Library hosts free music relaxation workshop

Modern life seems to be getting faster and faster and more and more stressful. Thursday, April 25 at 10 a.m. at the Cloquet Public Library, Jodie White, Board-Certified Music Therapist, will share ways that music can help you relax and increase your sense of well-being. Singing is not required. Please dress comfortably. Relaxation techniques will be practiced in chairs, so this workshop will be appropriate for all fitness levels. Below is an interview with Jodie about her musical background and how music can improve health.

Q How old were you when you started music lessons? What was your first instrument?

Jodi White: I started piano lessons at age 8 while in second grade and then added the clarinet in fifth grade, playing both through high school. I also enjoyed singing in my high school choirs. Yes, I was one of those music kids! I took my piano career to Wartburg College in Iowa, where I was a piano major for my music education/music therapy degree.

Q You worked for a while as a music therapist. What does a music therapist do and who can benefit from seeing one?

White: I have practiced music therapy in the school districts of Grand Junction, Colo. and Minneapolis, and then started my own private practice in Wichita Falls, Texas. Music Therapy is the prescribed use of music for non-musical goals. Because music is nonverbal and powerful to elicit emotions and physical responses, a music therapist is trained to carefully choose or create music as the medium to bring about an increased quality of life. Assessment, therapeutic planning and implementation and the outcomes are specifically articulated and measured for success for the individuals or groups in need of the therapy. My focus for music therapy has been to help special needs students achieve goals in their school educational plan through music. Other ways music therapy is used is in group recreational settings for older populations (especially for those with dementia or Parkinson’s disease) and in hospitals or rehab centers for pain management, and stroke or traumatic brain injury patients. Music therapists can also serve people in the beginning of life (neonatal ICU babies) and the end of life (hospice care). Think about music in our culture. It’s everywhere and accessible and influential. That’s what a music therapist captures in a very specific way for a very specific need.

Q Can you share a favorite/memorable story of transformation that happened because of music therapy?

White: My private client, Madeline, was a high-functioning special needs student (at the time in high school), and very gifted musically. She had a keen sense of a steady beat and I will never forget when she demonstrated her gift of perfect pitch when I was tuning a guitar! She needed help with verbal expression and understanding in conversations, usually having delays because of the time it took to process language. We did various activities to elicit musical and verbal conversations and she also received piano lessons! Over the course of a few years of increasing her piano skills, she went from very disjointed, not smooth and simple playing to performing piano pieces from the beginning and to the end uninterrupted. The brain work required to do this eliminated her long processing time in conversations! It was a direct correlation for this individual!

Q How is music part of your life now?

White: I am currently building a private piano studio in my home to teach kids and adults (typically developing or not) how to play the piano! I love teaching and have done so for 35 years! I will sit down to play piano for my own enjoyment and when my family is around, you may find us playing and singing together! My husband and grown children are all musicians and we have been known to be called the “White Family Singers” in the past!

Q How is music therapy different from the music relaxation workshop you will lead at the Library?

White: Since music therapy is very specific to individual- or group needs and we will not be assessing those needs in this workshop, I hope to keep the topics informative and general. However, that’s not to say that some of the techniques could be someone’s music therapy if assessments were done! It might be safe to say that most people do need to relax for a sense of well-being! Music is just one way that can be done!

Q What do you hope people will gain from your music relaxation workshop at the Library?

White: My hope for people who attend the workshop is to come away with a new way to think about music as well as a few practical tools to use at home to relax. Recognizing our need to rest and take time from our busy schedules to relax is important and in doing so can enhance our life. Music is everywhere and we all have some connection to it! Let’s use it for a good and beautiful life!

Other upcoming Library events:

Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 50th birthday party Thursday, April 18 at 6 p.m. The caterpillar has been crawling into kids’ hearts for 50 years. Let’s celebrate with a story, games, crafts, and more!

Food Sovereignty Efforts at Fond du Lac Thursday, April 25, at 6 p.m. Learn about what food sovereignty is, what current projects are happening at Fond du Lac, and how these efforts can be supported. Presenter will be Jessica Murray, AmeriCorps VISTA Fellow.

Sons and Daughters of the Northern Lights with the Sutter Brothers, Tuesday, April 30 at 3:30 p.m. The Sutter Brothers will present a 50-minute program of music and stories, poetry and song that explores the experiences of Scandinavian immigrants, their ancestors, and their descendants. Intended for adult audiences. Funded by Minnesota’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.

If you have any questions about these programs or anything related to the Cloquet Library, please call (218) 879-1531.