The power of music: Music therapy brings joy and healing to 11-year-old boy after medical trauma

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – World-famous opera singer Renee Fleming from Rochester is working with the National Institutes of Health to see what music does to her brain. Fleming sang in an MRI machine, and the scans showed more brain activity. The question they’re trying to answer is: Can music repair parts of the brain that start to break down with things like dementia?

This video sparked a question from News10NBC Chief Investigative Reporter Berkeley Brean: Can music help people improve?

Inside the music therapy room at Nazareth University, 11-year-old Blake bangs away at a drum set. Blake has suffered severe trauma in his life, including four open-heart surgeries. When Brean sees drumming, the teachers, students, and Blake’s mother see therapy.

“Blake uses music as his outlet to express himself through all of his medical traumas. It brings him the most joy. And he’s able to express himself,” said Dawn McCracken, Blake’s mother.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “Does it work?”

Dawn McCracken: “It does work. I didn’t see the video but you can see the joy on his face and it helps him focus. Honestly, music is a great learning tool.”

Berkeley Brean: “What’s happening in there?”

Maggie MacArthur, Faculty of Music, Nazareth University: “He is addressing areas of social need. He’s addressing areas of cognitive need. If he’s had a tough day he’s able to come and just regulate himself.”

Berkeley Brean: “And how do you know that’s happening?”

Maggie MacArthur: “Oh my gosh. If you notice from the video you were taking earlier, the second he started playing the drums and Karina was playing the flute his affect totally changed. What I mean by that is when he was sitting down for the hello song, you know, he was kind of watching her and thinking, you know, I see a microphone, I see everything that’s going on. The second she said – alright, let’s get over to the drum set he was able to relax. He was able to smile. He was being in the moment and enjoying the music with her.”

Music is a universal language. It’s how we learn our ABCs. It wraps around big moments in life like birthdays, weddings, and Christmas. But it’s also the medicine that helps a little boy with trauma on the inside.

“Out of all of the things he’s encountered over his life we try to find things that make him happy. And this is it. This is what makes him happy,” said McCracken.

The power of music: ‘I love you’: How music therapy is helping clients communicate powerful emotions

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Music has the power to help children express their love for their parents, even when they struggle to find the right words to say.

11-year-old Blake uses music as therapy after undergoing four heart surgeries since birth. His mother, Dawn McCracken, sees the impact it has on him.

“It brings him the most joy. And he’s able to express himself,” McCracken said. “Especially through drums as you heard. And he’s good at it so I don’t mind it.”

Blake receives his music therapy at Nazareth University, where Laurie Keough, a clinical professor, is researching how music is processed in the brain. She shared a powerful moment from her work.

“One of my favorite moments was when one of our clients was able to produce the phrase ‘I love’ family member,” Keough said. “When prior to that she was not even able to imitate a simple sound like ‘bah’ or ‘mah.'”

Keough demonstrated how she used an old Elvis classic with a twist on the lyrics to help a client express their love.

Laurie Keough, Clinical Professor of Music Therapy, Nazareth University: “Wise men say, only fools rush in. But I can’t help saying I love you.”

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “Can you imagine you are that person’s loved one and you hear those words?”

Laurie Keough: “Yeah, it’s very powerful. We have a lot of emotional moments in music therapy.”

Opera singer Renee Fleming, who is from Rochester, is working with the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of music on the brain. MRI scans taken while she sang showed increased brain activity.

As Blake plays the drums, teachers and students observe him from behind a one-way mirror, witnessing the power of music on his face.

The power of music: Cancer patient finds joy and healing through drum circle at Pluta Cancer Center

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – At Pluta Cancer Center, part of UR Medicine, a drum circle is putting smiles on the faces of cancer patients like Linda D’Antonio.

“I feel fine it’s just this cancer doesn’t want to let go,” said Linda D’Antonio, a cancer patient.

Last month, D’Antonio was diagnosed for the third time in two years. She starts treatment this week, and part of that treatment is playing music.

“This whole cancer thing can be frustrating and can drag you down and I try to maintain a positive attitude but sometimes that’s hard,” D’Antonio said. “Oh gosh, guess what? It came back again. So something like this, I come and we’re like filled with joy.”

Sitting next to D’Antonio is music therapist Dana Osterling.

Berkeley Brean, News10NBC: “Does music actually help people physically?”

Dana Osterling, music therapist, Eastman Performing Arts Medicine Program: “There is a wide range of evidence we have that shows physical response,… hormones changing, Cortisol lowering, it can be things like heart rate regulating.”

In the experiment with Renee Fleming, the National Institutes of Health is trying to see how music helps the brain release more opiates for the body. Osterling says music can change brain function and help with memory and attention. D’Antonio saw it as something that just made her feel good.

Berkeley Brean: “Do you see music differently now?”

Linda D’Antonio: “Well after listening to Dana yeah! I am the same as what you were saying. I love listening to music. I’ll turn it on in the car and I’m singing and it makes me happy but I didn’t realize it was doing all those good things for me.”

Linda D’Antonio: “Maybe I’ll have to get myself a drum at home.”

Berkeley Brean: “What will your neighbors think about that?”

Linda D’Antonio: “Well maybe I’ll invite them too.”

More information on Renée Fleming’s brain scan here.

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