The news that she had breast cancer did not faze May Wong Mei-lin. It was not until after the housewife had received her first dose of chemotherapy that reality hit home. Depressed by how sick the drugs made her feel, she found solace in malls. 'I shopped a lot to make myself feel good,' Wong, 58, recalls. Then she found the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation (HKBCF). 'The nurse and psychologist there helped me understand that shopping was the wrong way to cope with my negative emotions.'
Encouraged by a fellow survivor, Wong found a more positive outlet for her feelings. She joined Melody-in-Mind, the foundation's choral group for breast cancer survivors, and attends the group's singing sessions every week. 'I enjoy being part of the group so much. We get together to sing, laugh and have lunch after class.'
In the past 50 years, music has become formalised as part of the healing process. Music therapy supplements the work of doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals in physical rehabilitation, improving mental well-being and providing an outlet to express feelings. Now an allied health profession, music therapy traces its history back to the two world wars, when groups of amateur and professional musicians gathered at veterans' hospitals to play to wounded soldiers.
Noticing the positive effects that music had on their patients, doctors and nurses began to ask for the musicians more regularly. But it was clear that the musicians needed training to be effective, so a college curriculum was born.
Music therapists see clients with a wide range of issues - from children with emotional problems and adults suffering from depression, to elderly stroke victims and those living with chronic diseases such as diabetes. They work in hospitals, community settings, correctional facilities, addiction rehabilitation centres, long-term care facilities and in private practice.
Although music therapists are in high demand, there are only a handful of them in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Music Therapy Association (HKMTA) has a membership of only 15 professionals serving a highly stressed population of more than seven million.