Music’s Powerful Force in Healing People From Trauma

In this week's Unconventional Ministry News, I focus on trauma and how music is a powerful healing force.

In the United States,?34.8 million children?(ages 0-17)—nearly half of the American children—are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can severely harm their future health and well-being. The implications are so severe that, according to?a CDC ACE Study,?exposure to six or more ACEs can lower an individual's life expectancy by nearly 20 years.

ACEs fall under the category of early childhood trauma, a rampant and often unreported problem in the U.S., and?include stressful or traumatic events stemming from abuse, neglect, household dysfunction, and toxic stress.

The above situation in the United States. What about the level of children's trauma in places like Ukraine, Romania, and the Middle East?

In our world of conflicts, pandemics, and upheaval, music is the one thing that has the power to transform youth, communities, and countries. Music is a powerful force in individual development – academically, emotionally, and socially. Participating in choirs and instrumental ensembles builds community, communication, and compassion. It heals young people from trauma and gives them hope and self-confidence.

On my recent podcast episode, guest Connie Fortunato explained how her NGO, Canticum Novum International, uses music to heal.

Click HERE to listen to our fascinating conversation on overcoming trauma through music.

Canticum Novum International, which consists of two divisions, Music Camp International and Musedics International, is a non-religious NGO registered in the United States, Romania, Ukraine, and Poland. They work across all barriers – political, geographic, religious, social, economic, and ethnic – to include all young people. Their mission is "Transforming youth, communities, and countries through the power of music."

Because music integrates all parts of the brain, many children that have difficulty in traditional academics excel in music. And because Canticum Novum International provides a unique approach to learning, children with special needs can be integrated into the program.

"If you say to a child, how smart are you or how smart is this child? We've asked the wrong question. We'll get the wrong answer.?The right question is, how is this child smart? And when we answer that question, then we can teach them effectively. Music is exactly the same way." Connie Fortunato

Connie is passionate about inspiring children to dream big dreams and work hard to achieve them. She believes that all children are talented and, when involved in a dynamic and positive learning environment, can break through the limitations of a system or society that fails to "connect" with their "inner giftedness." Her work crosses all social, economic, and religious barriers, bringing children together from all extremes to form "one big family" that works together, respects one another, and achieves astounding results that transform children, communities, and countries.

Here is a Canticum Novum International virtual interactive choir snippet.