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I was intrigued and excited to see postings online for The Gift of Music: Stories of Music Therapy, a film about music therapy that was showing at several locations in Canada. I asked Jennifer Buchanan, CAMT President and Ambassador for the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund, about the film and she shared the following information and attached picture.“Throughout the month of November in 2014 “The Gift of Music: Stories of Music Therapy” was shown across Canada as a public awareness campaign and a fundraiser for the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund. The success of the event can be attributed to a host of enthusiastic volunteers who are all members of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy.The film depicts the multi-faceted aspects of the music therapy profession. Spanning 3000 km, music therapy was presented as able to meet the needs and goals of an array of clients, as witnessed through the eyes of director and filmmaker Scott Rondeau. There are many moments in the film that educate the public on how music affects our brain and bodies and other moments that tug on our heartstrings as we witness stories of those that have been transformed. In one such story a baby who is blind and learns to engage her other senses, a dying man records a love song for his wife, and another is when a young adult who sustained a serious head injury was able to reminisce about his passion - fishing - without speaking a word.The event promoted music therapy to the public in a very digestible way. The event ended with a panel of music therapists and a rally cry for funds to support music therapy initiatives across Canada.Although originally produced several years ago a national screening never took place at that time. Now that it has been viewed by many, and has been broadcast on our national television network, the promotion of music therapy has broken, yet again, new ground.”Information provided by Dr. Anita Gadberry, USAWFMT Regional Liaison, North America
