Music is a social resource, with the profound ability to strengthen and heal individuals, as well as communities.
Music Therapy is an emerging field in South Africa, regulated by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
MusicWorks Interventions are grounded in Music Therapy theory and principles, and offer a vital service – as a means of strengthening children subject to trauma and neglect; supporting their social, cognitive and emotional development; and ultimately impacting the psychosocial fabric of their larger communities.
Through instrumental improvisation, singing, musical storytelling, song writing or movement to music, we create safe spaces for engagement, creativity, care and healing.
The results of our work has strengthened our belief that music offers alternatives:
- To young children who have been silenced by abuse and neglect, music groups provide a safe space where they can rediscover playfulness and creativity – where their voices matter.
- To children who have experienced unspeakable trauma, music may become a medium through which they can express the inexpressible and begin to create more hopeful stories for their lives.
- To teenage girls who are grappling with the many injustices in their world, song writing becomes a way of overcoming voicelessness.
- To teenage boys, living in a community where gangs are always looking to recruit, marimba bands and drumming circles offer a different sense of identity and belonging.
- To children with debilitating illness who are locked in a world of their own, music offers a way to make contact with the world – to communicate.
- To all young people and children, music-making enables an escape from social isolation, towards a greater sense of community and possibility for their lives.
- To caregivers, educational and community workers, music programme training offers tools and skills to enhance the emotional and social development of the children in their care.
Through music, care and partnership,
we hope to encourage hope.
Also read about our programmes, the context of our work and the communities in which we work.