Dallas, Dec. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Texas Music Project, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting at-risk youth through music education, launched Song of Hope, a new songwriting therapy initiative in its Music Heals program. The initiative debuted a song written by pediatric patients at Children’s Health in Dallas, along with Joseph Sabin and his son Jace, a heart surgery survivor.
Two-time Grammy Award winner Lauren Daigle invited Texas Music Project to open her Christmas concert last week at Texas Trust CU Theatre in Grand Prairie. Concert attendees viewed an impactful video of the debut song, Thank you for the Music, performed by 15-year-old aspiring artist Chloee Rae, a former children’s hospital patient. Texas Music Project artists Aria Kutty, Shreya Chhaya and Cassie Rosa from Greenhill High School and 21-year-old ambassador Remy Reilly performed live.
“It was my honor to help write and produce Thank you for the Music with my son, so that kids and families can cherish them for a lifetime and find hope through their struggles,” says Sabin. “Creating this song with my son was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life, and I’m incredibly grateful to Texas Music Project for making it possible.”
Therapeutic songwriting is a music therapy technique that can improve social engagement and comfort students in distress[1], according to Frontiers in Psychology. Many children’s hospitals have their own radio stations, so the goal is to create high-quality recordings for internal broadcasting and sharing beyond the hospital walls.
Song of Hope was born from the stories of young patients and their families who went through the journey of being in children’s hospitals. For many patients the healing journey continues long after they leave the hospital, when all the programs and benefits like music therapy aren’t available at home. Song of Hope helps them create something to remind them that in a world of uncertainty there is hope.
“Music therapy has the extraordinary ability to empower youth, boost their confidence, and build connections with others facing similar challenges,” says Michael Clay, Co-Founder and Executive Director at Texas Music Project. “These amazing children can create and accomplish great things instead of being sidelined by illness.”
Lauren Daigle’s foundation, The Price Fund, contributed a $25,000 donation furthering Texas Music Project’s mission to bring music therapy and education to children across Texas. The Music Heals program has received support from musicians like Dallas artist and American Idol contestant, Jack Blocker, by receiving a $20,000 donation from ABC, Disney, and the CMA Foundation. Shaquille O’Neal (DJ Diesel), Coldplay, and many others have supported the mission recently.
Texas Music Project helps certified music therapists at major children’s hospitals in Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Houston by providing musical instruments and songwriting sessions. More events benefiting the Music Heals program are currently in the works as the nonprofit aims to raise $125,000 for music therapy at children’s hospitals in Texas.
Learn more and donate to bring hope through music at texasmusicproject.org/donate/.
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ABOUT TEXAS MUSIC PROJECT
Founded in 2003, Texas Music Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has raised more than $1.5 million for programs and awareness about the importance of music education in the lives of at-risk youth. Texas Music Project was signed into a House Bill by the Governor of Texas and received the “TrailBlazer” award from Texas Commission of the Arts. Honorary Board Chairperson and Texas music legend Willie Nelson was joined by a lineup of Texas artists, including multi Grammy award-winning producer T Bone Burnett. Four CD compilations have been produced featuring free use of iconic songs by George Strait, Stevie and Jimmie Vaughan, Beyoncé, “Flaco” Jiménez, and more. Special guests included the legendary Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt. For more, visit www.texasmusicproject.org.
[1]Source: Gee KA, Hawes V, Cox NA. Blue Notes: Using Songwriting to Improve Student Mental Health and Wellbeing. A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial. Front Psychol. 2019 Mar 5;10:423. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00423. PMID: 30890979; PMCID: PMC6411695.
- Texas Music Project with two-time Grammy Award winner Lauren Daigle