*This post is from the former, Harmonia Music Therapy
Do you ever think about how we all start out as babies? Small, precious babes, who perhaps are already all-knowing? Then we grow into toddlers and young children, full of wonder. Our world is full of imagination and possibilities. And this world teaches us that we don't know...and teaches us beliefs and patterns that don't actually come from our true selves? And eventually the child grows up.
What if we connected back to that feeling? The wonder and the magic we have as little ones. And what if we looked at others from that perspective and the perspective that the people we cast judgements on, world leaders, our friends and family, were all babies at the beginning that needed nurturing and care and maybe didn't receive what they needed? What if we took that perspective when talking to ourselves? How would your personal, self-talk language change if you spoke to that little child inside of you, that inner child part of you, that is just doing their best and needs some gentleness and care?
Daiva through ages
Maybe we would discover that we need healing...that the world, the people in it, the land...needs healing. The healing that starts with the individual and bit by bit, extends to the greater world. This does not excuse the harm we may cause (knowingly or unknowingly), but offers us a place to start the work of introspection and deconstructing those parts of us. So that we can be our healed and whole selves, putting our best out there so that the way we live is of the highest good for all. Living in a way that is of least harm for Black and Indigenous folks.
SO why am I writing about this and how do we connect to that wonder-full inner child? Music! Music is one of the ways. Music can bring out those parts of us: our music child. The child that presents themselves when we are in the music making experience...or listening to Backstreet Boys from the 90s. The music child theory played a big part in the early pioneering of music therapy by Clive Robbins and Paul Nordoff. Their work involved engaging children with complex developmental challenges in music making and watching their abilities come alive. Music gave these children a way to express themselves, communicate, connect with others, and feel cared for. And music can do this for folks of all ages, abilities, backgrounds, experiences, identities, and cultures. We all have a music child because music lives within all of us. When we sing, play a drum, dance to music, feel the lyrics of a song in our hearts…we are connected to the music child within.
I like to think that the music child is our inner child showing up when we engage in music. From this place we connect to our creativity, intuition, and feelings. And from there we can begin to do the work, whatever that looks like. Offering that inner child, music child, a place to play, explore, grow, receive care, and heal at any age.
When we remember we were all babies, new to the world at one point and young children in need of nurturing, we can see the softness and vulnerability that lives within. We can connect to compassion, care, and empathy. Something the world definitely needs more of in these times of collective change, challenge, and growth.
This thought has been in mind for some time, while also receiving messages from friends and family with photos of me through the ages. For fun I made a collage and it inspired this post! Try making a collage for yourself and see what comes up for you. Are there songs or certain types of music associated with those different stages of life? How does it feel when you listen back to those songs? What words of love or encouragement would you offer yourself at those ages? What music resonates with you now? How can you speak to yourself in a loving and encouraging way today?