Local Health Innovator Uses Music Therapy in the Treatment of People With Disabilities

Article by Becky Fillinger

Yue WuWe are used to reading about medical innovation in our state – but did you know that we have local professionals tackling health issues combined with music therapy?

Meet Yue Wu, who is working as a board certified music therapist at MacPhail Center for Music, while pursuing her PhD in Rehabilitation Science at the University of Minnesota. She is tackling problems by collaboration - music therapy for individuals with disabilities and telehealth music therapy solutions for children with autism spectrum disorders in rural areas. We talked to her about how she approaches multi-disciplinary collaboration and a recent project, Light in the Well.

Q:  You are a member of the University of Minnesota’s Medical School – focusing on Rehabilitative Medicine. You also reach beyond the boundaries of the medical school to work on collaborative projects with other organizations. Could you tell us about some of these projects? 

A:  Yes. Being a curious person and wanting to learn from others was what led me to the PhD program in Rehabilitation Science at the Medical School. Being in an intellectually rich and emotionally supportive environment helped me thrive in developing innovative ideas and collaborate with people in other fields. I have done projects both nationally and internationally, in-person and virtually, in and across fields. Some of these projects include an international documentary featuring music therapy and people with disabilities, an international partnership training rehabilitation staff to incorporate music into their services for children with disabilities, and research projects focusing on the experiences of having a child with disabilities.

It was the research projects – interviewing families who are affected by disabilities in both China and U.S. - which made me realize that having a child with disabilities is more like a universal experience, despite the cultural, language, and regional differences. 

Q:  One of these collaborative efforts – culminated in an event called Light in the Well. What groups were involved? Who was the event for?

A:  Light in the Well was born out of these research findings and is dedicated to honoring people with disabilities and their families by telling their true stories and inviting all into a conversation of hope. This project involves a variety of groups including families who are affected by disabilities, professional musicians, therapists, university researchers, disability rights advocates, visual artists, and college students who study related areas. MacPhail Center for Music, where I work as a music therapist, has been a big support, providing initial funding and in-kind venue for our first show last fall. Half of the orchestra were MacPhail teaching artists. The development and facilities departments helped us greatly with fundraising, setting up, and audience accommodations.

The event is really for everyone. We want Light in the Well to be therapeutic for the featured families by validating their emotional journeys and enabling them to gain skills through real-life situations, while also being educational for the rest of us who are not directly affected by disabilities. People with disabilities are featured in Light in the Well as they tell their own stories on stage and perform alongside professional musicians in an orchestra under the spotlight. Through many practices and rehearsals, the featured people with disabilities learn how to cope with unexpected situations and how to work with others. For the rest of us, Light in the Well provides an opportunity of exposure to learn about what life is like with disabilities. Our society is not complete without people with disabilities, and together we are better.

Q:  How did the audience respond?   

A:  After our first show last fall at MacPhail, many audience members came to us and said they were touched in deep ways. “We came expected to be entertained but left being educated.” Many people laughed and also cried with the featured families as the stories unfolded.

We interviewed the audience and highlighted their experiences in this video:

Q:  Why are these collaborations important to the work you’re doing? 

A:  Many people came alongside of the project since it started – people with disabilities and family members, therapists, leaders in disability services, business and legal professionals, etc. These different collaborators are important to the work because they offer a variety of expertise and bring different life and emotional journeys into Light in the Well.

Q:  What’s next for you?

A:  Next, Light in the Well will be putting on its fall performance on Sunday, October 16, 2pm, at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. We are currently working on a series of children’s picture books which highlight the featured individuals in Light in the Well. The purpose is to bridge the gap in children’s literature regarding disabilities. We want to expose the younger generation to learn about the life of having disabilities. We have also invited other organizations who serve people with disabilities in our community to be at our next performance to share about the resources available to families who are affected by disabilities. We hope to partner with high school bands or community orchestras in the future to perform the original music and expose their members to this type of work.

Last, but not least, I will be finishing my PhD program by completing my dissertation, which focuses on accessibility to disability services. Low accessibility and lack of resources are primary barriers for children in rural areas to receive music therapy services. In my PhD dissertation research, I used real-time video-conferencing platforms to provide cost effective music therapy to serve children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Thanks to MacPhail Center for Music, I was able to recruit participants from Austin, MN, where one of our satellite centers is located. The preliminary analysis showed that tele-music therapy is effective in producing lasting behavioral changes in children with ASD. We will apply the exciting research findings in practice to provide a robust and reliable alternative method of music therapy addressing the reduced access some children experience.

Q:  How may we follow your news?  

A:  Please visit us at https://www.lightinthewell.com, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Tik-Tok, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Please attend our free performance on Sunday, October 16, 2pm, at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. Click here or scan the QR code to reserve your spot: