Local music store raises funds for music therapy program

Every December, a Cambridge music store raises money to help provide music therapy programs at Lutherwood, a social service organization that provides mental health, employment and housing services. The drive runs for the entire month, just in time for the holiday rush.

For the past 10 years, Long and McQuade locations across the country have campaigned for music therapy programs. The Cambridge store, located at 175 Beverly St., raises thousands of dollars each year for youth in the community. 

“The money stays really close to the place that's collecting it. So for us, that's Lutherwood. So it's very close. It's a good thing, it stays right in Cambridge,” said Fred Burchill, store manager at Long and McQuade. 

According to the Canadian Association of Music Therapists, music therapy is a discipline in which certified music therapists use music purposefully within therapeutic relationships to support development, health, and well-being. 

“It can be as simple as putting on a song that matches the emotion that you're feeling at that moment, as a way to have that emotion validated rather than trying to push that emotion away and say 'I'll deal with that later,'” said Lutherwood music therapist Brian McBay.

This form of therapy is used to help people deal with traumas and work through their issues without always having to communicate them verbally. Lutherwood works with people of all ages, but one of their main focuses is on children's mental health. It uses music therapy as another resource for them to work through tough times. 

“We serve youth ages six to 17 who have really struggled to an extent in the community, and all the other services that they've accessed, they’ve exhausted them or they haven't been enough. They're coming to us almost as a last resort, nothing else is working. They are really seeking that extra level of support for mental health,” said McBay. 

Most music therapy programs are not government funded, so support from the community can go a long way in keeping them accessible to those who need them. Burchill said that Lutherwood was only getting enough funding to operate the program four to five months out of the year, but now with the music store’s funding they are able to run all year.

Money is raised by donations and the profits from their gift card tins. Every dollar donated gets the customer a $5 rental coupon and every $5 donated a chance to win a PRS mounted poster.The money from the gift card tins is collected year-round.

“Music is pretty therapeutic for most people, it's not about making money. At the end of the day you go home and play your piano or bang on your drums or a strum on your guitar and suddenly, things are often a whole lot better,” said Burchill.