Music Therapy Gateway In Communications Inc. has received a grant from ArtsBuild and the Tennessee Arts Commission. The “Arts Build Communities” grant will support continuation of a unique concert series designed to highlight the value of music in therapy.
Martha Summa-Chadwick, pianist and MTGIC executive director, will collaborate on the first grant-supported event with the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera String Quartet, Huntsville Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Mark Reneau, and UTC Department of Music clarinet professor Nikolasa Tejero for a concert on Friday Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m. (pre-concert lecture will begin at 7 p.m.) in Roland Hayes Concert Hall in the UTC Fine Arts Center. The concert, “Chamber Music for Body and Soul II,” will include works of Robert Schumann (speculated to have had bi-polar disorder), along with compositions of Astor Piazzolla and Mario Abril, which are full of rhythmic drive to encourage movement to the music. The presentation will both enlighten the audience to the benefits of music for the central nervous system, and provide them with a delightful aesthetic experience.
A second concert/workshop is scheduled for Sunday, March 22, at 3 p.m. in Cadek Recital Hall in the Cadek Conservatory on the UTC campus. Summa-Chadwick will perform solo piano music coupled with a media presentation in an event entitled “Tales of the Neural Tango!” Music, discussion, video, and in an interactive experience with the audience will demonstrate how music affects the brain and how it can be intentionally directed to assist in therapeutic rehabilitation of persons with motor, speech, or cognition disorders.
As an ongoing part of this grant effort, MTGIC is available for presentations, lectures, and workshops for organizations wishing to learn more about the benefits of music in a therapeutic environment. Interested organizations or groups who would like more information regarding the use of music in therapy can contact Ms. Summa-Chadwick at the contact page of the MTGIC website (www.mtgic.org) or her personal website (www.marthasumma.com) to request presentations for such groups as therapists, educators, musicians, parents, or caregivers of persons with special needs.