Primary Children's Hospital's Music Therapy program continues to astound caregivers as a powerful tool in the healing process.

The Hospital's Music Therapy program was created by, and continues to be funded through donations received at Intermountain Foundation at Primary Children's Hospital.

For 11-year-old Abby, music is more than just notes and words. It was an important part of her recovery from a fall while hiking. Abby spent several months at Primary Children's, first in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and then the Neuroscience Trauma Unit (NTU). She underwent medical treatments and different therapies including music therapy. 

"One day Kayla came down to play guitar to her and that was the day she started squeezing other people's hands," says Megan, Abby's Mom. "It was the first day we had some interaction with her." 

Over the next two months, music therapist Kayla Zuckerman worked with Abby. "Music therapy is just so powerful. At the beginning I was just seeing how she physiologically responded to an auditory stimulus. Now we've grown to a point where we we're working on her attention skills, and her executive functioning skills through music."

As a sendoff, Abby performed a concert for her family and the staff who helped her. She sang two songs she had memorized, and played her guitar with both hands. See more of Abby's story by watching her video.