Winthrop's
Cancer Center for Kids
Music Video 2008
Creating our Music Video
The idea for the music video was to provide a visual and aural representation of the patient experience here at the Cancer Center for Kids. This idea began with the task of writing a song. When we began the process of lyric writing, it became apparent to all of us on the psychosocial team that these children had so much to say. Despite them being firm that the song should be “upbeat…like High School Musical with an edge”…their lyrical offerings were anything but “upbeat”. Their words were heavy…touching upon subjects such as the first day of diagnosis, self image, and their respective futures. We held our first songwriting meeting in September, and thus began a long and sometimes frustrating process of creating the lyrics to a song, their song.
The broad idea of using such a multi-media approach, combining songwriting and the visual account of a music video, imposed no limitations on their imaginations. Their ideas flowed freely and openly. Topics that were never approached with family and friends were addressed without restraint. The song became not only a vehicle, but also a container for the expression of difficult but significant issues. Their ideas of what the music video should look like lent to the lyrics, and vice-versa. There was not anything that they expressed that wouldn’t or couldn’t be supported by their own creative process. The song became a voice for living with illness; the video-a symbolic representation of their fears, hopes and dreams.
As the creative arts therapist, my role was to gather and absorb their thoughts and ideas and help them build a song. We started with a simple hip-hop-poppy kind of beat with a moderate tempo…it reminded the kids of “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. Within the frame of that drum beat, was an empty palette on which to create. Within the next two months we held a series of six writers meetings where we would brainstorm ideas. Members of the psychosocial team would help to elicit and enhance the children’s poetic contributions as they listened and responded to each other. For some, this was the first time they had shared their personal issues with peer patients, a very important step for them.
Once we had a strong lyric to work with, we moved onto the music. Based on the drum beat, the kids had about ten different “grooves” to choose from. Once the accompanying tracks were selected, it was time to create a melody. This happened almost spontaneously while searching for an appropriate key for one of the lead singers, Catherine. While improvising with her, the melody was created and we moved forward. Almost four months after that first meeting, we were ready to begin rehearsals.
The first task was to teach the kids the song and work on some dance moves. The age range was from 4 to 16 years old with varying degrees of musical gifts and abilities. We on the psychosocial team saw this as creative opportunity rather than an impediment to the process. From the youngest to the oldest, all had specific feelings of what their roles should be and what the video would look like, with the very youngest coming up with ideas and dance moves that even the older and more experienced performers had to reckon with. So important for them to validate and support each other.
After several weeks of rehearsals, we carefully refined the dance moves and worked hard on a strong group vocal sound…the kids were ready! Onto the recording studio we went. This was an exciting experience for the kids…none of them had been to a recording studio before, but they answered the call with a strong performance and truly enriched by conquering this new technological territory.
The final step was a trip to a film studio to finalize their vision. Again, they conquered this challenge with ease and professionalism. Their performance, both individually and in the group context was wonderful. They embraced their roles and acted them out with a sense of confidence and self assuredness not seen by us on the psychosocial team previously…and even by some parents. As one mother stated: “…the music video project has helped build Charlie’s confidence and confidence is so important for a child that lives a life so unlike most kids”.