SINGER SAYS MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO HEAL

Music, says Jim Newton, not only makes a person feel better, it may actually help a person heal.

With an acoustic guitar and song written especially for ill children, Newton sings and hopes the young patients feel better.

Newton performed at Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center Wednesday. His performance locally was sponsored by Food Giant. He is also sponsored by the James River Corp.

"We are learning how music and stories and humorous things can help heal our bodies," Newton told the children at Southeast.

In an interview following the performance, Newton said, "We believe just the tones of music help people express feelings they can't put into words."

Newton's songs are designed to help children identify and express feelings they may have.

At one point, children and their parents shake "percussion instruments" made from 35mm film canisters filled with rice.

"When the kids use the shakers, sometimes they shake it so hard and hit their palms. That helps them express the frustration and inner turmoil they feel.

"It's hard to get hard data on the effects of music," he said. "We don't know why it works, but it works."

He cited the case of Norman Cousins, a man who says he healed himself through laughter.

"About nine and a half years ago I was performing at church meetings and on college campuses when a friend of a friend asked if I would go to a children's hospital and play," Newton said.

Newton said he had no songs specifically for children but decided to go anyway and play whatever he knew.

"I went into the room of a little boy who was dying of cancer. I played a song for him and his mother and got no response. It was very awkward and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how to leave, so I played another song."

About half way through the second song the boy cracked a slight smile, so Newton said he played a third tune.

"During the third song he started clapping and smiling," he recalled. "His mother told me he had not smiled like that for a very long time and that he had never clapped his hands to music before.

"I got to thinking what a simple thing it was for me to do play music and make someone feel better."

Newton said he was so motivated by that experience he began volunteering his time at hospitals wherever he went.

Personnel at one of the hospitals asked him to make a tape they could play when Newton was away.

"That got me thinking," he said.

Newton approached the non-profit organization for which he worked with the idea of a program of music therapy for sick children.

"A lot of research went into this. For about five years we talked to child-life people and music therapy folks asking them to tell us what kind of feelings these kids are having and what kind of message they would like these kids to hear."

He solicited the help of Noel Paul Stooky of Peter Paul and Mary to help write the music.

Newton performs in about 100 hospitals across the country each year and distributes about 30,000 tapes and books.

Now the non-profit organization is hiring other musicians to also take the program on the road.

"I love doing this," Newton said. "It's very, very meaningful to me. I get to express my feelings and they get to express their feelings. It's a win-win situation."