if all goes well and if the baby is old enough, she’ll add guitar to the mix.
during medical procedures, she helps keep babies calm and comfortable “so they can go on with their day and keep as much energy as possible for breathing and eating and learning.”
in the psychiatric ward, peyrin works with teenagers admitted to the hospital who have very low self-esteem. most of them have suicidal ideation or plans. “music is a vehicle for positive and negative feelings,” he said. “the effect of sad music can be a vicious circle, but we try to help them use music in a healthy way.”
teens in his care can record themselves rapping, singing, playing or simply talking about music. he has only a short time with them — he sees them twice a week and they are rarely admitted for more than three weeks. in that time, he builds a musical foundation and makes suggestions for songs that are calming.
“the kids love billie eilish,” he said, “so we analyze her lyrics and look at how her words resonate with them. then we can build personalized audio playlists with music and nature sounds — they can use this during their hospitalization, but also when they go home. they can use music as a protection … their safety zone.”
like peyrin, comeau uses structured improvisation to help children select the instrument that will best contain their feelings and decrease their pain levels. they begin by matching the child’s level of intensity so they can move toward a calmer state of mind and begin to change the mood.