It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is significant stigma surrounding people with disabilities within South Africa. Casual Day is an initiative that aims to raise awareness and funds for those with disabilities in our country.
This week our 3rd year OT class has been tasked with bringing the Casual Day festivities to our fieldwork placement sites. As much of a wonderful initiative as this is, it could not have come at a worse time. My fellow students and I are running on empty, with Term Three coming to an end next week, we’ve been drowning in assignments, due dates, and tests. I’m doggy-paddling furiously, but the fatigue is beginning to kick in. With that said, my nose has been so firmly buried in textbooks that the current state of our land was unknown to me until news reports slapped me in the face during a study break. Everything’s crazy right now. So amidst the deadlines, panic, and sheer terror of daily living. Maybe this little celebration is a god-send. Maybe all we need as students and South Africans is a day to celebrate and enjoy sheer fun… so bring on our Casual Day Talent Show!
When we approached our clients with the idea of a talent show, we were met with all smiles and great ideas such as song, dance, and really bad knock-knock jokes. None of the clients had heard of Casual Day, so we had a brilliant opportunity to educate them whilst bringing some joy into their Friday. It was quite interesting to note that although there was initially a great amount of enthusiasm, with ideas flooding in, half an hour later the doubt had already kicked in. Two clients approached me at the end of the day, asking to withdraw. This was completely understandable and obviously we want them to feel as comfortable as possible, but it did give me pause for thought… what happened to that initial furious excitement? Is it fear or self-esteem holding them back? There’s an interesting video that dissects what it means to be talented, here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHMuss1vq7Q.
This discusses what we understand by “talent” and how we always associate the word with some remarkable skillset, when in actual fact even the most basic traits that we may have, such as organization, should be regarded with as much applause as an operatic singer. Although… stacking papers on stage may not have been as appealing of an artform for our little event.
I read a fascinating article this week that looked into how talent shows had so much to offer, particularly for the elderly. It found that having a goal-directed activity was beneficial in involving all of the residents, including those who hadn’t yet found their social niche. It was found that as time went on, the residents came to understand the necessity for working together, for being an audience for one another, and for offering positive suggestions and support to each other (Glassman, 1983). With this in mind, we see that although our little shindig was to raise awareness for those with disability, we ended up offering an activity that had lots of therapeutic value at our facility. There is certainly a need for these clients, whose addiction has labelled them outcasts and worthless, to work together, problem solve, and ultimately recognise that each of them has something to offer the world. Our event certainly mirrored the benefits of the beforementioned study. The clients worked with each other, encouraged each other, and supported each and every person’s attempt. Leaving each performer feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride after their performance. This maturity was certainly unexpected from this set of clients.
Probing further into the therapeutic value of this events for our clients, research found that “music and music therapy may benefit patients directly: physiologically, psychologically, and socioemotionally… and indirectly through its effects on caregiver attitudes and behaviors. ”, (Kemper & Danhauer, 2005). The songs selected by clients were all significant and purposefully selected by clients because of profound lyrics, singing these visibly meant something to the clients and we saw how songs united everyone and got them joining in and feeling good. Another study supported this by finding that “group singing appeared to be a valuable coping strategy for people going through challenging times, and may also be beneficial for clinical populations”, (Von Lob, Clamit & Clift, 2010). Furthermore, we noted an increase in confidence and readiness to perform when clients were supported in an act by a peer, and that there was definite resonation with song themes amongst clients that seemed therapeutic.
When Friday came, I was a little nervous about all the moving parts of our show, we were relying a lot on the clients to work on their own and make decisions without us on what would be performed. This is of course very risky. I had a persistent niggling feeling that we’d walk onstage to much pomp and circumstance, only to be met with crickets by our audience. I could not have been more wrong! This talent show schooled me. I learnt a whole new side to several clients we’ve been working with. Where before a man was soft spoken, on the stage he’s dancing like no one’s watching. Where before a man was withdrawn, on the stage he’s holding hands and singing with his brothers in recovery. Almost all the clients who got on stage to perform their 2 minute acts, were clients who had never demonstrated much interest in sessions or who were quite antisocial. It was so impressive to see them bound on stage with unbridled energy, commanding the audience and soaking up the limelight. This 1.5 hours was as much therapy for me as it was for the clients. I laughed, when a few hours earlier I sighed in defeat. I smiled, when a few hours earlier I was grimacing at deadlines. I felt unity at this facility, where before I felt like a visitor.
So yes, I had my doubts about the necessity of a Casual Day celebration… but how glad I am to be proven wrong. Every staff member left smiling, every student left high-fiving, and every client left feeling far more energized than when they first arrived. This was a highlight of a very low week for our students and our country. Friday brought with it cheer, and surprises, and bad jokes, and tear-jerking singing, and terrible singing (by me), and heartfelt raps, and insane handstands, and cool karate, and exceptional dance, and giddiness, and guffaws, and joy… Friday brought joy. Joy greeted men whose days have been clouded by self-doubt and guilt, whose shoulders weighed heavy with the burden of the past. When Joy arrived, it was unrecognisable to most who did not know its face without a bottle in hand or a needle in vein. Joy came today in the form of a haphazard talent show. And here’s hoping Joy remains.
Until next week,
Kaylee
References:
Glassman, L. R. (1983). The talent show: Meeting the needs of the healthy elderly. Music Therapy, 3(1), 82-93.
Kemper, K. J., & Danhauer, S. C. (2005). Music as therapy. South Med J, 98(3), 282-8.
TedxTalks, (2016). Go with your talent radically [video file]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHMuss1vq7Q
Von Lob, G., Camic, P., & Clift, S. (2010). The use of singing in a group as a response to adverse life events. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 12(3), 45-53.
This discusses what we understand by “talent” and how we always associate the word with some remarkable skillset, when in actual fact even the most basic traits that we may have, such as organization, should be regarded with as much applause as an operatic singer. Although… stacking papers on stage may not have been as appealing of an artform for our little event.
I read a fascinating article this week that looked into how talent shows had so much to offer, particularly for the elderly. It found that having a goal-directed activity was beneficial in involving all of the residents, including those who hadn’t yet found their social niche. It was found that as time went on, the residents came to understand the necessity for working together, for being an audience for one another, and for offering positive suggestions and support to each other (Glassman, 1983). With this in mind, we see that although our little shindig was to raise awareness for those with disability, we ended up offering an activity that had lots of therapeutic value at our facility. There is certainly a need for these clients, whose addiction has labelled them outcasts and worthless, to work together, problem solve, and ultimately recognise that each of them has something to offer the world. Our event certainly mirrored the benefits of the beforementioned study. The clients worked with each other, encouraged each other, and supported each and every person’s attempt. Leaving each performer feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride after their performance. This maturity was certainly unexpected from this set of clients.
Probing further into the therapeutic value of this events for our clients, research found that “music and music therapy may benefit patients directly: physiologically, psychologically, and socioemotionally… and indirectly through its effects on caregiver attitudes and behaviors. ”, (Kemper & Danhauer, 2005). The songs selected by clients were all significant and purposefully selected by clients because of profound lyrics, singing these visibly meant something to the clients and we saw how songs united everyone and got them joining in and feeling good. Another study supported this by finding that “group singing appeared to be a valuable coping strategy for people going through challenging times, and may also be beneficial for clinical populations”, (Von Lob, Clamit & Clift, 2010). Furthermore, we noted an increase in confidence and readiness to perform when clients were supported in an act by a peer, and that there was definite resonation with song themes amongst clients that seemed therapeutic.
When Friday came, I was a little nervous about all the moving parts of our show, we were relying a lot on the clients to work on their own and make decisions without us on what would be performed. This is of course very risky. I had a persistent niggling feeling that we’d walk onstage to much pomp and circumstance, only to be met with crickets by our audience. I could not have been more wrong! This talent show schooled me. I learnt a whole new side to several clients we’ve been working with. Where before a man was soft spoken, on the stage he’s dancing like no one’s watching. Where before a man was withdrawn, on the stage he’s holding hands and singing with his brothers in recovery. Almost all the clients who got on stage to perform their 2 minute acts, were clients who had never demonstrated much interest in sessions or who were quite antisocial. It was so impressive to see them bound on stage with unbridled energy, commanding the audience and soaking up the limelight. This 1.5 hours was as much therapy for me as it was for the clients. I laughed, when a few hours earlier I sighed in defeat. I smiled, when a few hours earlier I was grimacing at deadlines. I felt unity at this facility, where before I felt like a visitor.
Until next week,
Kaylee
References:
Glassman, L. R. (1983). The talent show: Meeting the needs of the healthy elderly. Music Therapy, 3(1), 82-93.
Kemper, K. J., & Danhauer, S. C. (2005). Music as therapy. South Med J, 98(3), 282-8.
TedxTalks, (2016). Go with your talent radically [video file]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHMuss1vq7Q
Von Lob, G., Camic, P., & Clift, S. (2010). The use of singing in a group as a response to adverse life events. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 12(3), 45-53.
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