Zakhar is our regular visitor who comes to music therapy simply to get high from the sound and lift the spirits of everyone around him. “I come here to relax,” he says. “I never thought I could relax like this, except in my dreams.”
Yesterday, Zakhar decided not only to listen, but also to take part in creating music: he began to explore a midi controller. He was so fascinated by the process that he immediately wanted to try as many functions as possible — and each one gave new inspiration.
A special moment was when Zakhar began to transform music into certain images — he commented on sounds like: “space,” “Medieval Japan”… This fantasy enveloped the entire space of the music therapy room and transported everyone to a new reality.
Zakhar shows by his own example that anything is possible. You just have to overcome the thought “I can’t do anything” — and you can create something truly magical.
The Ukrainian Field Notes blog published a comprehensive article about our project – EnterDJ, a recreational DJing course that helps veterans, people with complex mental health conditions, and anyone who wants to relieve stress and improve their mood with simple musical exercises.
We are publishing excerpts from an interview that Jeanmarco del Re conducted with CEO Yevhen Skrypnyk and curator Andreas Bosch in early June of this year.
— Could you introduce EnterDJ?
Andreas Bosch: I wasn’t in the project from the very beginning, but I joined thanks to our mutual friend Vlad Fisun. Once he said, “There’s a music therapy project with a friend in Lviv,” and I went to see Victory Beats. I attended two or three sessions with veterans, and then I was like switched on — I realized that it really works. I thought we need to launch it in Kyiv. Well, actually, in many places, but the first thing that came to mind was HVLV. Because HVLV is not just a bar or a music venue, it’s a cultural hub. It was a project that I wanted to work on for a long time. Everything is based on music therapy. It was very convincing, and we found a format. We made a presentation. The idea is not only for veterans, it is suitable for anyone with PTSD, depression — which is currently affecting 90% of the population of Ukraine. In general, EnterDJ is not just a DJ school, it is something completely different. It is about developing the mind.
When I was at Superhumans in Lviv with Victory Beats, I realized that there is much more to this project than just DJing. I became very close to the veterans who participated, and the results were nothing short of impressive. There were also scientists who supported and explained what exactly music does to a person. For me, it is an exciting project. I am not a practicing musician, I collect music. But since I’m involved in the entire cultural program of HVLV, I realized that we should spread this throughout Ukraine, ideally.
Zhenya Skrypnyk: I was also invited to this project by Vlad Fisun. We met in Sloviansk, and for Vlad, DJing has always been something more than just music. I heard from him about music therapy back during COVID, when he developed a small program for people who were going through difficult times at home. So, Vlad had been thinking about this project for a long time, and when he invited me to EnterDJ, a lot had already been done there by him and Vova Nedogoda from Victory Beats. They already had results — and they were incredible. When veterans shared their impressions at the presentations at HVLV — those were the moments that brought tears to my eyes. This is something special — DJing as therapy, as a journey into music that allows you to forget about pain.
Music has no limits, and its diversity will find its way to everyone's heart. Perhaps this is one of the secrets to the success of music therapy.
Ostap recently joined our Victory Beats therapeutic program, which is held at the First Abilification Center. Among the approaches we use is playing musical instruments, in particular, DJing. And this direction, which was still little known to Ostap, immediately captivated him. We held several classes, and on June 21, we had an extraordinary opportunity - the Lviv Music Festival. On this day, the entire city was filled with music stages, one of which was at HAB, and we immediately took advantage of this opportunity: Ostap played his first public set! He shares his impressions in this video.
This is just the first step, but what a step! We are waiting for his new sets.
In the meantime, you can learn more about our separate direction of DJing as therapy at enterdj.com
One day, a short but very sincere message arrived on our website form: “Good afternoon. I have Ableton Push 2 and an AKAI MPK mini mk3 midi controller. Would these things be useful to you?”. That’s how we met Kostiantyn, a fan of our project who simply saw our activities and decided to support them.
From the moment the new equipment was connected, they immediately became the heart of a new jam session.
Цього дня з нами був і наш хороший друг – видатний музичний терапевт Nigel Osborne, was with us, with whom we immersed ourselves in improvisation. And something very lively, warm and holistic came out: the music seemed to find its way to each participant by itself. Someone was trying out new instruments for the first time, someone was discovering new sound possibilities for themselves — and the atmosphere was so exciting that it was impossible to stop.
Such gifts are not just about technology. They are about faith in the power of creativity, in restoration through sound, in support that comes when you really need it.
Thank you very much for your support and help!
Music truly heals - especially when it is created together.
Even before arriving at Superhumans, Maksym had already heard about our Victory Beats therapy and planned to fully immerse himself in it. And he immersed himself so much that it was impossible to imagine a single class without it – and not a single performance by our improvised band in the couple of months he was with us.
He shares what music therapy has given him personally in this video.
