Music cheers us, energizes us, and soothes us; it even helps us deal when sad or angry. Music is a great way to reduce stress and express emotions, which is key for our young patients and their families.

How music therapy helps our young patients

At the Children’s, music therapy can be an important part of a child’s medical treatment, whether the challenges are physical, emotional, spiritual or psychological. 

The Hospital's certified music therapists help:

• Soothe critically ill newborns in the NICU – The soft strum of a guitar helps regulate an infant’s heart rate and breathing. Music helps relieve pain, as it releases "happiness hormones" like serotonin, and activates the brain regions associated with pleasure – 
• Children with physical disabilities improve their motor skills by playing musical instruments or moving to the rhythm of the music
• Adolescents with anxiety issues learn to cope with their emotions by using music as a means of expression by composing lyrics and recording their songs or musical performances, and by selecting music to calm them or even help them  release their excess energy 

Thank you to our donors

It is thanks to the support of donors like you that the Children's Foundation can make the Music Therapy Program possible for sick children and adolescents and their families. Thank you for helping getting the sickest children in Quebec back on their feet!

Find out why music therapy rocks

Watch these videos to learn more about the program:

Video created before 2020.