Ever since I began my music therapy practice some eight
years ago, I have looked for ways to expand the reach of my practice, and to
bring the benefits of music therapy to more families. So at this year’s MTABC conference, I was
keenly interested in Johanne Broheur’s workshop on grant writing and
fundraising.
At Mewsic Moves, we have had great success with various
programs over the years. We’ve been
particularly pleased with the success of our Glee Choir program, which we
started last year. This program is a
result of a long held dream of mine to offer a place for those with special
needs a platform to express their joy and love for music.
We ran multiple sessions of the Glee Choir program over the
past year. The members were so excited
to share music and it was obvious that they loved performing. Their joy and enthusiasm was truly
irrepressible, and we felt we needed to culminate the year with a Christmas
performance.
We made the decision to put on the concert just two short
weeks beforehand. It began with a
community school donating space, lighting, sound and volunteers! We were overwhelmed with the support of the
local businesses that donated dinners, Festival of Lights tickets, artwork,
gift cards and numerous other gifts, which we used to raise money for future
music therapy programs for those with financial challenges.
We had over 100 friends, family and supporters in
attendance. The night was filled with
smiles and joy, beaming parents, and amazing music straight from the heart. All
of us at Mewsic Moves were deeply touched by this heartfelt performance. It rekindled a passion within me to expand
the horizons of our practice. Since we
were able to create such a beautiful event in just two weeks, imagine what we
could do with more time to plan!
So we are planning another Glee Choir this summer, which
will be even more amazing. We hope to
raise even more money to expand the number of programs we can offer,
particularly for those who have challenging financial conditions.
So we look forward to the continue expansion of our horizons
in our quest to bring the benefits of music therapy to more of those who can
benefit from it. I encourage all of your to join me in setting your vision to a
new heights this year and do your part to advocate and promote music therapy in
all your workplaces and communities!
Happy Expanded Horizons!
Check out some of our photos from our Concert: December 14, 2012
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