Music Therapy Facts, Daisie Sutton and How Its Used at South Sound

Did you know that music therapy has a clinical history of 70+ years? We began servicing World War I veterans within Psych Hospitals and have since then progressed to working in schools, prisons, clinics, group homes, hospitals, etc. and servicing a wide range of populations as well as their needs. We also have several studies published in medical and psychological journals and are using rhythm today to improve speech and movement in those that have had strokes as well as a wide variety of neurological disorders. One of our own fulltime music therapy employees here at South Sound is Daisie Sutton, whom is a master’s level music therapist that is board certified and has over 8 years working with older adults and currently holds 7 contracts with the state of Washington with her music therapy business, “Sutton Music Therapy, LLC”. As Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, she plans to hire music therapists to service these contracts as well as the 15 facilities she serviced prior to the pandemic from Renton to Tumwater, WA.

Daisie feels very blessed to be here at South Sound Hospital where she has the title of Music Therapist and has the privilege to participate in treatment team meetings. She plans to make South Sound a lifelong career and is excited for growing the music programs here with other recreational therapists. Here she is able to do more enhanced interventions than prior work as she incorporates songwriting, lyric analysis, movement and art with music and also gets to learn a wider variety of songs to incorporate patient preferred into her session groups. One of her song writings she created uses a blues form and incorporates patient responses to describe current stressors and future goals (shown below).. Many music therapy sessions, she creates incorporate themes with handouts that prompt group discussion to share thoughts towards different songs and lyrics. Example themes include change, growth, perseverance and hope. She is very excited to be working among a new colleague Ben Kendal who is a new PRN music therapist at South Sound. He also used to work at Smokey Point and graduated from Seattle Pacific University with his bachelors in music therapy. If you would like to learn more about music therapy, please don’t hesitate to contact Daisie Sutton or Ben Kendal. Here is an example of one of the blues songwriting’s:

“I ain’t got no hoodies or cell phone
I ain’t got no wallet or friends
I ain’t got no cappuccino or computer games
I’ve got to make some changes or I’ll have the South Sound Blues

I want to go fishing and hiking
I want to get my phone and take a road trip
I want to cook and BBQ
I want to find a home and make some money
I’ve got to make some changes or I’ll have the South Sound Blues”

Another songwriting: Theme on Dealing with Stressors (This song is piggy backed to the melody of, “I’m not Afraid” by Eminem) Daisie changed the lyrics and took them out to look like a madlib for patients to logically identify how they were going to deal with their stressors and input their thoughts in the underlined sections)

“I’m not afraid of myself
Everybody cares and loves
We can overcome and accomplish
Whatever comes we will conquer
Just letting you know that you are loved
And you can survive on this road of life”