SAN DIEGO (FOX5/KUSI) — This past weekend, music wasn’t just about entertainment, it’s about healing. A San Diego nonprofit is using the power of song to help veterans recover and reconnect.
Inside the Point Loma Assembly Hall, veterans like Joel Hamlet are making music along with finding brotherhood and healing.
“I just picked up a guitar and a staff member was like, ‘Do you play?’ And I’m like, ‘No, but I’d love to learn.’ So he helped teach me how to play guitar. I ended up learning how to write songs,” Hamlet said.
Before discovering his love for music, Hamlet served as a U.S. Air Force staff sergeant overseas.
“I was stationed at Fort Bragg for a while. That experience taught me a lot, how to follow and how to be a leader at the same time,” he said.
Hamlet’s time in service was cut short after he was medically retired. That’s when he found Resounding Joy, a nonprofit dedicated to music therapy.
“We work with the VA and other veteran-focused organizations to support people navigating PTSD, traumatic brain injury, substance abuse, homelessness, anxiety, depression and just re-entry into civilian life,” said Kerri Fox, executive director of Resounding Joy.
Founded in 2004, the nonprofit started as a small team of volunteers. More than two decades later, Resounding Joy provides therapy to children in hospitals, seniors in care homes and military families across the country.
“Music therapy in the U.S. actually started in World War II because of post-combat veterans who were in the hospital. We found that musicians in the hospital actually accelerated the healing process,” said music therapist Arianna Monge.
For Hamlet, the program has become a source of strength.
“It’s helped me when I write songs. A lot of the songs I’ve written come from past experiences. It helps me if I feel anxiety to reflect, write things down, and just playing with other people and being able to jam together is very therapeutic,” he said.
Resounding Joy’s work is a reminder of the powerful role music can play in recovery and resilience.
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