In my youth, I believed music was true to an aching soul--in that I felt it mended my sadness and grief in ways medicine or other treatments could not. Even Jim Morrison said, "Give an ailing heart a song and see how it recovers."
After recently delving into a similar concept--in which I have been using music as a tool to get me out of the house and, literally, moving--so have other musicians heeded the therapy of music as a standard for medical practice.
Mike Garson, a touring pianist to the likes of David Bowie, No Doubt and Nine Inch Nails, also values the science and theory behind music as therapy. In an effort to really take this up a notch, Garson has implemented his own tactics to help relieve trauma in patients with brain deficiencies such as strokes, Parkinson's disease and other neurological disorders.
Dr. Christopher Duma, in association with Garson, have a ground-breaking mission for their charity organization:
"We have been helping patients with free support groups, free exercise and therapy classes, and free psychotherapy all across the Orange County area. We of course want to expand our horizons, and as our next project, the Board of Directors have decided to bring music as a Healing Art to the community! Thus, the birth of our Symphonic Suite for Healing project and our mission to create Music Therapy programs across Orange County."
Garner's vision will come to fruition with the unveiling of his Symphonic Healing Suite concert at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Center for the Arts on Saturday, March 1.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, is located at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Concert ticket prices start at $25 and are available at the Philharmonic Society box office at (949) 553-2422, online at PhilharmonicSociety.org and Music-Heals.com
Watch the charity's very touching introductory video...
