Singing Song helps ease burden of rehabilitation

BEIJING - Unlike doctors, who carry stethoscopes, wheelchair-bound Song Yichuan treats his patients with a guitar, a piano and several microphones.

Surrounded by five others, four of whom are also sitting in wheelchairs, 34-year-old Song chooses a soothing tune to start his therapy, encouraging his patients to sing as if in a karaoke session.

"They need to strengthen their diaphragm and singing can help," he says.

Song is a music therapist who helps patients with their physical and psychological rehabilitation at the China Rehabilitation Research Center in Beijing.

Introduced into China in the 1980s, music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals. Research supports its effectiveness in many areas such as overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, according to the American Music Therapy Association.

Chinese music therapists must have their qualifications authenticated by the Chinese Professional Music Therapist Association.

Most of Song's patients suffer from paraplegia or cerebral trauma. Because of their injuries, they have difficulty in speaking or breathing.

"With their atrophied diaphragms, they can't speak loudly or expectorate by themselves. Singing can help them to improve that," Song says.

In Song's therapy room which is full of instruments including a piano, a guitar, a drum kit and other percussion instruments, like maracas, he makes efforts to improve his patients' condition through a steady stream of songs.

"I want to sing a song ... it's ... it's called A Little Happiness," says a 28-year-old who goes by the pseudonym Xiaoqiu.

She sang the song to the music in a fragmented fashion. Six months ago, an accident left her with a clouded mind and impaired speech. When she first met Song, it took her some time to say "hello".

Xiaoqiu is a fan of music idol, Jay Chou. When she came to Song's class for the first time, Xiaoqiu was met with the familiar melody of one of Chou's songs, but she burst into tears because she couldn't remember how to sing it.

At that time, Xiaoqiu spoke too slowly to sing along with the music, so Song had to play a guitar to lead her. "I play very slowly to help her catch up," he says.

After half a year's practice, she gradually regained some of her speaking ability.

"You have made huge progress. It's not perfect, but I believe you will do better in the future," Song says.

Song started to work as a professional music therapist in 2016, when the department was established at the China Rehabilitation Research Center, one of a small number of such facilities in the country.

In the past three years, he has treated more than 50 patients aged between 6 and 70, but his first patient was himself. When he studied music at the Minzu University of China, Song dreamed of becoming a singer. However, in 2007, he was paralyzed from the chest down after an accident and his dream was shattered.

"I couldn't speak loudly and my breath was weak after the accident," Song says.

He sang almost every day in hospital to ease his sorrow. To his surprise, he was gradually able to speak louder.

Song started to combine the knowledge of singing he learned at university with his rehabilitation efforts, and often sought advice from physicians to update his own knowledge.

The obvious change in his physical and mental condition attracted many patients to sing together with him.

Song reinvented himself, transforming from a patient into a therapist.

"I have experienced what they are suffering, so I am their friend, not a doctor," Song says.

Song has never given up on his musical dream. The venue may have changed but, as he says, "The hospital is my new stage and the patients are my audience."

Xinhua

(China Daily Global 11/11/2019 page14)