大象传媒

Today鈥檚 Memory Taper is music therapist Rachel Fenwick. She uses music with families, as means of expression, and to help non-verbal communication.

She explains more: 鈥淚 have worked as a music therapist on and off for ten years now. I am now the Senior Clinical Therapist for Chroma, working with families who have adopted children. My aim is to support them to develop happy and healthy attachments, giving the children a space to let go of the trauma they have usually experienced before going to their 鈥榝orever family鈥�.

I also work as an Artist in Residence at the Whitworth Art Gallery. I am curating the Here and Now project which includes family music, art and mindfulness sessions, and has commissioned four new pieces of music relating to art in the gallery.

There are lots of other projects that I鈥檓 apart of 鈥� a friend described this as a 鈥榩ortfolio lifestyle鈥�. I think it鈥檚 more like a 鈥榊es person鈥� lifestyle.

The highlights of my career have been plentiful. They range from speaking at conferences, and writing a book, to having a child talk to me when previously they couldn鈥檛 find the words. I think I am the luckiest person as I not only get to do something meaningful every day that I love, I get paid for it, too!

Life isn鈥檛 black and white, it is grey and ambivalent. I am happy about this as it means I can talk about The Smiths next to Kylie, Philip Glass alongside Girlhood. Even though I play music every day as part of my job, I still surround myself with it outside of that time鈥� Music reflects life and music is life.鈥�

Rachel鈥檚 playlist:
Philip Glass 鈥� Second Movement Violin Concerto
This movement is magical. It has longing and space and resolution. I listen to this when I need to switch my brain off. I am a classical violinist 鈥� for me, the violin seems to be the purest way to connect to myself and then others.

Bjork 鈥� Isobel
Those strings! How can you not smile and move to this song?

Smashing Pumpkins 鈥� Tonight
It鈥檚 the line 鈥楤elieve in me鈥濃�� that鈥檚 what we do as therapists, we believe in people when others seem far away. I might prefer Kylie鈥檚 I Believe In You, but I am not sure 6 Music listeners would appreciate that!

Boxed in 鈥� Pushing on
Some days are hard work - really hard work and I need this tune to keep me going. At heart, I am a massive house music fan. It is also THE BEST running tune!

Girlhood 鈥� Say it
I first heard this song on Lauren鈥檚 show. It asks what are we working for? And offers a chance to be part of something. It emphasises our shared difficulties and asks us to shout about them.

The Smiths 鈥� Stop Me
Razorlight 鈥� Before I Fall To Pieces
UNKLE 鈥� Lonely Souls
Nina Simone 鈥� Here Comes The Sun
Nirvana 鈥� Something In The Way
Linkin Park 鈥� In The End
Lisa Hannigan 鈥� I Don鈥檛 Know
Diana Ross 鈥� I鈥檓 Coming Out
Brad 鈥� Bound In Time
Ben Harper 鈥� Beloved One
Roxy Music 鈥� More Than This
Chet Baker 鈥� Like Someone In Love
Fleetwood Mac 鈥� Everywhere
Gavin Bryars 鈥� Jesus Blood (performed by Psappha)

Show less