It’s been said that music has the ability to activate the entire brain of a person. So for children, who spend much of their youth hospitalized, having a place to go that feels like an escape can create a sense of intimacy and comfort that can be difficult to put into words.

“Music therapy works better than anything I’ve ever seen,” said Tara McConnell, MT-BC, a Sacramento native and graduate of University of the Pacific, who is a board certified music therapist and owner of McConnell Music Therapy Services based in Auburn. Her company is a music therapy practice that provides services to clients within the greater Sacramento and South Placer County areas in the home, school or hospital setting.

McConnell notices that when music therapists sing to their clients – be it people with trauma and mental health impairments, physical/medical health impairments, developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, and traumatic brain injury – there are better outcomes.

“It’s just plain fun. They don’t know they are in therapy,” McConnell said. “By having them play with their doctor, it creates a sense of intimacy,” she said.

Music therapists use a variety of techniques that have been proven to be effective in helping children and adolescents reach a wide range of goals through music. Activities and techniques include listening to live music, songwriting, singing, live music making and improvisation, song lyric analysis, and/or guided relaxation.

McConnell explained the goal is to address therapeutic outcomes and increase pain management through music. “We’re not looking at how great they sound. We are looking at what comes out of it,” she said.

McConnell’s musical background spans back to her early childhood when she played in jazz bands and orchestras. Her main instrument is bass and she’s played in local bands and theater companies.

All of her company’s services are provided by a music therapist who meets all educational and training standards for clinical practice in music therapy, certification by the Certification Board for Music Therapists, Inc., and professional membership in the American Music Therapy Association.

She said music therapy can be an extremely powerful outlet for adolescents. She had heard recently about a an 18 year old who suffered from cancer for five years and was committed to writing a song about giving his family hope. “It was a goodbye song. It was such a powerful way for him to connect to his feelings and give hope to his family after he passed away.”

McConnell has provided services (her staff of three music therapists) to Sutter Medical Center and was one of the hospital’s first music therapists. McConnell’s Music Therapy provides services to the cancer center’s adult oncology unit, Sutter for Psychiatry on Howe and provides services to children with special needs for cerebral palsy and autism. Her company also does home visits and has private clients with varying disabilities.

McConnell said she started working at the Sutter cancer center in 1997 right after school and has worked with their pediatric unit, until it ended in 2006 due to budget constraints.

That’s not to say it is gone for good, however. Funds are being raised now to bring it back because the hospital sees its value.

Amy Medovoy, Child Life director at Sutter said: “often many of the children do best not by talking, but by creating experiences, so music can be used for relaxation and to reduce anxiety.”

Medovoy said without the Donut Dash, the last one, which was held on March 9 at William Land Park and raised $40,000 for the Child Life Program at Sutter Children’s Center, they would not have been able to work towards bringing back music therapy.

The same people (or person Zack Wandell) who brought out the Donut Dash are brining a Duck Dash to Raging Waters on June 15. So expect to see thousands of yellow rubber duckies racing in the Calypso Cooler, an 800-foot-long lazy river.

Medovoy said Zack’s target is $15,000. Wandell began as a volunteer at Sutter about 10 years ago and started the Donut Dash four years ago. “He runs the Donut Dash, which now has expanded to the Duck Dash. I have a feeling we will keep hearing more. He is really passionate for what he does and wants to find more ways to support children and families. And he’s doing that in an incredibly tangible way,” Medovoy said.

The Duck Dash is owned and operated by Donut Dash, a registered 501(c)3. Tax ID 27-1671648

If you go:
What: Duck Dash
When: June 15 at 5 p.m.
Where: Raging Waters at Cal Expo (Calypso Cooler)
Why: To raise funds for music therapists at Sutter’s Child Life Program
On the web: www.theduckdash.com

Neighbors take notice, one donated maple tree to kinderyard

Three years ago, there was nobody there. The barren Alice Birney campus in South Land Park campus wasn’t much to look at when the Waldorf-inspired public school moved in.

“It wasn’t in the greatest of shape when we got it,” principal Michelle Homing said. “It was very stark, very plain, very industrial.”

But since then, working together, the Alice Birney community planted just “a little bit of everything” from vegetables to native flowers, to vines along the fence for color and beauty. They even created a pollinator path, built benches and now have a chicken coop — the soon-to-be-home of three chickens that now live with teacher Ms. Rodriguez, who uses her prep time to help children build a fence around the structure.

“We will start with three (chickens). They have been waiting to come here. They are at my house,” said Ms. Rodriguez on a warm May morning as children were busy stapling chicken wire to boards for the fence.

Across the yard, children were harvesting fava beans that they, with the help of teacher Mr. Melman, were going to cook. Some were too eager to wait and ate them raw, but they were told by their peers to be patient.

“This year we have a large variety of (vegetables). Almost every week we have something,” Mr. Melman said.

Helping out in the yard was Ms. Alex Morton, a parent of two children, a fourth and a sixth grader. Last year, she helped out in the third grade yard and this year, she continued working the space three days a week. “I do it because I am not working. I have excess time. When you have time, you step up to volunteer. We have a tight knit community,” Morton said.

She loves watching the children eat the raw spinach and kale right out of the ground. Formerly employed by the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, Morton is thinking gardening may be her next career.

In essence, nature has become the classroom for the parents and students who attend Alice Birney. Planting what’s in season, they use plantings for their cooking lessons, which of course, includes lots of measuring.

In the kinderyard, every Thursday the youngest students harvest and chop vegetables they have been growing in preparation for Friday soup days.

Meanwhile, as part of their curriculum, third graders work in a garden along 13th Street and the sixth grade has a garden between the patio and quad areas. They, too, are growing vegetables as part of their curriculum.

Then there are the first graders who work with their fifth grade buddies to take care of roses. In the corner gardens, herbs are growing.

The grass area, which has used a lot of water in the past, recently has been transformed into a nice landscape with decomposed granite and mulch, thanks to a grant one of the fourth grade teachers got from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Parents have stepped up, writing and receiving grants, holding contests, fundraisers, auctions dinners. “We do everything,” Homing said. The school’s “green team” won them $350,000, which will be used to beautify the front of the school and for the installation of skylights in the portables.

One goal is to make gardens more lush, to have students learn more about native California plants, insects and birds. They’ve added in native plants that also use less water. Another goal is that the pollinator path would attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

It goes on.

“It’s a whole school-wide focus caring for our environment and other living creatures,” Homing said.

And that includes the South Land Park neighborhood.

Neighbors have taken a liking to the beautification of the school and one in particular anonymously offered a maple tree she grew from seed. The tree sits in the middle of the yard, but no one at the school knows who the mystery donor is. “Neighbors saw the parents working and offered that tree and planted it in the middle of the yard (one day in April),” Homing said. “It will grow as the children grow,” she said.

The connection between neighborhood and school extends to the lifestyle changes some parents have made, as more are moving closer to the school, said Homing. So they’ve added bike racks closer to the entry to help promote biking and built benches to facilitate respite while parents wait for their children to get out of class. Before those improvements, Homing recalled parents waiting for their children in the mud. “It was terrible,” she said.

The school recently held a pancake breakfast, which was followed up with working in the south side of the parking lot. They are mulching that whole area and will build a dry creek and a bridge to go over it. “Kids will have fun crossing the bridge and it will serve as a better entry into the campus,” Homing said.

All this gives students authentic learning experiences, Homing said. “We’re not quote-on-quote giving them a science lecture. They don’t realize they are learning … They are having fun.”

editor@valcomnews.com

To Arden Arcade resident Sandy Welsh the music and dancing at the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival energizes one’s soul.

One of the oldest and largest festivals in California, the Sacramento Valley Scottish Games & Festival, held in Woodland at the Yolo County Fairgrounds, is April 27-28.

The Sacramento Valley Scottish Games and Festival is the main yearly event the Caledonian Club of Sacramento hosts, which draws up to 20,000 people each year. This fun, family event includes Scottish clans, competitions, music, dance, live history, children’s activities, animals, vendors and more.

Blessed with talented dancers and musicians who work hard to hone their craft to bring joy to others, Welsh who sells advance tickets and mans the gates at the fairgrounds said, the festival is a showcase of a diverse and magical culture.

“I love the people, their values and the music of this diverse and magical culture that is showcased in the Scottish Games. I love that it is a family-friendly event where you’ll find something for every age to enjoy – from the children’s area and youth caber to Celtic fiddles and harps – to Celtic rock – to bagpipes – Celtic animals – to learning Ceilidh (pronounced kaylee) dancing – to historical re-enactors,” she said.

Locally Welsh belongs to the Caledonian Club of Sacramento where she serves as Vice Chief, which means she planned the Tartan Ball last year. She sells pre-sale tickets and recruits volunteers. She also belongs to the Daughters of Scotia and she makes scones for the tea-room at the Games.

To her neighbor, Gordon Scott, whose involvement with the games go back to about 1985, “taking tickets and most things in between,” he said he’s a “sucker” for the games. “Once you get roped in (as a volunteer), you stay in,” he said.

In 1973, Scott went traveled to Ireland, where he decided to buy a kilt. But it wasn’t until years later when he and his wife partook in Scottish country-dance after her coworker who was the chief of the Gaelic club said ‘you have to do this.’ “We went there and enjoyed that,” he said, meeting some fun people along the way.

Like Scott, it was through Scottish Country dancing that Welsh learned so much about Celtic music and became friends with some amazingly dancers and musicians.

“What a huge blessing,” Welsh said, adding that one of her best friends is from Dunblane, Scotland. “She generously shared so much of her culture not only with me, but with everyone,” she said.
Because Welsh loved the music so much, she published a newsletter called “Celtic is Happening” for about five years. The publication promoted Celtic Musicians who performed up and down the coast and in the Central Valley. “I never pretended to know anything…but I sure knew who to refer anyone to who wanted to know more. It was actually through my subscribers that I knew people in Sacramento before we moved here,” she said.  One of those subscribers is the editor of an online Celtic Calendar found on the Caledonian Club website, www.saccallie.org.

When Welsh and her husband Rich came to Sacramento in 2006, she joined the Caledonian Club right way. Rich is a genealogist and works every year at the games in Woodland at the genealogy desk. Through genealogy, he discovered that he, too, is Scottish.

“However, I don’t expect to see him in a kilt anytime soon,” Welsh jokes.

Scott loves how the games have been shared through generations. “I am now seeing young adults with children. I saw them competing in piping and dance and their kids now are competing in those events,” he said.

“I probably get a get kick out of youngest highland dancers. They don’t have the steps down, but they’re out there doing their thing. Seeing them progress each year — it’s always a thrill,” Scott said.

Welsh loves sharing the passion and dedication of everyone involved, whether you’re a piper, highland dancer, athlete, Scottish Country Dancer, fiddler, “Clannie”, organizer, vendor, re-enactor or volunteer. “It takes every talent and skill-set to make this event .. this “Brigadoon” happen.

And everyone is a volunteer. No one is taken for granted.

“We are blessed with talented dancers and musicians who work hard to hone their craft to bring joy whatever performance venue where they appear,” said Welsh.

Working on a Scottish Games committee is a supreme learning and personal growth experience, said Welsh.

“I love working and forging relationships with people who didn’t know they could move that mountain until after it was moved.  I love that we bring, in modern times, an event that has gone on for much longer that 137 years to this generation.  I love when they (the youth) carry some element of it forward. Although we are ‘Brigadoon’ for three days, we bring these same values with us to our jobs and community,” said Welsh.

Welsh’s father (USAF, Ret) and mother (the Irish side) introduced Welsh to her Scottish heritage in 1986 at the Caledonian Club of San Francisco Games and Gathering, Santa Rosa. (That event currently takes place in Pleasanton, CA on Labor Day week end). Both of her dad’s parents came from Old Cumnock (Ayreshire), Scotland in the late 1880’s. They settled in Birch Run, Michigan. She was Sara Kerr; he was Robert Arthur.  Welsh joined Clan MacArthur at the games in 1986.

In 1993, Welsh joined the Campbell Highland Games committee (San Jose). For that organization she did sponsorships, publicity, program advertising sales, coordinated volunteers for the entire event and wrapped her 10-year tenure on the Campbell Highland Games Committee as Chieftain (Executive Director). In 1993 Welsh also started Scottish Country Dancing and joined the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society – SF Branch. Concurrently she served as Secretary of the South Bay Scottish Society, ultimately becoming the Chief of SBSS.

Fairytale Town unveiled a new play structure in the Sherwood Forest area of the children’s storybook park on Saturday, Feb. 16.

With earth-tone colors and forest-themed elements, the structure was custom-designed to echo the entire Sherwood Forest play set. The structure features slides, crawl tubes, a talk tube, telescope and multiple climbing apparatuses, including steps shaped as tree trunks and bedrock, an inclined log and a vertical rock climbing wall. Wood chips surrounding the base of the play structure will make for soft landings during play time on the structure.

“Sherwood Forest has been a treasured part of Fairytale Town for more than 30 years,” said Kathy Fleming, executive director of Fairytale Town. “Hundreds of thousands of children will have fun pretending they are Robin Hood or Maid Marian as they crawl on Sherwood Forest’s new play structure.”

The Sherwood Forest area of the park also includes a balance beam, a maze of Boxwood and Spring Bouquet shrubs, decorative wood sculptures and a large fixed-seating area with dining tables used by guests and birthday parties.

The new play structure was made possible in part by former Sacramento city council member Rob Fong and proceeds from Fairytale Town’s Yellow Brick Road fundraising project.

“Play time at Fairytale Town is an essential part of childhood for those that grow up in the Sacramento region, and this new play structure will help ensure the park remains a vibrant destination for future generations,” said Rob Fong, former city council member.

For more information, visit www.fairytaletown.org or call (916) 808-7462.

Under the direction of the school’s leadership class, Hollywood Park Elementary School students recently made hundreds of valentines for patients at Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Sacramento.

To complete the community service project, kids stayed after school with parents and staff to decorate valentines. On Jan. 28, the leadership class delivered the valentines to the hospital and listened to a presentation by Penny Lewis, director of children’s activities for Shriner’s, on how the hospital serves children and families.

Hollywood Park students presented their cards, which will be used to decorate bulletin boards and hallways at the hospital.

On Feb. 23, the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library played host to Mr. Sunny as he introduced children and families to Nigerian culture during WaZoBia. The name is derived from three different Nigerian dialects, with each part being a way of saying “come!” The event was put on to teach visitors about Nigerian culture through song and dance.

Mr. Sunny started the show with a brief explanation of the cultural landscape of Nigeria, followed by a short lesson in how to speak several of its dialects. After the audience had learned three unique ways of saying “hello”, Mr. Sunny brought out his drum and started up a rhythm.

He told visitors that they’d be participating in a few of the songs and dances, and after cheers from the children and grumbles from the adults had subsided, the event got underway.

Mr. Sunny picked several members of the audience to stand in front of the group, and while he drummed and the rest of the spectators sang along, they started to dance. The dancers were told to dance as crazily as they could; the children were noticeably crazier than the adults.

After cycling them out for a new group, Mr. Sunny brought the entire audience out of their seats for a brief lesson in drumming. He had placed a very large collection of drums and chimes in from of the group, as well as enough drumsticks for everyone in the room.

As he led with his own drum, the audience followed along. It took a good amount of time before the kids in the room realized they were not supposed to simply pound on their drums as loudly and quickly as they could.

Before the audience could return to their seats, Mr. Sunny lined them up in rows and explained how they were going to combine their dancing, singing, and drum lessons. After demonstrating the steps, he beat a rhythm while the audience proceeded to spin, skip, and slide along the floor in unison. It took many tries to get it right, but eventually the group put on an acceptable performance.

Finally, Mr. Sunny took questions from the room about his culture and about himself. He prefaced the discussion by explaining that yes, Africans do wear clothes, and they also have houses.

After some laughs from the room, he said that out of all his performances, these were the two most common questions by far. Except for one kid who asked whether the cultural clothing Mr. Sunny was wearing had anything to do with the drums he was playing (it did), every question was asked by an adult, ranging from questions about Nigerian culture to what Mr. Sunny has been up to in the States.

Everyone seemed to have a good time at the event, and many people came up to shake Mr. Sunny’s hand and compliment him after it was over. Mr. Sunny won’t be back at the Robbie Waters Pocket-Greenhaven Library until next year, but the calendar of their other events can be found at http://www.saclibrary.org/Locations/Robbie-Waters-Pocket-Greenhaven/.

Students at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary marched from campus and around the block across from campus in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory on his birthday, Jan. 15. The march was a “Freedom March” and held different meanings to each student. Carrying signs “freedom from bullying”, “freedom of education” and “freedom for all” the students were fully engaged.

It was a march that Principal Reginald Brown said was “open to interpretation. We have some of the nicest, caring, compassionate kids.”

This is the fifth year that Brown has been the principal at the school, but it’s the first time they’ve held a march in honor of MLK Jr.’s birthday. Each year, they’ve celebrated MLK Jr.’s memory differently. They’ve held essay contests, always held some kind of assembly, but this year, one of the teachers brought up the idea of a march. And on Friday, Jan. 11, permission slips went home and organization for the march came together quickly.

“It is a way to solidify our namesake,” Brown said, by holding his vision. “(MLK) is a top American in our history.”

On Dec. 8, more than 300 children from the UC Davis Medical Center’s pediatric oncology ward were treated to a party in their honor. The party serves to bring holiday cheer to children who many not be able to leave the hospital, or even their rooms, due to health reasons. Photos by John Cooper

On Dec. 8, more than 300 children from the UC Davis Medical Center’s pediatric oncology ward were treated to a party in their honor. The “Active 20-30 Holiday Party for Children Fighting Cancer” is an annual event put on by the Active 20-30 Sacramento Club, a group dedicated to hosting events and raising money for local children’s charities. The party serves to bring holiday cheer to children who many not be able to leave the hospital, or even their rooms, due to health reasons.

For three hours on Saturday afternoon, these patients got the chance to act like kids: they bounced around bounce houses, participated in a magic show, and listened to a live band. In addition to a lunch served by volunteers, the kids also received a visit from Santa (played by Active 20-30 president David Brandenburger), complete with toys donated by community members.

Active 20-30, along with volunteers from other organizations, had been developing the event for weeks. Toy collection boxes were placed in businesses throughout Sacramento, and donations were also taken at several events hosted throughout the week leading up to the party. Volunteers gathered at the UC Davis MIND Institute early on the morning of the party to help wrap gifts, lay out food, and set up entertainment.

The party was said to be the best one in all the years Active 20-30 has been hosting it, and the response from the community was incredible. So many toys were collected that there were leftovers, even though every child in attendance was given two. Extra toys will be donated to other children’s groups around town, in hopes that as many kids as possible can have a happy holiday.

Active 20-30 is a club with the objective of serving the community while building lasting friendships and rendering service to youth. To make donations to the Active 20-30 benevolent fund or find out more information about the Active 20-30 Club of Sacramento, please visit http://www.sac2030.info/.

Imagine a school transformed into a magical winter wonderland with King Winter, gingerbread houses, holiday activities, festive live music, mulled cider and delicious hearty food! Camellia Waldorf School invited the public to attend its 24th annual Winter Faire on Saturday, Dec. 8. The Winter Faire featured puppet shows, crafts for kids, candle-dipping, local vendors and artisans, a soup competition, home-baked treats, and our traditional “Children’s Store” (where children had an opportunity to shop for small treasures). http://www.camelliawaldorf.org/calendar/

In 2010 the leaders of the Greenhaven and Land Park Soccer Clubs joined forces and in partnership created the Sacramento Soccer Alliance (SSA).  The collaboration was in response for the need to provide a higher level playing opportunity in “age pure” divisions for the two neighborhoods.  Thus the SSA is now the Select level soccer program associated with Greenhaven and Land Park Soccer Clubs. SSA provides opportunities for players and coaches looking to take their game to a higher level without the high cost and time commitment required of a competitive club.

The sky blue and white program has grown from 22 teams in its inception to 34 age pure teams last year in all boys and girls age groups from U9 to U19. Teams play competitively in either the Cal North (CYSA) or NorCal Premier (US Club) leagues.

As the program enters its fourth year, the focus continues to be on player and coach development. New for the 2013 season, Sacramento Soccer Alliance is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) nationwide Club Standards Project. SSA is taking part in the NSCAA youth soccer evaluation process designed to raise the standards and expectations for coach and player development.  Shane Singh, the President of the Greenhaven Soccer Club, remarked, “the children of Land Park and Greenhaven are very fortunate that the SSA was established to provide this level of soccer while still keeping the costs down.”

In Sacramento youth soccer is by far the largest sport in terms of participation numbers, Singh said.  For Greenhaven soccer alone, we have over 1,200 players, about 230 registered coaches in 110 teams and use 29 different sites.”

Also new in 2013 is a training partnership with Coerver Coaching to provide club technical trainings and an inaugural Coerver Camp. Coerver Coaching California Northeast will be running bi-weekly club technical sessions from June to August and running a Coerver Camp in late June. Coerver Coaching is the recognized world leader in teaching soccer skills, is endorsed and recommended by top soccer federations, associations, clubs, and players.  Singh added, “In 2012, several SSA teams in the younger age groups faired very well in playing leagues against local Competitive level soccer clubs.”

Tryouts begin with the U9 – U11 players on January 19 and 26. Tryout information and online registration can be found on the SSA web site at sacramentosocceralliance.com. Tryout information for older players will be posted on the SSA web site as it becomes available. SSA is open to players and coaches from all areas of Sacramento.   Prospective coaches can also find more information about the club and application process on the SSA web site.

www.sacramentosocceralliance.com