March 8, 2023 | Blogs and News
By Mireille K. — 1 min read — Interview with CMF Kids Ambassador, Ellee Kennedy, Miss Mission City
Blog was originally posted in July 2020, reposting now to Welcome the Return of Ellee Kennedy, Miss Mission City, as our CMF Kids Ambassador.
“The first day, I was definitely scared. I didn’t like the thought of being stuck to an IV for 10 hours,” Ellee Kennedy, Miss Mission City and recently named CMF Kids Ambassador for Children’s Music Fund, said regarding her first infusion in the sixth grade.
Having been diagnosed with a rare blood condition known as Hypogammaglobulinemia, she had traveled to DC from her home in Ohio for treatment, young and afraid of the needles and pain. But with the help of the affectionate doctors and a special painted ceiling tile, her anxiety began to dissipate. Kennedy said,
For me the ceiling tile represented my hope and the kindness of the doctors and therapists to create something. It was a symbol of the hospital’s support and acknowledgement of how far art and Music Therapy can go in a children’s day and treatment plan.
For Kennedy and other young children who undergo medical treatments and endure the fear and anxiety associated with their conditions, something as simple as getting to paint a ceiling tile or sing during the many sedentary hours of the treatment, changes their lives.
Even after leaving DC, during every infusion, Kennedy would find solace in being able to paint, create and sing. She’d always been musically inclined, having sung opera from age five, but her encounter with Music Therapy not only increased her appreciation of music, but also her adamance to bring Music Therapy to the lives of others as well.
She earned her undergraduate degree in music business and classic opera singing and is working towards her graduate degree from the University of Miami, Frost School of Music, for live entertainment management and classical singing, in an effort to tell her story.
Music is an emotional connection, if I’m ever having a bad day I’ll sing a song that lyrically is compatible to what I’m feeling and it calms me. That’s something I developed throughout my [medical] treatments and still use.
The power of music was on full display during the coronavirus pandemic, when neighbors would bridge the distance between each other by singing together from their respective homes. Kennedy not only recognized this beauty, but said that it was one of her favorite things about music.
You can perform music anywhere, anytime. You always have it with you in your soul. That’s what Music Therapy does. It’s not limited to language or gender or any restrictions, it’s a universal language anyone can benefit from.
Kennedy has spent her life advocating for musical and creative resources for kids in hospitals all around the globe. After being announced as Miss Naples, she knew her mission would be about incorporating music into children’s lives through her own programs and through her position as the CMF Kids Ambassador for Children’s Music Fund.
I really, really wanted to be involved and focus on connecting with the kids currently receiving medical treatments. My experience and background could resonate with them and I wanted to share my story and listen to theirs, and relate to music to help them feel more comfortable.
Kennedy understands the loneliness many young patients feel and having someone listen to you and help you through the process is inspiring and gratifying. She also wants children to know that their illness does not define them and that there are, “so many layers to their personality and their illness is just one component of what makes them an incredible person.”
Kennedy also founded a program known as “Putting the A in S.T.E.M Through Music Therapy.” Not only does it function to emphasize the importance of Music Therapy, but it focuses on implementing arts in lower academic levels, as a foundation to help students develop a love for music and maybe even become music therapists.
“It’s really important to continue to advocate and educate about Music Therapy to preserve and expand this field as a profession. The best way to do this is to incorporate arts into S.T.E.M, using music therapy as the conjunction,”
Kennedy explained, proving that music is just as important as other subjects because it is clinically proven to help patients and provide risk-free form of medication.
Expressing yourself through music is so much more powerful than we allow it to be. It’s not just entertainment, it’s medication and self-care. It helps your mind and body.
During Kennedy’s treatments, she was unable to enjoy the fervorous and energetic activities most sixth graders love, much like many of our CMF Kids that are unable to leave their hospital beds. “One of the only things I could do was sing and listen to music. It gave me another resource to cultivate my love for singing and it all had a positive effect on increasing dopamine and my mood.”
With the Music Therapy resources being offered to CMF Kids, they also get to experience the beauty and healing benefits of music firsthand, and find a sliver of hope in what seems to be an impossible and frightening situation. Kennedy even encourages taking advantage of the digital resources being offered from the Telehealth Music Therapy sessions to reading up about the benefits of music or singing your favorite song!
The mental and physical benefits of Music Therapy are unmatched and Ellee Kennedy will always continue to support the education and advocacy of these services in order to help children all around the world.
“I would like to thank the entire Children’s Music Fund community and I think that your mission is incredible, I’m so happy to be a part of it and I can’t wait to get to know everyone on the team and every child, parent and member of the CMF Kids community.”
To help more children experience the firsthand benefits of Music Therapy, donate here!
~ Thank you to Ellee Kennedy, Miss Mission City, CMF Kids Ambassador, for taking the time to be interviewed and share her story. Follow Miss Mission City on Instagram: @missmissioncity~