More »Why music is good for children…

TARGET: therapeutic music services to 5000 children by 2018

Our society faces unprecedented high levels of violence against children. Abuse and neglect in early childhood affects brain development and impacts on cognitive and psycho-social adjustment, which results in an increased risk of violent and anti-social behaviour. So for more than a decade MusicWorks has worked in marginalised communities using the power of music to provide emotional healing and to develop children’s resilience. Our aim is to help them increase their potential to flourish amidst adversity. Through a musical process, children’s abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. We are not just making music for the sake of fun, entertainment or to give children something to do after school. We are making music for the sake of changing lives. We have provided services for 4 779 children during the past seven years. If you want to make a long term impact on a child’s life, help us reach our 2018 target of reaching 5 000 beneficiaries overall and join us in our quest. By becoming a MusicWorks sponsor you will give a child the chance to experience music and to thrive by joining: individual or group music therapy sessions A marimba band Or a gumboot dance group We have made it… Read More »TARGET: therapeutic music services to 5000 children by 2018

Donating made easy through SnapScan

Wondered how you can help less fortunate children this holiday season? Then wonder no further! We have signed up with Snapscan to simplify life for our supporters to make a donation to MusicWorks. If you don’t already use it for purchases, download the app on your IPhone, Android and Blackberry by clicking HERE and link your credit or debit card. It takes less than 5 minutes to do so and then you will be good to go. It is as easy as scanning our SnapScan QR code in the adjacent box. Your card details are securely encrypted on your phone so there is not cause for security concerns as SnapScan doesn’t have access to them and neither will MusicWorks. You won’t incur additional charges except for your network provider’s standard data charges.

UNPACKING MUSIC THERAPY

Even in the face of trauma, every person has a healthy and creative core which music has the power to unlock. Music provides a non-verbal outlet for strong emotions associated with traumatic experiences.  When a child makes music, she is saying something about how she views herself.  This is why music therapy can play a significantly healing role. The music therapist listens to the musical sounds made by the child and reflects them back so each session creates and builds on an interpersonal relationship. Young people attending the MusicWorks Music Therapy programme individually or in small groups, experience a safe and caring space. This is the first building block to help a young person change his or her perception that life is about survival. In this short film, music therapists Sunelle Fouché and Karyn Stuart explain how music enables communication and emotional expression for children facing adversity.