Inside the Allan Memorial Institute, part of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), music therapy has become a lifeline for many individuals struggling with mental health.
But now, the MUHC is cutting music therapy positions due to lack of funding, leaving roughly 60 outpatients in the dark.
Bess Vasilakopoulos is among many outpatients at the Allan Memorial Institute faced with this reality. She’s been taking part in their day program for nearly 20 years, receiving support through therapeutic activities, group sessions, and the music therapy program. For outpatients like herself, the cut is devastating.
“I feel betrayed by the MUHC. It stands for excellence, it’s forward-thinking, it’s progressive,” Vasilakopoulos said. “So for these cuts to take place here is mind-boggling, confusing, and hurtful to all patients.”
Vasilakopoulos isn’t alone. Taylor Murray, another day program outpatient, said he’s frustrated after experiencing some of the biggest breakthroughs of his life while in the music therapy program.
“I think when you fall through the cracks enough and finally find something that works for you, it’s like taking any floor we’ve gathered away,” Murray said. “I wish the MUHC had been a bit less cowardly.”
Murray has been in and out of the hospital on multiple occasions. He said resources being offered to him didn’t work quite like this music therapy program did.
“My progress through my therapy is going to go a lot slower. A lot less beautiful,” Murray said.
The MusiArt choir running out of the Montreal General Hospital for 28 years will come to an end, along with related music therapy groups at the Allan Memorial Institute at the end of March.
“The Allan to me represents my second home. It’s where I come to feel safe, where I get so much help,” Vasilakopoulos said. “So now with the music therapy program being cut, there’s going to be a very big void.”
According to the MUHC, these programs were supported for many years through philanthropic funds by the Montreal General Hospital. They explained that when these funds come to an end, it is up to the health-care institution to assess how the activities can be maintained within its service offerings.
According to Dr. Laurel Young, professor of music therapy at Concordia University, these programs are vital for individuals across the board, pointing to studies that prove just how positive music therapy is.
“When persons, many persons living with a mental illness, music may be one of the most powerful resources that they actually have to nurture a positive sense of self, improve their self-esteem. A way of relating to others, overcoming social isolation,” Dr. Young said. “Music can also help them feel part of a community. It can express things, as we know, that sometimes words cannot.”
Outpatient Martine Roux agrees. Roux has been receiving music therapy session for one year now. She said music therapy was a life-changer.
“Music unlocks that deep pain that you can have inside a long time,” Roux said. “And it helps really because it gets you back to life. It helps you see some future.”
“It empowers me, it gives me relief from my anxiety and depression,” added Vasilakopoulos, who said it even helps her with chronic pain after contracting shingles 10 years ago.
While these programs are seeing cuts, the MUHC noted that music therapy for hospitalized patients will be maintained, and some services will continue to be offered on an outpatient basis.
Additionally, they added that patients participating in the MusiArt choir will be able to continue music therapy activities with the community organization Les Impatients starting at the end of April.
In a statement to CityNews, Les Impatients confirmed they will be welcoming current members of the MusiArt choir in the coming weeks, highlighting that the transition is designed to be as smooth as possible for participants.
They also noted that, thanks to the generosity of donors, the Montreal General Hospital Foundation has committed to supporting this transition by funding the choir’s activities for an initial period of two years.
But for Vasilokopoulos, the MusiArt program at Les Impatients isn’t the same.
“That’s an art organization for people who struggle with mental-health disorders. It’s not therapy; it’s an activity and that’s the problem,” Vasilokopoulos said. “We are not going to have a psychiatrist, nurses, OTs following, gauging our progress anymore.”
For outpatients like Murray who are not existing members of the MusiArt choir, they simply won’t have access.
“For me, everything’s gone,” Murray said.
Dr. Young urges communities to recognize music therapy as a professional discipline, not just a source of entertainment.
“What music therapists do is that they capitalize on the health and well-being benefits of music and use it purposefully in collaboration with these individuals to enhance all aspects of their health and well-being,” Dr. Young said. “Music really is a whole brain activity, and many of these therapeutic benefits co-occur, which is what makes music so uniquely powerful.”
The MusiArt choir will have their final performance at the Allan Memorial Institute on March 19 before their transition to Les Impatients.
