Therapy marches to a different beat at AGH

By Ellen Mitchell
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Therapy took on a new meaning when performing arts students came together with patients with mental illnesses and life-threatening conditions to lift moods and create music.

Earlier this month, five students from Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School in Midland, Beaver County, played drums and other percussion instruments for patients in Allegheny General Hospital’s Adult Outpatient Medical Clinic on the North Side.

Many of the 10 to 15 patients eventually picked up an instrument and joined in. One exercise, dubbed “Follow the Leader,” required the group to mimic the beat of one drummer.

“It’s a lot of fun to see everyone smiling and enjoying themselves. It moves you,” said Lincoln Park sophomore Emily Pasquarelli. “It’s a really great experience to be a part of. I love getting in the groove.”

The Health Rhythms program, a form of therapy where music is played in a group or “circle,” came to Lincoln Park through a partnership with instrument manufacturers Remo and Yamaha.

“It’s a community service and a learning experience for the students,” said Sal Aloe, Lincoln’s director of partnerships and special projects. The patients meet monthly, but the drum circle as therapy was a first, said Shennod Moore, coordinator of prevention and wellness at AGH.

About 30 students participate in Health Rhythms, visiting elementary schools and adult gatherings.

“It seems a lot of people will benefit from this event,” Moore said. “This is a chance for patients to socialize and get involved with things they’d never get involved with, and it’s good to see the students interact with older adults.”

Aaryn Harrison, a patient at the clinic, said he is always looking for a new way to improve his mood.

“I heard drum circles can be very therapeutic, and I’ve tried every other kind of therapy,” Harrison said. “It’s relaxing, it’s fun, and I like the fact that they’re going around and doing this for all groups, not just patients.

“My favorite part was seeing everyone, being around everyone and the freeness of it. In our restrictive lifestyles, it’s nice to let loose once in a while.”

Pictured above: Students and staff of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School, Allegheny General Hospital employees and patients of the AGH Wellness program take part in a health rhythms program in The Community House Presbyterian Church and Learning Center on the North Side. Taking part in the fun are: Lincoln Park Director of Percussion Rick Parsons (from left, front), patient Corlana Brown, patient Robert Shields, AGH Patient Advocate Yvette Williams and (in rear) R.N. Terry Lang and social worker Jamie Hudak.

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