YOSHIMI OTAKE ... MUSIC THERAPIST

YOSHIMI OTAKE.... Combining artistry and healing


I had the opportunity to observe Yoshimi at a therapy session the other day and needless to say, she is very impressive. Yoshimi is a certified therapist with Sounding Joy Therapists, Inc., one of the four therapists there. She has been with them for 2 - 1/2 years.

A native of Japan, she had gone to Minnesota in 1999 to study music therapy. To be a certified therapist, one needs to have at least a BA in music therapy and 1200 hours of internship. Yoshimi has a BA degree in psychology and a MA in music therapy.

She has practiced music therapy in New York as well as in Japan before obtaining the position in Hawaii with Sounding Joy. Yoshimi began playing the piano when she was 2 years old so music has always been a big part of her life. She now also plays the guitar and the flute.

When I observed her, I could tell that she was accomplished on the piano, even though she was working with a 61 key synthesizer and played mostly simple children's and folk songs. Those are the types of songs that the patients in the nursing facility have connections with and they provide a good foundation for therapy because the songs puts them in their comfort zone. She was very smooth in her chord changes and deftly inserted passing chords in appropriate places to subtly give the songs more depth. I mention this to illustrate how she plays "music" rather than just playing "notes" as many do.

Many entertainers play songs that they want to play, rather than playing songs that the patients want to hear. Or, in my case, I have to play the few songs that I can play. Over and over and over, if necessary. The children's songs bring back memories of a happy time in patients' lives and that encourages them to participate in the music rather than doze off. This enables Yoshimi to work with them on a physical level, emotional level and on a mental level because the music reaches them at all those levels.

Sounding Joy was established in September 2002. In 1994, Medicare began reimbursing for music therapy services. To qualify for reimbursement, the therapy must be prescribed by a doctor, be reasonable and necessary and the patient needs to show improvement in his/her condition as a result of the therapy. Medicaid also provides reimbursements as do various private insurers.

Please visit Sounding Joy's webpage a browse the services that they offer.

http://soundingjoymt.org/web/

Yoshimi has always had music as a part of her life and found that whenever she encountered difficulties in her life, playing music somehow comforted her and brought her peace. That motivated her to want to learn more about music and its healing powers.

And the patients she services are glad that she decided to become a music therapist. Their eyes light up  every week when they see her.

CORYNN OWENS....HOPE FOR US GEEZERS

Just when I begin losing confidence in our young 'uns, I run into someone truly inspiring. Corynn is a Pearl City native who is learning to use her musical skills to help other people.

Corynn plays the piano, cello and sings. When she entered Indiana University in 1996, her course of study was in vocal performance. Needless to say, I would be embarrassed to sing or play the piano in her presence. She would likely giggle. Or maybe just plain laugh out loud. I would do the same, quite frankly, given similar circumstances.

I observed Corynn at the Hiolani Center which is a part of Kahala Nui  the other day. She was assisting Yoshimi, a musical therapist with Sounding Joy Therapy, Inc. What they do is, through a universal language like music, get the elderly to interact by banging on tambourines, bells and other percussion instruments. It engages the patient's physical, emotional and mental processes. I was very impressed.
http://www.kahalanui.com/H.welcome.html

I watched as they held the instruments out and made the patient reach out a little further each time for physical exercise. It also engaged the patient mentally because they have to recognize that they have to hit the instrument. At the same time, the patients emotionally embrace the music and their fellow patients by interacting with each other through the music.

Corynn has been a flight attendant for about 10 years. She is currently with Hawaiian Airlines, but was with Aloha when they closed their doors. That's when she decided to think about returning to school to secure a better future for herself. But she wasn't sure as to what she wanted to do for a career. It dawned on her that she enjoyed helping others as she had volunteered at her son's school for various projects. She also realized that she maintained her passion for music.

So, she took action and enrolled at Honolulu Community College in their Human Services program. Part of the requirements for obtaining her degree was to have 6 credit hours of practicum experience. She feels very fortunate to be able to volunteer at Sounding Joy Therapy because it offers her the ability to have hands-on experience with helping people, utilizing her musical skills and fulfilling her practicum requirements. While her participation is minimal at this time, she is able to do hands-on work with the patients and provide encouragement during the sessions.

Sounding Joy has a Gala to be presented  on September 12. An organization such as this needs to rely on fundraisers to continue to operate. Also, please browse through the webpage to see the work they do in using music as therapy.

http://soundingjoymt.org/web/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=70


Corynn's progress at school is at a slower pace because she works fulltime and can only takes classes that fit in with her flight schedule. She is in her third semester in her practicum work with Sounding Joy. Last semester, she was able to assist Sounding Joy therapists at Campbell High School and worked with students with mental or physical disabilities.

Meeting Corynn gave me some hope as a geezer that there are talented and caring young people going into the field of caring for those who cannot take care of themselves. An amazing person who will do well in her chosen career.

KA PUNAWAI OLA... CARING FOR THE ELDERLY AND SICK

KA PUNAWAI OLA... SERVING THE KUPUNAS


I got a call the other day from Kelly from Ka Punawai Ola asking if I would entertain their patients/residents. She was referred to me by my piano tuner and asked if I had a CD of my singing. So, I mailed her a demo that I had recorded of my Sinatra standards that some patients previously asked for.

Kelly called back and asked me to perform on Friday, July 2 and I agreed. While they wanted the Sinatra music, I thought I'd combine that with patriotic music that I had already worked through for other gigs for Independence Day.

Lots of dust on the Roland piano

Ka Punawai Ola is an open facility that is spread out in a one story structure in the middle of Kapolei's business district. They have a lot of open spaces for the residents/patients to enjoy, including courtyards, tropical foliage and sitting areas. A very impressive setting.

http://www.lcca.com/facility.asp?id=17

When I arrived there, they set me up in the dining area where they have an old upright piano and a Roland electric piano. Both pianos faced the wall but the upright was an upright grand at over 4 feet so I chose to move the electric, which was much lighter, so I could face the audience. As an entertainer and a singer, it's no fun talking to the wall. I did that a lot in grade school where I had to stand in the corner for the amusement of the teachers.

Once I set up, I noticed three aunties sitting in front of me waiting for me to start. Heck, they demanded that I begin even though I had another 15 minutes before my start time. As most of you know, it's no fun getting scolded by aunties so I asked them to sing. They looked Filipino so I did "Dahil Saiyo". One knew all the words and the other two aunties followed.

Then, I asked them to help me by making jungle sounds. One was in charge of the monkey sound, another was in charge of the bird calls and another made sounds that pigeons make. So, off we went into "Quiet Village". The staff was still wheeling patients into the room and they wondered what the heck we were doing, making these strange noises. Many wanted to participate so I followed that number with "Yellow Bird".

One auntie was expecting Christian music and was raring to go. I suppose most entertainers at these homes are from church groups and it's expected that it would be like a Christian revival. I explained that I don't do church music, mostly because the patients who aren't Christians frequently feel imposed upon as captive members of the audience. So, I thought I'd be different from everyone else.

As it turned out, when I began singing Sinatra ballads, more people began coming into the room. Of course, when I did the patriotic music, most of the songs talked about God since the Nation was founded on Judeo-Christian philosophies. And, of course, the gospels, called "slave music" are religious based.

The auntie on the left did a sit-down hula all through the performance. I purposely sang "Manuela Boy" just to see her go through the motion for "house",  "five cents" "moi", etc. I was having so much fun watching her that I forgot my place and repeated a whole verse.

Overall, I had a good time and I think the patients/residents did too. While I don't want to add another gig to my 3 per week, I often go to different nursing/care homes on Fridays when scheduling permits. I hope Ka Punawai Ola calls me back. I miss the aunties.

THERESA SALVADOR

THERESA SALVADOR... From bright lights of show biz to Kupuna Care


Theresa Salvador once lived the glamorous life as a singer in a band, performing in various Far East nightclubs. I first noticed her while performing at the Pearl City Nursing Home where she works. I am highlighting her to honor all the nurses and health care professionals (last week was National Nurses Appreciation Week) who have the innate desire to care for those who cannot care for themselves.

Theresa often uses her talent as a singer to perform for the patients.

At most of the places that I perform, the staff sometimes feel inconvenienced because they have to wheel the patients into the hall and have to listen to my bad piano playing and lousy singing. Theresa, being an entertainer herself (much better than I am) does what she can to get the patients involved in the performances.

When one performs solo as I do, one has to worry about the music, lyrics, chords and the piano solos while trying to interact with the audience. Much different than when one performs with a group where one can pass the ball on to other group members. It helps a lot to have staff like Theresa who can help to carry the ball for me.

Whenever Theresa isn't busy giving snacks and refreshments, her patients often ask her to perform. In the picture above, she was asked to sing Streisand's "The Way We Were" and when she finished, the patients kept her up there to do another song. So she obliged with a great rendition of "Dahil Sa Iyo". I believe she was even dancing a bit which charged up the patients.

Then I had to follow with my inept singing. But, fortunately, I have no sense of shame so it doesn't bother me to have to follow someone who is a legitimate singer like Theresa.

When staff members get involved with the program as Theresa does, then the performance is no longer passive entertainment, but music therapy. The song choices bring the kupunas on a journey down memory lane, but when handed bells or other percussion instruments (or even clapping their hands), they become engaged mentally and physically as well. Getting them engaged that way is good therapy.

I have performed at numerous facilities and often, the staff looks at the hour of entertainment as an opportunity to take a break and talk to each other in the back corner. Some even leave the room hoping that I can watch over the patients while they do other tasks. Of course, the patients are usually wired with alarms in the event they slip off their wheelchair, but, I'm an entertainer and am usually concentrating on the music and can't be depended upon to watch them.

Not so, at Pearl City Nursing Home, where they always have 2 or more staff members in the room at all times. A tip of the hat to them and all the professionals there.

Visit their website.

http://pcnh.hawaiinursinghomes.com/index.html

Makes me want to hug every nurse that I see. Well..... better not.....

Theresa was not interviewed for this feature.