Jacky wouldn’t speak, except for yes and no.
She was sitting up in her hospital bed, coloring, when I first went in. Although she didn’t say a word, Jacky’s eyes lit up when I turned the keyboard on, little red lights running up and down the keys. I invited her to try out some sounds. After experimenting a little, Jacky settled on a cluster of black key with a slow but rhythmic melody. Jacky nodded yes when I asked if I could sit beside her and join her song.
We sat together on her bed for several minutes, using only the music to communicate.
I asked her to think of what picture the music made her think of, then invited her to draw that image while I continued playing. Jacky got out her crayons and busily drew while I continued playing her song.
When she finished, I stopped the music and looked at her drawing.
“I see a house, and two girls.” I said.
Jacky nodded yes.
“Is one of them you?”
A nod.
“Who is the other one?” I asked.
“My sister,”Jacky said. And then she smiled up at me.
Jacky’s mom spoke up then, telling me of Jacky’s 8-year old big sister at home. The girls were very close and weren’t able to see each other through this period of hospitalization because her sister had a cold and wasn’t allowed in the sterile hospital environment.
Through music, Jacky had found an outlet to express the loneliness she felt without her sister’s companionship.
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