THON helps children and their families in the fight against childhood cancer by providing access to support features like music therapy, among other things. Every donation and volunteer plays a massive role in improving the quality of life Four Diamonds children at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital. Our board-certified music therapists offer emotional support through the power of music.
Learn more about how music therapy benefits children with cancer and how your support makes a difference in their lives.
A music therapist works with patients to provide mental, cognitive, social, emotional, and even physical benefits through music and musical tools. Music therapy uses elements like rhythm and harmony to help patients process their emotions and improve their quality of life.
Each music therapy session addresses the individual’s mental health needs. Depending on where the patient feels most comfortable or their health status, the therapist typically facilitates sessions at the hospital bedside, in recreational areas, or in a private office space.
Music therapy uses active interventions, such as playing instruments or singing, instead of just listening to music. Studies show that only active music therapy can significantly improve patients’ well-being and mood.
Children’s music therapy can take different formats depending on the patient’s age and ability, but at its core, it’s always about calming and healing.
Music therapy sessions vary depending on the patient’s needs and creative interpretation. At the session’s core, the therapist tries to build a trusting relationship to make the patient feel safe and comfortable enough to express and explore their feelings.
During a session, the therapist encourages the patient to use their voice, imagination, or various instruments to explore the different elements of musical expression. As their patient plays, writes, dances, or sings, the music therapist offers musical improvisations to support their responses and help them feel understood.
Music therapy emphasizes freely expressing oneself by creating music from the heart — not planned or scripted, but purely organic. Music therapists structure sessions by providing musical games, improvisation cues, and sometimes pre-composed songs. By offering different types of instruments, they allow patients to choose one that helps them express themselves in a way that accurately represents their feelings.
Here are some standard music therapy session formats:
Music therapy allows children with cancer to express their full range of emotions — including anger, fear, and anxiety — in a safe space. For some patients, it can even help lower feelings of anxiety. Listening to or creating music can also make patients feel good, calm, and relaxed.
If done right according to the patient’s needs, music therapy could help lower symptoms and side effects like pain, depression, fatigue, and anxiety. It ultimately improves their quality of life and ability to stay hopeful.
The benefits of music therapy aren’t limited to an outlet for creative self-expression — listening, interpreting, making, and dancing to music also offer various psychological and physiological benefits. It can help children with cancer during recovery and treatment in the following ways:
When you donate to THON, Four Diamonds, our sole beneficiary, directly funds Penn State Health Children’s Hospital for pediatric music therapy services for children with cancer. We provide patients and families with emotional and financial support, covering their medical bills so parents can prioritize their child’s health and continue making positive memories.
Our board-certified music therapists at Four Diamonds are dedicated to positively impacting patients and their families. Our mission is to help children in their fight against cancer. With over 30 specialty care providers striving to provide emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental support through superior care and innovative research, that goal is becoming a reality.
We rely heavily on donor support to continue providing these services and helping in the fight against childhood cancer. Your donations make our work possible. They allow us to host fundraisers and events, like THON Weekend and Pre-THON Events, and continue making memories for our Four Diamonds families.
Every donation and volunteer directly impacts the lives of children fighting cancer. Thanks to your support, THON has helped over 4,800 families never see a medical bill.
Every year, the 46-hour dance marathon in University Park, Pennsylvania, raises funds that help children fight cancer through the Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital. It also has a global impact, helping cancer patients around the world with new research and treatment options.
When you decide to take action, you directly contribute to improving the quality of life for childhood cancer patients worldwide. Through your support, we can provide services, like music and art therapy, to kids who are going through something that no kid should ever have to go through. Exactly 96 cents of every dollar you donate goes directly toward children and families battling childhood cancer.
We are endlessly grateful for all our volunteers and donors and in awe of the enormous difference you make. You can join THON in making a difference by supplying our mission through our year-round fundraisers or making a donation today.
To ensure that THON is able to donate 96 cents of every dollar raised to Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital, we heavily rely on donor support. These donations provide us the resources to create endless memories for our Four Diamonds families & foster a deep love & connection to our mission for our volunteers through Pre-THON Events, alternative fundraisers, & THON Weekend.
