In my limited experience of working directly within a hospital/medical environment as a music therapist, my greatest observation is that not only children benefit from play, but also the adults in charge of them. In an oncology ward in a public hospital where I did my internship, the ward was filled with children awaiting or undergoing treatment, worried parents, busy nurses, sleep deprived doctors, important looking hospital staff with badges. As soon as the music making started, and the singing filled the ward, every single person in the ward will participate, even if it was singing part of a chorus, sing a little jig, giving a little happy smile. These are the moments that bring us together, the short little wins that we can experience in our lives. These accumulate and give our brains just that joyful break from all the worries, anxieties, overwhelming thoughts. And all we did was play, together.
