New ’music therapy on wheels’ delivers healing tunes to pediatric patients

Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA has a new mobile tool to deliver music therapy and help pediatric patients cope with the fear, isolation and pain associated with being in the hospital. The Music Rx unit is a high-tech, interactive studio on wheels that includes everything necessary for music therapy, both in group settings and one-on-one. It holds a variety of instruments, including drums, keyboards and guitars, as well as Apple GarageBand software for recording music, a custom-built iPod docking station with 10 iPods to loan, and a large LCD screen that plays hundreds of music videos. The cart will be officially unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Mattel Children's Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 2 p.m. The media is invited to arrive at 1 p.m. for a special musical demonstration involving pediatric patients and UCLA's music therapist. The Music Rx cart was donated to UCLA's Child Life/Child Development Services department by the Children's Cancer Association (CCA), with support from the Starlight Children's Foundation . UCLA is one of first hospitals to participate in the CCA's nationwide expansion of the Music Rx program, which began in Portland, Ore.