How One Girl’s Love of Volunteering Became Music Therapy Clinics in Pediatric Hospitals Nationwide

Sophie Barton was a young and talented musician with an exciting career ahead of her. She loved to visit Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, UT and play music for the children who had been admitted there as a music volunteer. Sharing her love of music meant the world to her and meant even more to the children she played for. In June of 2010, her heart unexpectedly stopped beating.

Three years later, the first Sophie’s Place was opened at Primary Children’s Hospital, where Sophie loved to visit. Her love for music lives on and continues to inspire others every day.

Sophie’s Legacy

Sophie's Place is a Forever Young Foundation initiative and passion imagined by Barb Young to honor Sophie's memory through the healing power of music. Sophie's parents, Anne-Marie and Kent Barton continue to be active in the design and creation of each of these exceptional Music Therapy spaces. Sophie’s Place becomes a beautiful space in pediatric hospitals where board-certified music therapists can work with children in the hospital during music therapy. These children are able to leave their hospital rooms and visit a place where they can just be kids again, enjoy the healing power of music, and stretch their creativity.

Both Barb and Steve Young believe in the specialized, evidence based treatment of music therapy and the prescriptions for music therapy being written by physicians to the youth and families these rooms support. When speaking about these beautiful spaces Katie Lahue, one of our accomplished music therapists said: “Sophie's Place is often described by patients, families, and staff as the "coolest place in the hospital". It brings calm to most people that walk into it and it doesn't feel ANYTHING like a hospital. Offering this type of energy and experience to people in the hospital most certainly decreases anxiety and stress, and increases joy and positive association to the hospital and hospital staff.”

Where can you find us?

There are currently six functioning Sophie’s Place locations in Salt Lake City, UT, Plato Alto, CA, Sacramento, CA, Livermore, CA, Mesa, AZ, and Ann Arbor, MI. Another location will be open soon in Winston-Salem, NC! We hope to see Sophie’s Places all over the nation in the coming years.

Music Changes Everything

Sophie’s heart beats on through Sophie's Place and the many children being treated in these rooms. Her love of music is the inspiration for these music therapy spaces, providing children a respite through this specialized integrative care. Please take some time to comment below if you’ve had a healing experience because of music. At Sophie’s Place we have these experiences every day because #musicchangeseverything.