Peter Muir understands disability from the inside. The Verbank resident, a professional musician, was born with a paralysis on the right side of his face, with neurological cognitive impairment.
Today, as director of the Institute for Music and Health, he helps those with disabilities to enhance their lives with music. His wife, Judith, also a professional musician, serves as director of music and movement. The Muirs also assist musicians suffering from professional burnout.
The couple is elated with its successes in helping young people afflicted with autism learn to socialize.
“We teach them words and music to old favorites like ”˜Tea for Two”™ and take them to visit nursing homes and senior citizen groups,” Peter said. “There they lead sing-alongs for the seniors. They don”™t have to be great singers or even sing on key. They come to realize they are giving to someone else through their music,” he says with satisfaction.
The benefits work two ways. “Even seniors with Alzheimer”™s remember the words to the songs. We pick songs that are easy to sing.” Commenting on seniors, the director adds, “The songs don”™t always have to be happy. We find a lot of power to go deeper with slower songs.”
He recalls his encounter with a 101-year-old man in a nursing home, despondent after the death of his wife of 80 years. After the singers performed a group of happy songs, he asked the man if he had any requests. Without hesitation, the 101-year-old replied, “Irving Berlin”™s ”˜I”™ll be Loving You Always.”™”
“Oh, oh, we”™re on dangerous ground here,” Muir reflected, but felt compelled to honor the request. “The man burst into tears, but at the end of the song he looked so much better. The power of the song enabled him to release the grief that was inside him. It was a purging, cathartic experience that helped him deeply.”
As with those with autism, the Muirs work with other types of disabilities, including Down syndrome and Williams syndrome. “I don”™t know why, but these people have very strong musical abilities and tend to be sociable.”
The couple also ministers to professional musicians who have become creatively blocked and those with stage fright. Muir”™s wife studied music at conservatories whose aim was technical perfection. “As soon as the brain is involved, it takes away from the heart,” he points out. Muir”™s aim is to get the musician performing from the heart, focused on bringing music to the audience rather than on their own fears and frustrations.
Natives of England, the Muirs met in the United States where they both trained in the Diamond Method for Music, the approach used by the Institute for Music and Health, which marks a revolution in the fields of music and health. It is drawn from the life work of John Diamond, a resident of South Salem who is acknowledged worldwide as a leader in holistic medicine generally and more specifically in using the arts ”“ especially music ”“ to promote health. Diamond, originally a psychiatrist, has developed over a period of 50 years myriad ways for music to raise life energy, the designation he gives to innate healing power.
“Everyone, regardless of apparent level of musical talent, is capable of using music to raise life energy around them,” Muir says.
Muir is author of a book, “Long Lost Blues,” and is working on another while also conducting seminars. The pair maintains a website, www.MusicHealth.net. The Muirs have one more concert artist at home, a cat with a loud purr aptly named Jazzpurr.
Challenging Careers focuses on the exciting and unusual business lives of Hudson Valley residents. Comments or suggestions may be e-mailed to Catherine Portman-Laux at cplaux@optonline.net.
