Palliative Care Doesn’t Have to Be Something Scary: A Music Therapy Perspective
“You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you’ll win, no matter what the outcome.” – Patch Adams
Music therapists often work in palliative care contexts. They are usually part of a team of professionals whose aim is to improve the quality of life of patients facing serious illnesses and end-of-life situations….
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Music Therapy and Teens Facing a Serious Illness
In this blog post, I explore the ways in which teens use music. I also explore how music therapy is of great support for them when faced with a serious illness.
We know from sociological studies and from pure common sense and experience that music is an important part of life for most, if not all,…
Sound Health – Say It With Rhythm!
The second concert of the conference Sound Health featured Dr. Nina Kraus, Mickey Heart (drummer of the Grateful Dead), Zakir Hussain, and Adam Gazzaley. The focus of this day of performances and talks was rhythm.
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is a great drummer who plays with The Grateful Dead. For his part of the talk he focused on the personal importance of rhythm in life….
Cleveland Clinic Children’s Partnership
Sam’s Fans started a new partnership with Cleveland Clinic Children’s this year. In this blog post, we explain to you how the partnership started and what you help us fund with your donations. We also tell you how CCC will further the mission of using music and art therapy to serve seriously ill children and their families….
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Conference Explores Music and the Mind
Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts put together an event with the National Endowment for the Arts called: Music and the Mind, Changing Our Children’s Lives Through Music Engagement. This event brought together musicians, neuroscientists, music therapists, and other professionals to explore links between music, rhythm,…
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Let’s Say YES to Music Therapy!
Yes Man
I recently watched Yes Man, a movie starring Jim Carrey. It is a fun movie with a valuable message. Its message is that we should take advantage of the opportunities that present to us. As I was watching, there was one scene that caught my attention as a music therapy student. About halfway through the movie,…
Life is Better When You Improvise
“The thing about improvisation is that it’s not about what you say. It’s listening to what other people say. It’s about what you hear.”
-Paul Merton
Music therapists employ all kinds of methods in their work. Whether their method is to play a song or to let the patient/client play an instrument, music therapists know how to use music to achieve a goal….
The American Music Therapy Association
Music therapy is an established profession in the US since the last century. The American Music Therapy Association and the organizations that came before it helped shape the world of music therapy in the USA. The purpose of the AMTA is the “progressive development of the therapeutic use of music in rehabilitation, special education, and community settings.”….
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Therapeutic Music Videos with Teens with Cancer
Introduction
Teens who are hospitalized for cancer treatment experience a great deal of physical and emotional challenges. Treatment for cancer often involves an aggressive regimen including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow transplant, and/or immunotherapy which cause harsh side effects. Cancer patients often suffer from side effects such as pain, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, nerve damage, and more….
Art Therapy as a Support for Autism
“You mean I haven’t tried everything yet?”
The relief in her tone was palpable, her eyes intense. She happened upon my table at a resource fair. As she spoke, she echoed the stories of countless parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Exhausted from the therapy schedule and disheartened by slow and incremental progress, she was intrigued and wanted to learn more about how art therapy could help her child….
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