How to Be a Successful Musician

Contrary to popular belief, you don't need an innate musical talent to be a musician. You DO need:

Healing Through Music

Here's an interesting article from Havard Medical School about what Music Therapy is, and how it can help. A quick easy read! 

Music and Hearing Loss

Music is a pathway that can lead us through perceived limitations to a world of creativity and self-expression.

Check out this video of a young musician who lost her hearing at age 18, and is still composing music and performing today. 

Mandy Harvey is a singer-songwriter working on her fourth album. She was studying music in college when she lost her hearing. She sings by feeling vibrations in the floor, and by using the muscle memory of her vocal cords to sing notes.

Music and Physical Activity

Music is a great way to motivate physical activity, which helps with developing coordination, gait (walking pace), cross body movement, gross and fine motor coordination, improving cardiovascular health, and improving mental health! 

Check out this video made by Altamont Elementary school! 

Music Helps Me To...

Guitarist Humour

Just a light note of guitarist humour...some of you might get the joke! 

The Power of Music Therapy

Here's a detailed article about the power of Music Therapy from the Epoch Times. 

Music Therapy in Palliative Care

This story is a touching example of the power of Music Therapy in Palliative care. Enjoy!

My grandparents Laura and Howard have been married 73 years. In this video Howard is 92 and Laura is 93. Laura (Grandma) is at a hospice facility making peace with her final days. I was lucky enough to capture this precious, heart-melting moment between the two of them.

Canadian Journal of Music Therapy

Exciting news! My Masters thesis, "An Inquiry into the Collective Identity of Canadian Music Therapists", has been referenced in the latest volume, 21(1) 2015, of the Canadian Journal of Music Therapy. The scholarly publication, "Canadian Music Therapists' Perspectives on the Current State of Music Therapy as a Profession in Canada", by Erin Gross and Laurel Young cited my thesis in their qualitative research study. 

Thank-you for continuing this important research on the field of Music Therapy in Canada!

The Power of Group Singing

Here's a great article on the neurological benefits of group singing in a music therapy context:

"The Power of Group Singing: An Interview with Music Therapist Alison Talmage". 

Music in Early Childhood Education

Music can help children to learn across a broad spectrum of subjects and skills. Here's a great article that outlines how you can include music in children's lives to help promote learning. 

Music to Reduce Pain and Anxiety

Here is an article from MD with scholarly sources about some recent studies on music and how it can alleviate pain and anxiety.