Friday Fave: Springfield's Own Magazine

The Hope Institute has been featured in several local publications recently, and I feel honored that our music therapy program has been mentioned in a few of those articles. Today's cover story in Springfield's Own Magazine highlights many aspects of Hope, including music therapy.

Another way Hope is thinking outward is by employing innovative teaching and therapy methods that will help students master daily tasks and help them express their feelings and communicate. In 2006, Nyre helped Hope obtain a grant for a music therapist, and Rachel Rambach was a perfect fit.

"I got really lucky," she says. "I was finishing up my graduate school internship (for music therapy), and Hope had received a grant for music therapy."

By allowing students to learn by singing and playing instruments, Rachel Rambach is able to connect with the children in a different way and reinforce what their teachers are working on with them, she says. She writes her own songs and creates CDs for both parents and teachers so students can keep learning through music even on the days she does not meet with them. While teaching youths of varying learning levels and abilities can be difficult, she says her job is more fun than anything else.

"My job is so much fun," she says. "Music helps to create a level playing field for the kids; its universal, and it's something that everyone can relate to, no matter what their ability."

Teaching handicapped and disabled children involves a large commitment from Hope's teachers and staff, but what is most evident among them is their dedication, faith and love for their students, and the hope that Hope will help the children have satisfying and fulfilling lives.

Read the entire article (written by Nicole Harbour) for a better understanding of what The Hope Institute is all about, and just how many children it benefits in so many different ways. You can do so here.