Music Therapy opening seminar post-release
October 29, 2015, 06:00
In Bishkek on October 23-24, 2015, the music therapy opening seminar took place. The seminar trainers were Dr. Hans-Helmut Decker-Voigt, a higher education professor of music and theatre in Hamburg, and music therapists Monica Teresa HugAntink and Tina Posselt. The “Initiative of Roza Otunbayeva” Foundation, “Umut-Nadezhda” Children’s Rehabilitation Center and the K. Moldobacanov Kyrgyz National Conservatory were the organizers of the seminar.
More than 60 people attended the two day seminar including: KRSM Psychological Health Center specialists, volunteers working with children with oncological health issues, MUTA, KRSU, students and psychology department chairs and educators from Arabaev University, and independent individuals interested in learning kindergarten education and music therapy methodology and techniques.
Music therapy is used widely in European countries, Japan, the USA and Russia. It is used as a means of healing and is useful for orphans, patients with cancer, those with serious illnesses, rehabilitating patients with psychological problems and helping those with psychiatric problems. Moreover, it can be useful for people who have been imprisoned.
The essence of music therapy lies in the usefulness of music and musical instruments as being a method in providing psychological assistance. Music therapy methods are firmly based and confirmed in science. For example, which instrument the patient chooses to play reveals what kind of needs the patient has to the therapist. In the cases where the patient is seeking maternal love, they will look for an instrument shaped like a woman’s figure. Clay instruments may aid in releiving patients’s excessive negative energy, anger and bitterness.
The seminar included information and practical lessons.
The session included interesting collaboration from the German Specialists International Laureate, graduate of the Kyrgyz National Conservatory and teacher and musician Nurbek Serkebaev. As Professor Decker-Voigt explained, when a musician plays on the komuz or the ooz-komuz, it can send the musician into a meditation like trance. This can achieve great healing.