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Healing Magic of Music
Author: Jan Gerner | Saturday July 07, 2007
Music Has Magic as Far as This Individual is Concerned.
Twenty Year Journey
The Healing Magic
Of Music Changes Life
“I start every morning with all kinds of plans. But I soon realize, I’m beyond the world’s demands. So I pick up my instrument and I begin to play, then my cares and worries take a journey far away. But I can’t keep a tune, and I can’t hold a beat. But I can hear this melody, and I can tap my feet. On the notes I ride, I am in tune with my world. With my music I am free to travel anywhere, sharing the power the magic music brings…………..”
These are the words of “The Magic Music Brings” a song written by P. Kennedy and E. G. Weinberg. When talking to Pat Kennedy it doesn’t take long to realize she is on to something big. Actually, she’s on to many things and, it’s safe to say, many of us take those things for granted.
Kennedy knows first hand how life can change in a split second. It happened to her in April, 1988 when an automobile accident changed her life forever. As a professional drummer playing in bands from Palm Beach to Key West, she was getting paid for something she loved to do. Then suddenly she was in a wheel chair unable to hold drum sticks. For Pat Kennedy, the music seemed to have stopped. Now when she heard the melodies and couldn’t play, there were tears and the burning question, “Why was this taken away?”
Music had always been a big part of Kennedy’s life. As a child she was quiet and shy, but music helped ease her out of that shyness. “Through music I was able to say what I needed to say,” said Kennedy.
It took 20 years before she realized the music wasn’t lost. She was just meant to go in a different direction. This became obvious when she was asked to join the Turn Around Band at the 9 Muses Art Center, which is part of the Mental Health Association of Broward County (MHA).
There were problems when she started to play again – with no grip on her right side, she kept dropping the sticks. The Disabled Drummers Association (DDA) came to the rescue with encouragement and special sticks. It worked. Kennedy is now back to doing what she loves to do and, in the process, she is reaching out to help others with the healing magic of music. “I want to find people with disabilities throughout Broward County and put together a ‘kick-butt’ band,” said Kennedy.
No matter what the issues – physical or mental – Kennedy knows music is therapy and it works. She also knows there is a lot of talent out there.
Today, as the head of the 9 Muses music program at MHA she’s searching for people with or without musical ability. “People sharing and being together is what counts,” according to Kennedy. “Music unites people. We can forget about our differences for awhile.”
Kennedy believes everyone has the ability to benefit from music. The 9 Muses Art Center gives people an opportunity to drop in, have a good time, and let their creative forces flow. In addition to the music program, 9 Muses offers a variety of art programs giving all Broward County residents an opportunity for self expression and recovery through the arts.
Knowing first hand the power of music, Kennedy wants to be an example to others. “It’s not over until it’s over,” is her philosophy. “We all have something to give and we should be looked at for what we have to give. Music should be what gets their attention first.”
In the future, Kennedy hopes to take the band on the road performing at nursing homes, hospitals, schools, and other venues. Her hope - through music, people will become educated about tolerance and diversity and focus on things that unite as opposed to things that tear people apart. Her goal - to make a difference by helping people put their differences aside. “We all have disabilities. For some the disability is a bad attitude and ignorance and fear of something different,” said Kennedy.
In addition to looking for band members, Kennedy is looking for funding. Musical instruments cost money and all donations, be it cash or an instrument, are appreciated. You will find Pat Kennedy at 9 Muses each Thursday and Friday from 1 to 8 pm. Plan on dropping by to chat or, better yet, pick up an instrument and jam with her. You will always be welcomed and you may be surprised at the magical healing power of music.
As Kennedy and Weinberg so eloquently put it – “My dreams and sense of hope improving all the time. With every note I play, serenity fills my mind. I feel inner peace, knowing there’s a plan. That I’m here to share my music with my fellow man.”
Ed. Note: To contact Pat Kennedy, call 954-663-2253 or email her at musickennedy@comcast.net. To learn more about the Disabled Drummers Association, call 305-621-9022, visit www.disableddrummers.org, or email DDAFathertime@comcast.net.
Jan Gerner is a freelance writer who lives in Fort Lauderdale.
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