Ep. 055 | Music Therapy with rockSTARS

Today, we chat with Tanesha Ross, a board-certified music therapy, about her work in medical music therapy through the Melodic Caring Project.

TRANSCRIPT

Erica: Welcome, friends! You’re listening to The Feeling is Musical as presented by the Snohomish County Music Project. My name is Erica Lee, and today we chat with Tanesha Ross, a board-certified music therapist, about her work in medical music therapy through the Melodic Caring Project.

Tanesha works with hospitalized children through the Melodic Caring Project, a nonprofit organization, and with older adults through NM Entertainment. Additionally, her prior experiences include autistic children and adults, people with PTSD, Parkinson’s, as well as various forms of memory loss. Tanesha continues her volunteer work with Artists Striving to End Poverty, and she received her bachelors of music from Cornish College of the Arts, in Seattle, and her bachelors in music therapy from St. Mary of the Woods College, in Indiana.

Also, exciting news! We have our very first sponsorships. So, today’s episode is sponsored by the Seattle Storm and Angel of the Winds Casino Resort.

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And, the very last thing before we get started. We want to say thanks for all of your support over the last year. We’re looking forward to continuing to explore music therapy, and chat with more amazing guests. However, we want to let you know that we are changing our production model to shift from weekly episodes to season-based content. This will be a more sustainable model for us at the Music Project and ensure we can continue to have meaningful conversations. So we’ll be taking a break for a few weeks at the end of March, and encourage you to follow us on social media @SCMusicProject so you don’t miss any new episodes.

[Podcast intro music plays]

Erica: Um, welcome to the podcast [laughs].

Tanesha: Thank you, thank you very much.

Erica: Our dramatic intro. Um, it’s been a minute since you’ve been on the podcast. A lot has happened!

Tanesha: A whole pandemic has been raging.

Erica: Yes.

Tanesha: Yeah.

Erica: So, let’s talk about what you’ve been up to! So, you work for the Melodic Caring Project now —

Tanesha: Mmhmm —

Erica: Tell me about the Melodic Caring Project. What do they do - what do you do? All that jazz [chuckles].

Tanesha: All that jazz! So um - so they’re a nonprofit - a nonprofit organization that brings hope, connection, and the healing power of music to those in need. When I started with them, uh they were primarily doing uh live stream events - so they would stream concerts. Or um - we’ve done some work with Seattle Theatre Group - so uh sensory - um sensory needs uh shows. But they started out with the live streaming concerts. So there was a girl um who had cancer in their area, and the founder, Levi Ware, was like, let’s put on a benefit concert for this girl. And - and, you know, so they put on this huge concert, and they were about to do the concert, and she got admitted to the hospital. Then he was like, wait, I have my laptop! So he put his laptop on the stage and figured out a way to stream that into uh the hospital where she was at. And so that just kind of started the whole thing, and basically we do that all across the world now.

And uh, so that was the main thing, was the live streaming of concerts, um and then other partnerships. And when I started with them, they really wanted to start doing some music therapy programming, and also have someone who was, you know, more in the medical field to be their liaison to the hospitals and to the kids. And um, so I was - I started with them, and then about 6 months in, the pandemic hit [laughs]. And it was just like I was still building out the program - like, the music therapy program - but I was still supporting the live streams. Um, and then we ended up building more uh music therapy programming once the pandemic hit. And this kind of came in conjunction with, I’m sure, the next thing you’re gonna ask about, which is the Space for Art Foundation. Which —

Erica: Yeah - yeah —

Tanesha: Actually really was the launch of the music therapy programming. They just kind of collided in the most perfect way. So, you know, once uh the pandemic hit, Melodic Caring Project was like, we can’t stream concerts right now ‘cause there are no concerts.

So, we adapted to doing interviews. And we started interviewing artists, and then thought, hey we can interview more than just artists - let’s interview, you know, other influencers, and things like that. And so, our artist outreach guy was like, I happen to know an astronaut. We were like, cool!

Erica: That is cool.

Tanesha: Pretty cool. So we have um a new program called MCP Connects, which was these interviews. And we did an interview with this woman, Nicole Stott, who was an astronaut on the Discovery mission. And she started a foundation called the Space for Art Foundation, um which is incredible. She’s also an artist, and um - and she just really believes in the power of art, and really wanted to, you know, unite uh communities of children through the awe and wonder of space exploration, and this - and art, basically.

Um, and she has uh created a space where kids can send art to her: they put it into a space suit. So they actually like sew it onto a space suit, with the intent of - of sending that space suit to the International Space Station. Not all the suits get there, you know, because it’s space - and there’s actually - they - they have had some suits get up there, and the astronauts have worn them in the space station floating around

Erica: Wow!

Tanesha: [audio cut out for a couple of words] … Colorful, and they’ve - they’re- you know, just kids from all over the world. Um there - there newest space suit, um they’re hoping to get art from every kid from every country - so all 193 countries is the goal. And so that suit is being worked on right now. Um, and she’s also done some other art projects with other hospital - mostly hospitalized kids.

And so, we, of course, did this amazing interview with her, and at the end of it, we were like, we should do something together! It was like, yeah! So, I was like, well, we have all these kids that now don’t have concerts, so what if we just write a song - and we create the album artwork for the song.

So the kids will create the artwork, create the song, we’ll record it - and we will hopefully send that to space, and also put it on the - in the space suit. Um, and then it - and then it was like, yeah, we’re gonna do that! And then: how many hospitals can we get to do that too? So I reached out to some of the hospitals um in our network, and was like: would you be interested in joining us for this project? And so, Sydney Children’s Hospital in Australia, um and Texas Children’s in Texas, and George Mark Children’s in California, and also Astrid Lindgren in Sweden all contributed songs to our album. And we put it all together, and uh I recorded my kids - all online, so nobody was in the room together. And we created this really beautiful song and artwork for it. And, right now, it is in the hands of our astronaut friend, and she is working on getting it up to space.

Erica: That is so cool!

Tanesha: Yeah!

Erica: What a like unique - like just really awesome thing!

Tanesha: Yeah. And it’s like - it’s one of the things where I’m like, thanks COVID?

[Erica chuckles]

Tanesha: I’m pretty sure this would not have happened if —

Erica: Yeah —

Tanesha: If COVID hadn’t been a thing, right?

Erica: Totally.

Tanesha: So, you know, we - we were meeting every week to - to write the song. And it just, you know, turned in to basically our music therapy sessions - and um  - and that just keeps going. And it’s been really good for the kids to have connection with other - with other kids who are going through the same thing that they’ve been going through, and - and just um processing, you know - a lot of emotion processing and coping skills.

Erica: Yeah. What drew you to like the medical side of what you’re doing? Have you worked in a hospital before - what’s your connection there?

Tanesha: I have not. But um, actually my impetus for going back to school for music therapy was because I wanted to work in the hospital setting.

Erica: Mmm

Tanesha: That was always my goal. And actually, when I was 5 I said I wanted to be a singing doctor.

[Erica laughs]

Tanesha: [Amused] Didn’t know what that meant.

Erica: I love that!

Tanesha: Yeah. And so um - and I’ve always been fascinated by medicine. Uh, most of my - like my best friend’s a psych nurse practitioner —

Erica: Mmm —

Tanesha: Um, you know, I just - I have lots of people in the medical field in my life. I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician for a long time, and so the medical field was just always something that interested me. Um, and so yeah, I was like, well, music therapy sounds like the logical conclusion. Yeah.

Erica: Yeah. I know that you have your Neurologic Music Therapist certification, which is an additional education um beyond your standard MT-BC —

Tanesha: Yeah.

Erica: What is the NMT - like what does that training mean for you? And then, how does that contribute to the work that you’re currently doing?

Tanesha: Yeah. So, I am obsessed with the brain in particular, which is why I felt like the NMT training was um a good fit for me. So it is based in research - um all their techniques are standardized, which is um something that I really enjoy. Not that I can’t improvise and things like that. And - and actually, what I love about the techniques is there’s lots of room for creativity, and - but there’s just a nice outline - like, okay, if I’m doing, you know, this particular technique, I know that I have to hit these things in order —

Erica: Mmhmm —

Tanesha: For this technique to actually be the technique, and for me to implement it. And they usually scaffold on each other, which is also great. NMT is really based in 3 main areas and then subcategories within that. So: sensory-motor, speech and language, and cognitive. And all 20 of the um techniques fit under - sometimes a couple different ones —

Erica: Mmm —

Tanesha: Like Musical Sensory Orientation training kind of fits under the sensory-motor but also cognitive - especially depending on the level that you’re at in that process. Um, so there can be some overlap in - in the different areas. But —

Erica: Yeah. Have you been doing music therapy with the project just during the pandemic?

Tanesha: Yes.

Erica: So you’ve been doing telehealth then for your entire duration?

Tanesha: Pretty much yeah.

Erica: How does that impact how you set up a music therapy program or how you think about it?

Tanesha: [Laughs] Ho-ho-ho!

Erica: Does it change it? Do you have to change how you think about the development and growth and scaling of the program?

Tanesha: Absolutely. Um, and - and it’s interesting because I was - just as the pandemic was hitting, I was supposed to start going out to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma —

Erica: Mmm —

Tanesha: A couple times a month to get kids signed up for the program, to do some stuff with them. And uh [chuckles] and then, of course, it was like, nothing’s open and everything’s shutting down! And so, it was always gonna be this sort of mix between telehealth and in-person for me, um but then it was like all of a sudden just all telehealth [chuckles].

Erica: Yeah.

Tanesha: Oh! Okay, I better learn what to do! And that was, you know, quite the learning curve. Just like, you know, spatially - like how - where am I gonna do this in my space? And I feel like one of the um biggest challenges for me, in the beginning, was they don’t have instruments.

Erica: Mmm.

Tanesha: Like - and I can’t give them my instruments. And like… What? You know? Um, and I’m so - I’m such a hands-on music therapist, and a lot of the populations I’ve worked with really need, you know, that sensory feedback, or, you know, give you an assist. And so, you know, it was like, okay - you know, how - how am I going to adapt what I know to - to hopefully still be effective? And - and it’s been a lot of trial and error, but also really good for me, I think - um to just learn to adapt.

Erica: Yeah. Have you um - I guess maybe before working with the space program, did you include visual art elements into your therapeutic practice? Was that a new thing for you?

Tanesha: Um, I did with my older adults. Which I still work with.

Erica: Mmm.

Tanesha: Um, but with the Melodic Caring Project, really, that first 6 months was me just getting to know the system, and the clients, and the hospitals, and - and sort of just kinda keeping that programming going. Before I started with the Space for Art program, most of my interaction was at the concerts with the kids. So we had a —

Erica: Mmm —

Tanesha: Private screen link, in which I would chat with the kids - and we would chat that way. But there wasn’t, you know - like we didn’t have the groups, we didn’t have the individual sessions yet. Um, and so it wasn’t really until the pandemic hit - with Melodic Caring, in particular - that - that I was able to really get my feet into doing actual music therapy sessions. [Chuckling] Which is always the goal, right - it was the goal at the beginning, but it just kind of happened very - very quickly and very differently [chuckles] than I anticipated.

Erica: Yeah. Um, how - because - so before you became a uh music therapist, you had a whole career as an actress and singer - artist extraordinaire. How do you think that part of your life really supports or transfers into the work you’re currently doing now?

Tanesha: Yeah. I think, in general, my past performance experience um does two things um that come to mind to begin with. Which is, um, I think there’s a comfortablity —

Erica: Mmhmm —

Tanesha: Um in new situations that I have - that maybe some therapists don’t have. Um, and that’s just because the nature of performing is like go go go, and you have to be on right now this second - and it doesn’t matter what you were doing before, you gotta get on stage and do your thing.

Erica: Yeah.

Tanesha: And then, I think the other thing is - um is that I have, sometimes, a heightened awareness of emotional needs. Um because, really, being an actress is all based in emotion —

Erica: Mmhmm —

Tanesha: And all based in reciprocal feedback - from what you’re getting from your scene partner. And so, - you know, learning about the Iso Principle, which is meeting somebody where they’re at, was like - made so much sense to me. Right, because I was like, oh I do that all the time on stage.

Erica: Yeah.

Tanesha: And, within that too, I think: specifically with my older adults, who have dementia - have profound dementia - um and have very low energy, um having that energy - having a lot of energy, and bringing that to them, is - is really helpful. It actually helps bring them out of their shell a lot of times.

Erica: Mmm. I really like that. Um, for the Space for Art program, what do you think - how do you think it’s going to continue? Are you planning to do another album? Yeah.

Tanesha: Um, we would love to do many many albums. Um, so I would love to do another album - certainly invite more hospitals and organizations to join. And, you know, another idea that we had was um with our song, to - to sort of release the song that the kids have written for people to do covers of as well.

Erica: Oh! That would be fun!

Tanesha: So like, from different countries maybe and have them sing it in their own language, or, you know, things like that. But yeah, I would definitely love to continue this work and invite more organizations to join us. I would also love to do some intergenerational work. Um, since I work with both kids and older adults, I just see this gap, um and - and it’s a societal issue, where we really just aren’t respecting and valuing our older adults like we ought to be.

Erica: Mmm.

Tanesha: And I would love to be part of changing that narrative, and bridging the gap between those 2 generations. You know, ‘cause I’ve - I’ve seen  the power of - of when older adults are around children - older adults with dementia, in particular - and how it is super powerful - can really orient them into the space and time, and regulate them. And so, I would love to do a Space for Art album that has intergenerational work as well.

Erica: I love that. I think that’d be such a cool idea. Um, since we have people from all across everywhere, where can people find out more? Um, if they maybe have an idea for the Space for Art Project and want to send that past you, where can they reach you - where can they find you?

Tanesha: Awesome. Yeah. So, MelodicCaring.Org is our Melodic Caring Project website. And they can email me at Rockstar@MelodicCaring.org. You can also find out more about Space for Art program at SpaceForArtFoundation.org. And, I would say, as far as like doing the album: email me directly, or if you have kids that, you know, need support, email me directly. And that would be the best way to get a hold of me.

Erica: Awesome! I will put all the links down below like usual - you know, people.

Great, thank you so much, Tanesha, for chatting and sharing. The Melodic Caring Project is a really cool organization, and we’re happy to highlight what you’re doing!

Tanesha: Thanks so much!

Erica: You’re welcome.

If you’d like to know more about the Music Project, please visit our website at S as in Sam, C as in Cat, Music Project dot org (SCMusicProject.org). On our website, you can also find transcripts for every podcast episode. As a reminder: we welcome you to connect with us on social media, @SCMusicProject, so you don’t miss any new episodes.

Thank you again to Tanesha for being here today. Thank you, listeners, for listening. And we will talk to you next time.

[Podcast outro music plays]