Dame Hinewehi Mohi co-founded the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre 20 years ago after witnessing the transformative power of music first-hand with her own daughter, Hineraukatauri, who is severely disabled. Te Aniwa Hurihanganui reports for Sunday. When a child reaches a milestone, it’s a special time for any parent. Their first little steps. The moment they utter their first word. Mine was “māmā”. And by the time I was one, my mum was chasing me across the room. But when she was a baby, milestones looked very different for Hineraukatauri. She’s 27 now - the same age as me. And her whānau, like mine, still call her “bubba”. But unlike me, she has never taken her first step. She will never say her first word. Hineraukatauri has severe cerebral palsy, a condition she’s had since birth, which means she can’t walk, talk or eat orally. She spends most of her life in a wheelchair and has a full-time carer. When she was young, her mum, Dame Hinewehi Mohi, searched for other milestones. Anything that would make her daughter’s “heart sing”. And while working in London, she found it. “I spoke with the producer of my album and he said, ‘music therapy, music therapy is the thing’,” she said. “It was such an epiphany for Hineraukatauri as a little girl of two or three. The instant connection with the music therapist was just so amazing.” Life would never be the same. Music therapy unlocked something within her. “Undoubtedly, music therapy is the one constant that she has always been drawn to and always got the most out of, because it’s her jam, it’s the way she rolls. It’s how she expresses herself, and how she connects with others,” Dame Hinewehi said. She and her husband George were determined to bring it back to Aotearoa. They wanted other whānau to experience its magic too. That was their dream. Now, 20 years later, they have four music therapy centres across the country, all named after Hineraukatauri. “I can’t even articulate what this has meant for people,” said Dame Hinewehi. The brain’s automatic response to a beat The concept of music therapy was relatively new to me. But I was fascinated to learn that music activates every part of the brain. From the moment we are born, our bodies are primed to respond to the rhythm of our mother’s heartbeat. That’s why, when people listen to a song, they will almost always walk in time to the beat. Music therapists can tap into the brain’s automatic response to a beat in order to help people with mobility issues or brain injuries improve their pacing or walk faster. They use other musical tools to help stroke-victims re-learn how to speak, or people with autism improve their social skills and confidence. That’s how the science works. And it’s extraordinary. But Dame Hinewehi described it to me in her own way. “Take a moment to think about how music makes you feel,” she said. “And then you can get an understanding of what music does when it’s connecting with someone who has far more challenges. How it can be so empowering.” It made me think of my dad. And the song he wrote for me when I was born. Sometimes, when I go to visit him in Rotorua, he’ll pull out his guitar and sing it to me. And when he does, I can picture him in his twenties, holding his third baby, wondering who she might grow to be. It reminds me how much I mean to him.” Hinewehi has written her own song for her daughter. It’s called Hineraukatauri and it’s one of the most beautiful waiata I’ve ever heard. “When Hineraukatauri was born, I used my music to channel my sadness for her losing her true life’s potential,” she said. “I think you can hear it in the song Hineraukatauri - it’s a powerful thing. But it’s also the way I could communicate with her.” We filmed Dame Hinewehi singing it to her daughter while they were home in Hawke’s Bay in late February. I’ll never forget the way her voice filled the room. And how Hineraukatauri began vocalising with her mum while she sang. In that moment, the power of music was so clear. It’s no wonder she and George were determined to share this taonga with others. “Her will to connect that way is stronger than any other thing,” said Dame Hinewehi. “It’s a gift.” For more information: Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre (rmtc.org.nz)
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