Author Archives: jenthegiant

The other day a good friend called to talk about her mom, Anna, who moved in with her five years ago after a dementia diagnosis. My friend was concerned that her mother was depressed. Anna was an independent single mom who never missed a day of work at her small business. But once she retired,Continue reading “Ideas to Help Your Loved One with Dementia”

Here’s a great article on how music therapy can help with Parkinson’s disease, compiled from Connie Tomaino’s 2018 presentation for the Parkinson’s Foundation. She worked for many years with Oliver Sacks and is a great resource. https://www.parkinson.org/blog/research/Music-Therapy-Parkinsons-Disease-Feel-Rhythm

I just wrote a new article on the use of music to teach emotional intelligence. We know that EQ is a tough thing to teach, and some people think you either have it or you don’t. It’s difficult to teach this in a classroom, because learning must be experiential, rather than cerebral, to truly learnContinue reading “Can Emotional Intelligence be Taught Through Music?”

I am pleased to announce that I moved to Manhattan a few months ago and have a few openings for new clients! Because my time is limited, I am focusing on working with the populations I am most passionate about serving, using Neurologic Music Therapy techniques with people who have: Parkinson’s disease Survivors of stroke TraumaticContinue reading “Now in New York City and accepting clients!”

Originally, my aim in music therapy was not so much altruistic as to experience engaging musically in a safe space with another person. I was petrified of my peers hearing me play, due less to my lack of musicianship as my fear of being “heard”, exposed. Music therapy was a new way to engage withContinue reading “On Meeting Someone Musically”