creativity

[PT Post] Are Musical Genres Outdated?

May 27, 2016
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As a musician, one of the hardest questions for me to answer is “what kind of music do you like?” My current rote answer is “Well, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I like…” and then I continue on by listing several examples of different musical genres and the mood I associate them with…

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[PsychToday] Music for Productive Creativity

May 6, 2016
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Arguably, one of music’s most salient characteristics is the impact it has on our emotions. What if this impact can be used in an intentional way to boost creative flow? I had an interesting conversation last week with an airplane seat mate…read more.

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[PsychToday] 51 Ways to a Greater Musical You

December 21, 2014
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We may not be past the major December holidays, yet, but the new year will be here in a flash. And with the new year comes . . . resolutions. Tis (almost) the season for making changes and creating your life how you’d like it to look . . . Read more. Image courtesy of […]

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[PsychToday] The New “Happy”: A Protest Anthem

April 23, 2014
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Although I initially liked the song, my feelings about Pharrell William’s Oscar-nominated hit “Happy” had been moving towards how I feel about the 1990s version of “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” So over-played that I immediately felt drawn to change the radio station once I heard the opening notes. But I recently read an […]

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[PsychToday] Is Commonplace Creativity a Lost Art?

September 27, 2013
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“…every human being has a social and biological guarantee of musicianship and evidence (suggests) that everybody, regardless of social, educational, psychological or medical aspects can communicate through music.” (Hallam & MacDonald, 2009, pg. 472) I dare you not to smile as you watch this 3:44 minute video clip . . . (Read more)

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Mommy Mondays: Child-like Discovery

February 25, 2013
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One of the joys of having a child is that you are forced to appreciate moments. To stick your head above the busyness of the daily grind and be present…even if just for a moment. For me, it seems that many of these moments occur during periods of discovery. Times when the little inner scientist […]

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[PsychToday] Which Came First: Music or Language?

September 20, 2012
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Which came first: language or music? Traditionally, music has been considered an evolutionary byproduct of language. Language, after all, is one of the few skills we have that makes us uniquely human. Thus it has the more important evolutionary role. Music is just “auditory cheesecake.” Unimportant. Pretty little fluff. A misunderstood byproduct.But this tradition is […]

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[PsychToday] The Perks of Taking a Shower

August 24, 2012
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Earlier this week I had the happy privilege to talk to a roomful of music therapy and music education students about creativity. I talked about why creativity matters—and not just musical creativity. For these students, creativity in its many forms can help their future students and clients, it’s critical for their professional longevity and success, […]

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Stuck in a Rut? 11 Ways to Get Your Music Therapy Mojo Back

August 2, 2012
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I remember the feeling well of trying to prepare for a session and feeling like I was doing the same thing over and over and over again. Feeling bored. Feeling worried that my client might be getting bored. And what happens if they are? Will they continue to improve in music therapy? And what if […]

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