research

5 Lessons for my Graduate Students

August 28, 2018
Thumbnail image for 5 Lessons for my Graduate Students

ICMPC (the International Conference of Music Perception and Cognition meeting I attended in July) is most succinctly described as a music science conference. Although various fields are represented, including music psychology, music cognition, music theory, music therapy, and more, at its core it’s a science conference. And I find it fascinating to note the differences […]

0 comments Read more…

What does Geography have to do with Song Preference?

October 11, 2017
Thumbnail image for What does Geography have to do with Song Preference?

I was recently inspired by an episode of the Revisionist History podcast to explore musical characteristics associated with “sad” music. This particular episode stimulated some other thoughts as well, in particular the role of geography and song preference. Where does this come from? In the podcast episode, host Malcolm Gladwell explored characteristics associated with specific […]

0 comments Read more…

[PT Post] Are Musical Genres Outdated?

May 27, 2016
Thumbnail image for [PT Post] Are Musical Genres Outdated?

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…

0 comments Read more…

Music Therapists: Take this WFMT Survey!

April 21, 2016

The World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) is conducting a survey to obtain “detailed, descriptive, worldwide statistical narrative about the demographics, employment, and clinical facts, which help to describe the music therapy profession.” If you are a music therapist, I encourage you to click this link to take the survey. Though I risk showing a […]

0 comments Read more…

[PsychToday] Music, Smell, and Holiday Shopping

December 23, 2015
Thumbnail image for [PsychToday] Music, Smell, and Holiday Shopping

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 […]

0 comments Read more…

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

December 9, 2015
Thumbnail image for [#PsychToday] The Evolution of Music: A Bonding Effect?

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 […]

0 comments Read more…

3 Must-Read Articles of the Week

November 5, 2015
Thumbnail image for 3 Must-Read Articles of the Week

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 […]

0 comments Read more…

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

October 22, 2015
Thumbnail image for [PsychToday] 3 Musical Ways to Influence a Child’s Emotions

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! […]

0 comments Read more…

[PsychToday] Scoping out Sticky Songs

September 23, 2015
Thumbnail image for [PsychToday] Scoping out Sticky Songs

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 […]

0 comments Read more…

← Previous Entries