Documentary Portrays Maryville University’s Kids Rock Cancer Program

Public Television Film Highlights the Power of Music Therapy in Pediatric Care

[St. Louis, Mo.] — With the intention of raising awareness about music therapy in general and pediatric care specifically, a 30-minute documentary titled Kids Rock Cancer has been made available to Public Television and other non-commercial stations in St. Louis, Mo., and throughout the United States. A service initiative of the music therapy program at Maryville University, Kids Rock Cancer is a powerful example of how this therapy can help children manage the physical and emotional trauma of cancer in their lives.

The documentary will be distributed to Public Television stations across America via satellite on Wednesday, March 25. Nearly 100 public television stations have already expressed interest in broadcasting the documentary in their metropolitan areas.

Visit http://www.hectv.org/video/13399/13399/ to view a trailer of the documentary and visit www.kidsrockcancer.org for more information.

The film reflects collaboration between HEC-TV in St. Louis and WEDU-TV in Tampa, Fla. Narrated by nationally acclaimed broadcaster Bob Costas, the documentary tells the story of Kids Rock Cancer through interviews and footage featuring children and families who have benefited from the program. WEDU will premiere the documentary on their station on Thursday, March 19th at 9:30 pm.

Kids Rock Cancer has served more than 450 pediatric cancer patients throughout the St. Louis community since it began in 2009. It is available free of charge to children with cancer and other blood disorders—as well as their family members. The service is also provided to children with a close family member who is battling cancer. While overseen by Maryville, the program itself is sustained by donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.

A unique and successful music therapy program, Kids Rock Cancer offers children the opportunity to express what they are experiencing through a creative and supportive intervention. As part of the program, a certified music therapist visits pediatric cancer centers with portable musical equipment, including a laptop computer, guitar and/or keyboard. In one or two sessions of an hour or more, she helps the child express a set of thoughts and ideas that will become lyrics for a song. Working together, they compose a melody to complete the song. Finally, the child sings into a microphone and stars in the song he or she has written, and receives a personal CD recording as a legacy piece to keep.

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