brain

It’s Raining Awesome YouTube Videos!

March 28, 2011

Ever hear the saying “when it rains, it pours”? Well, it was raining awesome YouTube videos for me last week!
Below are three videos I highly recommend you watch. The first is an interview between Ellen (yes, THAT Ellen) and Jodi Picoult, author of the music therapist’s favorite new book, Sing You Home. They don’t chat [...]

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It’s Brain Awareness Week!

March 18, 2011
Thumbnail image for It’s Brain Awareness Week!

Did you know that this week is Brain Awareness Week (BAW)? I didn’t!
According to the Dana Foundation, BAW is a global campaign aimed at increasing “public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research.” I don’t know the history behind how BAW got started, but it now happens every March. BAW highlights efforts of [...]

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Top 12 Reasons Why Music as Therapy Works

April 22, 2010

UPDATE: The Posit Science article was posted! You can read it here.
I was recently invited to write an article for Posit Science, a company dedicated to brain fitness and interested in neuroscience. Although it’s not yet posted, I wanted to share it with you, as I’ve written out many of the “arguments” I use to [...]

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Handouts from the 2010 #mwamta Conference

April 12, 2010

For those who attended my presentations at the Midwestern Regional Music Therapy Conference in Fort Collins this past weekend, here are the handouts!
“Functional Neuroscience for the Clinical Music Therapist”
Click here to download a handout (pdf) from this presentation
“Music Therapy in a Web 2.0 World: How You Can Harness the Power of the Internet”
Click here to [...]

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On Attention, Plasticity, Learning, Individuality

October 15, 2009

A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about the 4 different types of attention–sustained, selective, divided, joint–and gave examples of how you can address each in a therapy session. After reading the article, my friend Lisa contacted me on Facebook and asked:
(C)an the different types of attention really be learned or do you [...]

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The 3 Facets of a Music Therapist

June 9, 2009

If you visit my company website, you will notice the pictures up top labeled “science,” “music,” “therapy.” I was introduced to this concept in graduate school, the idea that a music therapist encompasses being trained as a musician, a scientist, and a therapist.
A true story for you:
Yesterday, I was scheduled to facilitate some music therapy [...]

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Book Review: The Emotional Brain

April 8, 2009

I recently finished reading The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life by Joseph Ledoux. LeDoux is a well known and well respected researcher who specializes in studying, well, emotions. That’s his official specialty. Unofficially, I feel he should also be considered a specialist in taking complex ideas and breaking them down into easy-to-understand [...]

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Let’s Start at the Neuro-Beginning…

March 30, 2009

While working towards my Master of Music degree at Colorado State University, I had the opportunity to take several neuroscience classes. Neuroanatomy (my favorite!), neurodevelopment, neuropsychology – it gave me a wonderful, broad understanding of how the brain and body functions. These classes have profoundly guided the way I approach my therapeutic work.
I intend to [...]

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Music and Business and Research, Oh My!

February 13, 2009

Welcome to my blog! This blog will be dedicated to providing insights, information, and life lessons learned from my personal experiences as a music therapist and a small business owner. I work hard to learn as much as possible in the areas of business, sales & marketing, music therapy, and neuroscience. I read books, listen [...]

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