An orchestra for recovering addicts
mainFrom the New Statesman:
(Molly) Mathieson gave up her career as a TV producer to set up the orchestra in 2015 after working on the Channel 4 programme Addicts’ Symphony and learning for herself how music helps recovering addicts. Her idea for the recovery orchestra was backed by the School for Social Entrepreneurs.
“A lot of people tried to persuade me not to use music as the inclusive element,” she says. “They said I would never find anyone who can create music this way. I knew there were people out there and I was determined to find them. Music is universal. Everyone has a relationship to music. You can be taught how to appreciate fine art, say, but music is innate. The important cornerstones you need for recovery are there – a sense of purpose, a common direction.”
Read on here.
When I worked at a drug rehab there was an optional gospel choir although it was a state facility. It was wonderfully therapeutic. especially since many of our clients came from a gospel tradition
Yep, being in a musical organization – even a mediocre one – can work wonders for the spirit and mind.