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.
*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.