Music Can Heal With the Help of Community Supporters

Music Can Heal With the Help of Community Supporters

Music Can Heal With the Help of Community Supporters

For the past two years, local performing artist Mary-Catherine Pazzano has been raising money for Grand River Hospital with her new live album. Recorded right here in Waterloo and distributed by the Grand River Jazz Society, her album Christmas Live at the Jazz Room was released in 2022 and raised an impactful $1,400 for mental health music therapy!

Mary-Catherine is a professional singer who has lived in the Kitchener-Waterloo community her whole life. Her music career includes being a vocalist, a music educator and the Music Director at Knox Church in Uptown Waterloo. She has also performed at notable local venues and festivals, including Centre in the Square, The Registry Theatre and the Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival.

For many of us, music is a form of entertainment or artistry. However at Grand River Hospital, music is used as a form of therapy. Accredited Music Therapists use music therapy, an evidence-based treatment, to support patients’ development, health and well-being in a number of ways, and they address emotional, social, physical, and spiritual goals that align with a patient’s needs. At Grand River, music therapy is a part of treatment across the areas of care, including Grand River Kids, Cancer Care, Patient Experience, Continuum of Care at Freeport and Mental Health.

The proceeds from Mary-Catherine’s CD release will support music therapy in the hospital’s many mental health programs. This includes services for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Adult Inpatient Mental Health, and Adult Specialized Mental Health. As a part of mental health care, music therapy can help patients explore and better understand their thoughts and feelings, develop coping skills, and learn to communicate and express their feelings in more meaningful and constructive ways. These services can also help improve a patient’s mood and contribute to increased self-esteem.

Thank you so much to Mary-Catherine Pazzano for generously supporting music therapy and making a difference for those who are in need of mental health care. Many don’t realize that our music therapy program is funded entirely by donors in our community, and it’s only because of their generous support that these services are available at Grand River for all who need and benefit from them throughout their care journey.

If you would like to learn more about music therapy or support our mental health programs, visit GrandRiverMentalHealth.ca—at Grand River Hospital, music therapy is made possible by supporters and community members just like you.