U.S. Army Spc. Bienvenido Q. Padilla feels guilty.
Several weeks ago, his unit redeployed overseas, and if he hadn’t been injured in Iraq, Padilla would be with them.
But instead, he’s in the process of medically retiring from the military, and he’s made San Antonio his home ever since October 2009, when he began his treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Padilla said his doctors warned him he could die from the traumatic brain injury (TBI) he suffered. But he’s glad he didn’t, he added with a smile.
He suffers from ongoing migraines. On a recent November morning, Padilla tried something he’d never done before that helped him forget the pain: He played the piano, and despite being a rookie, he sounded like a pro.
So far, San Antonio is the only military city in the country that has a music wellness lab for members of the military.
HEALING THROUGH SONG
The non-profit Soldiers’ Angels has dedicated a portion of its warehouse to hold five electric Yamaha Clavinova pianos lent by the downtown Alamo Music store. These pianos serve as a therapeutic tool for soldiers past and present.
Whenever she’s in town, Lori Frazer, a programs specialist with Yamaha, teaches groups at Soldiers’ Angels how to use the Clavinovas.
But these piano classes are not the ones you may remember growing up. Participants have no scales or notes to learn. The only instruction is to follow the guide lights; the Clavinova takes care of the orchestral accompaniment.
She also requests one more thing of her “students” -- that they have fun.
Yamaha developed the piano curriculum, called Clavinova Connection, over the span of a decade.
GETTING BACK TO 'NORMAL LIFE'
About a year ago, Kevin Higgins, a salesman at Alamo Music, contacted Frazer because he wanted to share the therapeutic properties of music with wounded warriors.
He himself benefited from piano playing after he suffered a traumatic amputation in a motorcycle accident in 1997.
“It felt like I was being electrocuted,” he said about the nerve damage he experienced. “It was excruciating enough initially that I yelped involuntarily. I started playing music again, and after about 18 to 24 months I was able to stop taking medication and get back to my normal life.”
Aside from selling pianos, he has dedicated himself to raising $125,000 to help fund the soldiers' piano program for the next five years.
“This will allow for thousands of therapy sessions over this time period,” Higgins said.
FUNDING THERAPY
The non-profit Dreams Fulfilled Through Music is soliciting donations to help provide facilities and the curriculum.
Soldiers’ Angels has also committed to building a large space that will house two music labs and a Karaoke booth.
“We have an in-take system we’re working on through Soldiers’ Angels and with the support center over at Brooke Army Medical Center,” he said. “I want to help as many people as I can, and that’s why we’re here. The pianos are another mechanism to do that.”
Higgins also regularly organizes the Wounded Warriors Performance Series -- live music events that add to the money raised.
But all this work on soldiers’ behalf is not charity, said Sean Thomas of Soldiers’ Angels.
“I think something that’s very difficult for the men and women who have served is you feel like you’re complaining,” Thomas said.
The aim is simply to help them “regain more positivity," he said.
GIVING BACK TO SOLDIERS
In 2003, Yamaha partnered with Applied Biosystems of Foster City, Calif., which is the company that deciphered the human genome.
“We partnered with them really on the mission that playing music and a musical instrument was a good form of self-expression and way to reduce stress,” Frazer said.
Dr. Barry Bitman of the Yamaha Institute has been the head researcher.
“San Antonio is at the forefront of a really huge movement that can really affect lives in a positive way,” Frazer said. “It’s really exciting to see someone who’s been wounded and has had a difficult time using music to relax."
"It’s a nice way to give back and help the soldiers and their families relieve the tremendous stress they’re under.”
Soldiers like Padilla seem to appreciate the effort.
“It’s comforting to know there are people out there who care a lot,” Padilla said. “The [traumatic brain injury] changed my whole life. I was pretty active. I lifted weights when I was in Iraq. I ran five miles everyday. I rode my bike.”
Now he suffers from frequent migraines. But when he played the piano, he said he felt transported to a different place.
Before he tried the piano he said he felt embarrassed. But now, he plans to come back for more.
