Music therapy is a major part of Rock My House Music Centre programing. At Rock My House, we believe that music is for everyone. Our strong focus on bringing music to men, women and children with special needs sets us apart from other, more traditional, music schools.

Rock My House founder Kevin Eamon is very passionate about the benefits of music therapy for a very personal reason. When he was a child, diagnoses of conditions such Attention Deficit Disorder and Social Anxiety Disorder were practically unheard of. For Eamon, undiagnosed and unknowingly suffering from ADD, drumming became his salvation. Playing drums for hours upon hours eased his social anxiety and depression. Music became his own form of therapy. He called it Drum Therapy. Who would have thought all these years later that, what he had discovered himself, would become a recognized form of therapy, supported today by a wealth of scientific research! In any case, he knew it was helping him, and began spreading the word. Drum therapy saved his life at a time of need and later in life, when diagnosed as an adult with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder, he continued with his own special brand of drum therapy. This is why Rock My House is so strongly dedicated to music therapy. Its combination of education and therapeutic practices gives Rock My House its own unique vibe. 

As leader of Rock My House’s therapy programs, Kevin personally works closely with local community-living organizations, giving hour-long group classes throughout the week. Groups join him in the Rock My House events room where they are encouraged to play various rhythm instruments and listen to some of their favorite music.

Why do we do this you might ask? Mainly because music therapy has been proven to improve quality of life and we believe in it. According to The Consumer Health Digest,*music therapy CAN HELP:

RELEASE STRESS  – Music has been known for long time to positively affect a person's mood. It is very helpful for the elderly, children and adults with disabilities.
IMPROVE MEMORY – People with dementia have shown improvements in memory after music therapy sessions. Playing music stimulates parts of the brain that are specialized memory centres.

REDUCE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY – Music therapy helps people respect themselves and recognize that they are unique and capable. Playing music requires focus and drives out worrying thoughts. Students begin to express themselves freely. Additionally, since studies have shown that movement can mitigate depression and anxiety levels, the physical act of moving in a coordinated fashion, while playing music, is a drug-free way to improve mood.

IMPROVE COMMUNICATION – People with disabilities who have speech impediments, for one reason or another, see marked differences in language skill levels while, for example, learning to sing.

INCREASE SOCIALIZATION – Therapy sessions help people interact with others, since music is most often a group activity. 

IMPROVE MOVEMENT AND COORDINATION – When the parts of the brain responsible for motor control fail, music therapy can sometimes help to build new pathways in the brain. Playing a rhythmic beat involves the part of the brain that controls muscle movement and coordination. The brain will slowly learn to control the muscles, if one hasn’t moved for some time. For those with certain neurological diseases, learning to play and repeat simple tunes on a piano can also vastly improve overall motor control.

WITH PAIN MANAGEMENT -Studies have shown that music therapy can help people with various cancers deal with pain. There are still more studies underway, but preliminary findings have been encouraging.

CONTROL EMOTIONS – Music helps people experience emotions like sadness or anger within a controlled environment so that they are more able to maintain emotional balance outside of the therapeutic environment. Those suffering from Dementia or Alzheimers may experience trouble with their emotions. Symptoms such as aggression can be improved with music therapy.

REDUCE FEAR -Everyone has fear from time to time. One might be afraid of losing a loved one who is sick, or of losing one's job, for instance. Music therapy can help as a coping mechanism by taking one’s mind off such concerns and changing the way one thinks.

IMPROVE IMMUNITY – Last but not least, studies have shown that listening to music promotes the production of the antibody immunoglobulin A, a natural killer cell, which defends our bodies from viruses and reduces a stress hormone called cortisol.

*See the Consumer Health Digest for references.

“If I were playing in front of 100,000 fans, it would fail in comparison to how I feel when I see their smiling faces!” – Kevin Eamon.