To Make Dreams Come True - Power of Music

Let me share with you the story of the most remarkable girl I have ever met.

I first encountered this girl, M-chan, when she had just started second grade. At that time, I was working at an elementary school, and M-chan was one of my students.
She had been diagnosed with severe autism but attended the nearest elementary school. M-chan struggled with communication, but she was exceptionally skilled at expressing her feelings through delicate, colorful drawings with colored pencils. As a result, she was always surrounded by friends who enjoyed looking at and discussing her drawings. I still vividly remember how happy they all seemed together.

M-chan has an incredible memory, able to repeat English phrases she heard on TV. During a school performance, she memorized all the lines quickly and even helped friends who forgot their lines during rehearsal, much to the surprise of the teachers.
However, M-chan found it challenging to stay still and sit quietly, often needing to be taken outside by the teacher.

One day, while I was practicing piano for a graduation ceremony, M-chan ran over and applauded. What amazed me was what happened next: she accurately hummed the melody I had been playing. I asked her mother if M-chan had heard the song before, and she said she likely hadn’t. From then on, whenever I invited her to the music room, she would eagerly follow, saying “Piano! Piano!” I decided to see if she could mimic what I played, and to my astonishment, she replicated a phrase perfectly on the piano. In no time, she could play an entire song. We began enjoying solfege and singing together, and after five months, I saw a remarkable change. During a 30-minute all-school assembly in the gym, M-chan sat still and quiet the entire time. I knew music therapy could help, but I hadn’t expected such significant results. We started spending 20 minutes every day playing and listening to the piano. By the end of third grade, she could somewhat engage in conversational exchanges with her friends. I began to think this might be the power of music. Whenever we missed our usual piano time due to school events, M-chan would often be unsettled and tearful the next day.

Our free children’s music class in Onagawa is approaching its one-year anniversary in September.

I wanted to provide unique lessons here at Sound House.

It’s said that children with disabilities experience moments of joy less frequently than their typically developing peers. Many find large crowds overwhelming or become so excited that they move around, making it difficult to share enjoyable moments with others.
If that’s the case, then we should create and provide as many joyful moments as possible!
We believe our free music class can do just that. We, the instructors, eagerly look forward to the smiles every week and continually experiment with ways to make our sessions even more enjoyable.

The power of music is like magic, bringing more smiles to children’s faces!