function of music

Music and Musicking

August 7, 2018
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I have a confession: I am not a fan of the word “musicking.” Not only is it a silly-sounding word to me, but you can’t even find it in Merriam-Webster. (Okay, technically it’s described as the “present participle of music,” meaning it’s the ongoing action of the thing called “music.” But unlike other present participles […]

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[PsychToday] Inaugurations, Women’s Marches, and the Social Role of Music

January 19, 2017
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I’ve found myself wondering what type of music we’ll hear this weekend. In case you’ve missed it, there are some pretty big events happening over the next couple of days—a certain Inauguration ceremony Friday followed the next day by a Women’s March. The purpose of each is vastly different, as are the people associated with […]

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In Defense of Extrinsic Benefits…?

August 11, 2016
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Another summer means another opportunity to catch up on a little book reading. This summer’s reading list was inspired by my upcoming teaching and writing commitments. Two books in particular sparked musings on a topic I haven’t yet blogged about (at least not directly), but about which I’ve had numerous conversations with music therapists and […]

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[PsychToday] Patriotic Music and Cultural Identity

June 30, 2016
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Stars and Stripes Forever The Star Spangled Banner God Bless the USA America the Beautiful Born in the USA Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue This Land is Your Land America God Bless America These are just a handful of the dozens of songs that instill a sense of patriotism and pride for Americans. These […]

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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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3 Must-Read Articles of the Week

November 5, 2015
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Every once in awhile I read a blog post or article worth sharing with my readers. This week, there are three. These three articles are very different in topic and style. One describes living as an autistic person, another is about music therapy and iPods, and the third outlines research on music for maladaptive emotion […]

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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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Am I a Therapist First or a Musician?

July 20, 2015
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I’m two-thirds of the way through reading Ken Aigen’s 2013 book The Study of Music Therapy: Current Issues and Concepts. It’s been sitting on my shelf for almost a year, now, as I made myself focus solely on chipping away at my dissertation and completing first year of teaching. Now that both of those are […]

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[PsychToday] Therapy Through…Choir?

June 17, 2015
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There are just over 6,000 board certified music therapists in the United States. According to census.gov, there are over 321 million people living in the US. This means there is one music therapist for every 53,500 people in this country. Now, of course, music therapists don’t work with everyone; we tend to work with individuals […]

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