For children and young people with life-limiting conditions, music therapy can help to address important developmental needs. It provides an excellent means to increase communication, interaction and social skills, as well as enhancing physical skills and promoting overall wellbeing.
Since 2014, the Amy Winehouse Foundation Music Room at Haven House children’s hospice in Woodford has helped babies, young children, their siblings and parents to enjoy music together, while engaging with qualified therapists. Sometimes children need end-of-life care at the hospice, so creating a good quality of life for them is of the utmost importance, as is creating a nurturing, non-medical space in which families can make special memories.
For those children who are too poorly to visit the hospice, our funding also supports neonatal music therapy work at Whipps Cross Special Care Baby Unit and regular ’hospice at home’ music therapy sessions for long term inpatients at the Royal London and Whipp’s Cross Hospitals.
At CPotential, a children’s charity based in North London, the Amy Winehouse Music Therapy Room is a place where specialist clinicians offer music therapy and support to babies, children and young people who have movement disorders due to conditions such as cerebral palsy, global development delay or acquired brain injury. We have been supporting the music therapy programme here since 2013.
Supporting all ages from 0 -18, the programme utilises music and a sense of play to address children and young people’s developmental needs. It supports them with their behaviour, confidence, self esteem and wellbeing — all of which can be impacted by their disorder. And it places great value on developing a therapeutic relationship between the child and their support worker, engendering a sense of trust and feelings of being valued and accepted.
We are delighted to continue our long-standing connection with these brilliant charities. And for the music therapy rooms to be named in Amy’s honour is a beautiful tribute. We know that Amy would be so happy that her legacy brings so much joy to so many children.
‘Amy Winehouse’ and ‘Amy’ trademarks by kind permission of the Winehouse family.
Amy Winehouse Foundation. Registered charity 1143740 (England & Wales). Registered office: 5a Bear Lane, London SE1 0UH
