Rhythms of hope: Music therapist Melita Belgrave turns popular tunes into intergenerational connections
A graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy and professor at Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Belgrave shares stories of her work’s impact on people of all ages and stages.
Melita Belgrave (IAC 92, IAA 92-94, IAC St 94-95)
Who knew that a 2014 Bruno Mars funk-pop hit could bring an entire community together? The power of songs like “Uptown Funk” is no surprise to Dr. Melita Belgrave (IAC 92, IAA 92-94, IAC St 94-95), who has seen over and over again how a catchy lyric and driving beat can lift spirits and inspire connection. A music therapist by trade, Belgrave is also Associate Professor of Music Therapy in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre and Associate Dean for Culture and Access at Herberger Institute for Design in the Arts at Arizona State University. She shares what drew her to the world of music therapy, how her time at Interlochen impacted her career, and what she finds most fulfilling in her work.
How did you get into music therapy?
I think I’ve always had a desire to help others. My parents are from Belize, where people often live in multigenerational communities. I grew up with my grandmother living in the house, and all of my parent’s friends also had older adults living in their homes. I spent a lot of my formative years around older adults and witnessed them as they went through dementia and the aging process. I spent time in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and hospital settings. Plus, my mom was a nurse. So I felt a natural gravity towards helping people and being in community.
How did your time at Interlochen impact you?
It was amazing to be around so many other like-minded people, where it was a completely normal thing to practice music for hours every day. That kind of discipline was built into our days, and it came with a feeling of belonging. I was introduced to a lot of different ideas, and started thinking about how to build community with people. I volunteered and led tours of campus because I really enjoyed it—sharing things that bring me joy is something that comes naturally to me. Those interests really play into my current administrative role, which is all about building community and making people seen while understanding the many identities and experiences that bring us to this place.
What are some reasons why someone might want to undergo music therapy? What are some of the positive effects you’ve seen as a result of your work?
My favorite population to work with is older adults. I also love working in intergenerational settings where we bring young people and older people together. I love doing things that are new and outside of the box.
One of my favorite programs, which I ran in Kansas City, was an intergenerational rock band where college students and older adults learned rock music from the 60s to the present together and then performed it as a choir and ensemble. I was able to see many older adults who were struggling with depression rediscover their motivation, simply because they decided to stay committed to weekly practices for the band.
When older adults age in our society, we tend to throw them away. We tend to assume they can't learn new things or that they're stuck in their ways. But instead, I gave them assignments to go talk to the young people in their lives, whether their adult children or their grandchildren, and see what music they were listening to.
I ran this program for six years, and I started hearing about older adults learning to recognize popular music—maybe at the Grammys, the Super Bowl, or on the radio. They’d be able to point out Beyonce or Jason Miraz. I’d hear the most fun stories of older adults being in the car with their grandchildren and saying, “Oh, turn that song up. That’s ‘Uptown Funk’!” And their grandchildren would say, “Granny, what are you talking about? You don’t know ‘Uptown Funk’!” But then they’d come to the show and see their grandparents performing that song in a rock band. The project created incredible intergenerational connections through music. Therapy isn’t all “Let’s talk about feelings.” You can learn so much through the joy of music and discovery.
What’s one of the most meaningful projects you’ve worked on?
One of my most memorable projects was the Heartbeat Project, which I did with the Mayo Clinic hospitals. I was working with patients facing the ends of their lives, with no cure for their illnesses. I would record a patient’s heartbeats and work with a colleague in sound engineering to amplify it so it became the drumbeat of one of their favorite songs. Each patient could choose the song that they wanted to leave for loved ones to remember them by, and we’d put it on a CD recording, along with me playing the piano or guitar and singing. The track would also include any expression or singing I was able to record from the patient and/or their family during the session.
This project was in 2019, but I can still remember every patient whose heartbeat I recorded. I was so moved by the fact that they’d let a stranger into those spaces because I was doing something musical. I would be welcomed in, right alongside the family members. And if the patient was alive, I'd sometimes get them to sing their song with me. I have so many beautiful stories from those spaces.
Why do you find it so important to bring a multicultural approach to your work?
In the spaces that we're living in right now, not all communities feel safe and seen and heard when they step into healthcare settings, which is where music therapists see most of their patients. Empathy comes with understanding and being aware that there are historical and generational patterns for communities around access to healthcare. If you don't understand that, how can you even begin to be empathetic or provide good care for your patients? Focusing on DEI and belonging helps us to understand the people who need our care and how we can best serve them.
What is the most fulfilling part of your work?
When I’m working as a therapist with my clients, the most rewarding part is seeing the moments where you make a difference in the lives of clients. That might be a patient with dementia who has not been alert and all of the sudden has a moment of alertness with me in a music therapy session. Or it might be an end-of-life situation like the ones I encountered in the Heartbeat Project.
In my work in higher education, the most fulfilling part is just being with the students. I see them grow and see each individual own who they are, their curiosity, and the work they're doing. Those are the spaces that bring me joy all day.
