A world-renowned music therapist helped the child life team at Le Bonheur hit all the right notes with patients.

Deforia Lane, Ph.D., a pioneer in the field of music therapy, visited Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center on Wednesday, July 23. She’s the associate director of the Ireland Cancer Center and director of Music Therapy at University Hospitals of Cleveland, Ireland Cancer Center and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital.

At 8 a.m., Lane taught doctors, nurses and hospital staff how music can be used as medicine. At 2 p.m., Lane and Le Bonheur patients performed a special concert for hospital patients, families and staff.

Music therapy is the use of music to aide in the health and emotional care of children. It’s a tool used by Le Bonheur’s Child Life team to help patients understand and cope with being at the hospital.

Thomas Hobson, director of child life and board-certified music therapist, remembers a patient who was battling a long illness. Together, they wrote a blues song. The child was able to vocalize his feelings about how much it stinks to be stuck in the hospital. It turned out to be a fun experience for the boy.

Child Life, a growing program at Le Bonheur, is focused improving patient- and family-centered care. A specialist is assigned to each unit – helping children manage the fears and anxieties that come with a hospital stay. Those specialists use play, music and art therapy to help patients.

“We know the healing process requires more than medicine, and that we encourage recovery when we treat the whole child,” Hobson said. “Play, music and art therapies can all be key to helping sick children get better.”