PsychToday

[PsychToday] Learning about Allison’s Brain

March 24, 2016
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I heard a pretty remarkable story last week about a woman named Allison. Allison is a retired music teacher—a highly decorated retired music teacher, too. In 2011, Allison was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, an enlargement of one of the arteries in her brain. An enlargement so big it was the size of a plum. […]

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[PsychToday] Building Bridges: Music Therapy in Hospice Care

March 8, 2016
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A beautiful story was published in People magazine recently about a music therapist at Cincinnati Children’s hospital who composes “heartbeat songs” for his clients and their family. These particular clients are unique—they all receive hospice services, meaning these children were given a prognosis of six months or less to live…Read more.

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[PsychToday] Don’t Stop the Music Learning

February 6, 2016
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I had the pleasure last week of serving on a panel following a screening of the BBC documentary Don’t Stop the Music. The film chronicled the journey of professional pianist James Rhodes as he worked to collect enough instruments for one school to begin an orchestra program. The project has grown—according to the website, James […]

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[PsychToday] Music, Smell, and Holiday Shopping

December 23, 2015
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At the time of writing this post, we are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Halloween candy has long been consumed, Thanksgiving meals digested, Hannakah candles lit, Solstice passed. All that’s left now is Christmas. Of all those holidays, Christmas is arguably the most ubiquitous, in particular for those […]

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[#PsychToday] The Evolution of Music: A Bonding Effect?

December 9, 2015
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Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhoto.net I’ve performed in many ensembles over the years—band, orchestra, choir, and chamber groups—and have yet to find a music group as socially and emotionally connected as the marching band. Not to say I haven’t felt connected to my fellow choral, orchestra, and wind ensemble peers, but there’s something about […]

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[PsychToday] 3 Musical Ways to Influence a Child’s Emotions

October 22, 2015
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When people ask me what I do, and I say I’m a music therapist, I generally get one of three responses: The Curious Question: “Music therapy…what’s that?” The Personal Connection: “You’re a music therapist?! Oh my goodness, my (mom/dad/grandmother/friend/child) had a music therapist and it was fantastic!” The Emotional Association: “Oh I love music therapy! […]

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[PsychToday] Scoping out Sticky Songs

September 23, 2015
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Pop quiz time! What do the following phrases have in common? I’ve got my baby back, baby back, baby back, I’ve got my baby back, baby back ,baby back… Who let the dog’s out! Woof, woof, woof, woof…. Give me a break! Give me a break. Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat […]

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[PsychToday] What We’ve Got Wrong with the K-State Marching Band Story

September 8, 2015
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The Kansas State University marching band director is in hot water following this weekend’s halftime performance. The show was space-themed and included music from the “Star Trek” TV show and “Star Wars” movies. The “controversy,” though, centers on a 3-second segment of drill in which the Starship Enterprise was depicted as destroying the University of […]

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[PsychToday] Punk Music Isn’t “Bad”

July 30, 2015
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Early in my professional career as a music therapist, a colleague asked me what I thought about her teenage son’s music choices. He had started listening loud, punk-type music and my colleague was wondering whether or not she should be worried. I assured her that, although this was not a particular area of expertise for […]

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